Page 72 of California Dreaming

A few simple words from her lips were almost enough to tip him over the edge.

He stripped off his clothes, then reached into the bedside drawer for a condom. He entered her slowly, willing himself to stay slow and deep so that she could feel every inch of him. Her moans of pleasure aroused him so much he struggled to control himself as she grabbed his hips and pulled him farther inside.

Her eyes flickered open, cloudy with desire. “I feel like our bodies were made to fit each other,” she whispered.

“I know they were,” he whispered back, gently kissing her mouth as they began to rock together in unison. The sensation of her hips shifting upward to meet his, eager, wanting more of him, sent those three words rushing into his brain again.

I love you so damned much, he wanted to cry out.

Instead, he let his body, his hands, his mouth, all say the words for him as they moved together with increasing urgency, and soon the rolling, swelling feeling of pure pleasure took him over. and he lost the ability to think.

His entire world became Tessa and her body, and as he felt her shuddering climax, he allowed himself to let go of the final thread of his self-control to join her as they came together.

Sweaty and happy, he opened his eyes to gaze at Tessa’s blissful, beautiful face. He kissed the tip of her nose and felt her eyelashes flutter against his cheek as she smiled.

She was precious.

She was everything.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

They were coming to the end of the morning’s exercises, and Tessa could see just how much strength was returning to Arch’s body. He was able to lift heavier weights and for longer, as well as comfortably hold his legs in poses that before had had him grimacing in seconds. His appetite had almost doubled—not to mention his appetite for sex.

In bed, he was able to go for hours, which she certainly appreciated given that until Arch had entered her life, it had been years.

The only problem with how well he was doing was that it made her all the more aware that he needed her less… and soon she’d be gone. On to another client somewhere in Monterey County—and he’d be returning to Hollywood.

The thought of it made her panic, so she pushed it from her mind. Stay in the moment, she urged herself, though it was getting harder to stop thinking about the future. One without Arch. Just thinking about it made her heart ache. So yet again, she had to remind herself, Just enjoy the time you have together.

She flexed his feet and then gently set down his leg. “Five gold stars, Mr. Davenport,” she said. “Soon you won’t be needing my assistance to complete your exercises at all.”

Arch frowned. “I wouldn’t say that.” He sat up and rubbed both legs vigorously with his strong hands. “I still don’t feel entirely myself yet.”

For a moment, she wondered if he was saying that because he felt as panicked as she did that their time would end soon. But again, she couldn’t allow the thought to penetrate. It was too painful, and hadn’t she had enough painful thoughts when it came to men?

After strapping on his boot, Arch got to his feet. “I’m dying to get out of the house. I know we had the day out that I planned, but let’s do something you want to do today.”

She smiled. As if he didn’t always inquire what she’d like to do with any shared time they had. He was always thoughtful.

“I did promise to take you thrifting with me one day, so would you like to do that? There’s this one store in downtown Monterey that I’ve been wanting to check out.”

If the idea of shopping sounded boring to Arch, he didn’t show it. She saw only affection in his face, and it helped her relax, helped her stop worrying about losing him. At least for one more afternoon. Especially when he said it was a perfect plan and went to shower and change. He tried to convince her to join him—and of course she wanted to soap up his back and have more delicious shower sex—but she was worried that he was already overdoing it with all the hot sex as it was.

She went to her room, showered quickly, and slipped into a blue T-shirt dress and slip-on sandals that would be easy to slip on and off in the changing rooms.

The little bubble of excitement that always came at the prospect of thrifting rose in her belly. She loved the prospect of a hidden gem she might discover. And this trip would be extra special because it was with Arch.

Here was another pastime she had never shared with a man, and she was about to let Arch in on it. To her surprise, the idea didn’t feel weird at all, even though he was a kazillionaire and could drop thousands on clothes without his bank account even noticing.

Taking Arch thrifting felt completely natural. She was certain she’d find a dress she could wear to the Moonrise award ceremony. After all, no one would expect the caregiver to be wearing couture. So long as she didn’t embarrass Arch, that was all that mattered, she thought as she ran a brush through her hair.

They met in the hallway, his hair still wet from the shower. Little droplets of water ran over his ears, and she couldn’t help it—she kissed them away.

“You’re so sweet, Tessa Taylor,” he murmured, slipping his hands down her back in such a sensual way that she shivered with pleasure.

When she pulled away from his deep, passionate kiss, his expression was so loving it brought a lump to her throat. She stared into his eyes for a moment and then looked down, afraid of the words on the tip of her tongue. Afraid to even think the three little words… let alone say them out loud.

“Shall we head out?” she said brightly. Maybe too brightly. Maybe Arch could see straight through to the very heart of her and know exactly what she was thinking.

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