Page 36 of Never Finished

I didn’t want to push her too hard, too fast because, despite her recent revelations about her father, her life was still very much intertwined with his. He was the only family she had, and I could see her wrestling with what she wanted now that she’s accepted the truth about him.

I suspect John Carter’s feelings about me haven’t changed, so my fate was in her hands. I was determined to hang onto her, to make her see how amazing her future could be—if she just chose me.

That’s why I brought her to the lake. I knew I had fallen in love with her the second I saw her, but I was fairly certain it was our trips to the lake, looking up at the stars that made Emma finally fall for me.

When I first returned to Pine Crest, I'd come out here with a six-pack of beer and let myself wallow in my memories. But now… now I was back in the arms of the woman I loved, and I was going to savor this moment.

Her wet kisses became more demanding, and I’d never been more grateful that I thought ahead and brought a blanket. I shifted my weight, settling in next to her, and a thrill shot through me at her moan of protest.

"Just changing positions, Bella. I want better access to this gorgeous body… and XXX," I said, sitting up and encouraging her to straddle my lap.

She gave me a slow grin as she ground her heat against me and kissed me again, moaning against my lips.

I ran my fingers through her hair and down her back, slipping them around her waist, pulling up her t-shirt so we could be skin on skin.

"I can’t tell you how many times I dreamed about taking you here." I whispered against her mouth as I helped her out of her shirt, my hands immediately unhooking her bra.

I slipped the straps off her shoulders and marveled at her magnificent breasts. This hadn't gotten old, and I don't think it ever would. I clutched her to me then, burying my face in her neck and showering her with kisses and enjoying the way her fingers dug into my hair, massaging my scalp.

"I'm thinking about as often as I've dreamed about you here," she answered breathlessly as my mouth found a nipple and sucked it in between my lips, teasing it with my tongue and teeth.

She let out a cry, and her hips worked against my hardness again, coaxing a growl from my throat. I needed her as close as I could get, but I also enjoyed teasing her entirely too much.

"I'm sorry it took so long," she whispered, and I could hear the sorrow in her voice.

That made me stop, and I pulled my head away from her so I could look into her eyes. "You don't need to be sorry about anything, Emma."

She huffed out a laugh. "You sure about that? I mean, I was the one who…"

"Emma, no," I insisted, "you were forced to choose, and you did what you thought was best. Don’t get me wrong, it hurt like hell, but I understand why you did what you did."

Over the last few days, I’ve seen the weight of the guilt she carries and while her betrayal will always exist between us, every new memory we make eases the pain in my heart.

"Besides," I teased, "maybe it's a blessing we didn't get to experience this with each other until now. I actually know what the hell I’m doing."

She giggled. "You certainly do."

"Be glad you never had to experience the fumbling hands of my teenage self," I said, leaning in to kiss her neck.

She said her next words so softly, I almost didn't hear them. "I would've loved that, too."

I knew she was speaking the truth, but I didn't want to think about it too much because it stabbed at an old wound that remained unhealed. The same wound that had me fantasizing about hunting down John Carter over the years and making him pay for what he had stripped away from both of us.

Determined to distract the sadness away, I urged her to stand so I could strip down her jeans and panties, while I quickly disrobed myself.

Then she was straddling me again, our mouths fused together, and I let out a moan at the feeling of her wetness against my erection.

God, I needed to be inside her.

Would that sense of urgency ever go away? Of not surviving one more breath if I wasn't surrounded by her warmth, her love?

I was embarrassed to say there was little foreplay, but it didn't seem to matter. We just needed to be joined together. Without prompting, Emma rose on her knees and positioned me at her opening before saying, "Jaime, I need you. I can't wait."

"Wait. What about protection?" I asked.

"I’m on the pill… and I really want to feel you. All of you. With nothing in between us."

She didn’t have to say another word. I urged her down over me, and she seated herself on my cock, letting out a long moan. Once I was buried deep inside her, I let her set the rhythm, reveling in the way those lips breathed out pleas and sighs of pleasure as her pussy spasmed around me.