Page 75 of A Taste of Whiskey
“Do you think she wanted to get married? Or do you think she did it for Gus, too?”
“I’ve asked myself that a lot over the years. I don’t think she did it for Gus. I think she did it for herself.”
“What do you mean?”
“I think she saw the marriage as a way to prove to her parents that she was lovable. Her parents were always giving her a hard time. I used to think they were too harsh toward her, but I realized after we were married that she was so self-centered, she took advantage of them every chance she got.”
“And now she takes advantage of you.”
“Live and learn, right? I never should have married her. I didn’t feel one-tenth of what I feel for you toward her.”
Her heart turned over in her chest. “Really?”
“Yes, Bo Peep,” he said low and sexy. “I think she knew how I felt about you back then, too. She was always jealous of you.”
“Why? She had you. I didn’t.”
“Yes, but not really. I think she sensed how I felt about you. I felt bad about that. I gave our marriage everything I could, but you can’t fake love when it’s not there.” He was quiet for a second. “You got your sweet claws into me a long damn time ago, and you’ve had some kind of hold on me ever since.”
“Lucky me.” She giggled.
“No, babe. I’m the lucky one.”
His lips came coaxingly down over hers in a slow, sensual kiss that quickly turned hungrier and hotter, until they smoldered like molten metal. She wound her arms around him as he took her down on her back, his big, hard body pressing deliciously against her as they devoured each other. He rocked his hard length against her center, drawing a moan from the needy well inside her.
He drew back, eyes blazing. “I want more of this, babe. More time together. More ofyou.”
She’d give him anything and everything. “Thentakemore.”
He reclaimed her mouth with a lustful growl, shifting his weight as his hand roamed over her body. “Too many fucking clothes,” he rasped against her lips. They stripped off their boots and clothes between a fury of white-hot kisses and greedy gropes, and he buried himself to the hilt in one hard thrust. They both cried out, but they didn’t slow down. She met every hard thrust with one of her own. She was vaguely aware of the rough ground at her back, but her senses whirled and skidded. When he pushed his arms under her and his hands gripped her shoulders, pushing her body down as his hips thrust deeper, a long, surrendering moan sailed from her lips. “Again,” she begged, clinging to him as he pumped faster and thrust harder, catapulting them into ecstasy so vast and bright, it felt otherworldly. Impossible. But there they were, on a high so beautiful and intense, so real and true, she was sure no two people had ever achieved such a blissful state.
They lay in each other’s arms for a long time afterward, as naked as they’d come into the world, the late-afternoon sun warming their intertwined bodies.
“God, babe. I love being with you. We feel so connected. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt.”
“I feel it, too.”
“We need more time alone when we’re not hiding in our bedrooms.”
“We can stay overnight together at the hotel when we go to the networking dinner and spend time there the next day without hiding.”
“As much as I’d love that, I don’t want to be that far away from Gus when he’s with his mother. I don’t trust her.”
She felt a spear of disappointment but knew he was right.
“But we’ll figure something out.” He brushed his nose along her cheek. His hand skimmed down her waist, and he grabbed her butt. “You’re supposed to be a friend with benefits, and you’re consuming all of my thoughts. What am I going to do with you?”
Love me. Marry me. Have babies with me. Let us be the family you’ve always wanted.“I can think of a few things.”
Chapter Twenty
EZRA TRIED TO keep his emotions in check as he stood on Tina’s front stoop with Gus Tuesday afternoon, reading a text she’d just sent.
Tina:Sorry, but I’m still tied up. Can we swap for another night?
He gritted his teeth. She’d texted him an hour ago asking if he could pick up Gus after camp and bring him over because she was shopping with her girlfriends and couldn’t get there before they closed. Now this? He had church tonight, which meant he had to find someone to watch Gus, and if Tina thought he’d give up a single night with his son for her, she was dead wrong.
“Daddy, I’m hungry,” Gus whined. He’d had a big day at camp, and he’d fallen asleep on the ride over.
