Page 114 of Embracing Trust

I wrap my arms around her waist. Her sweet aroma of strawberries fills me—not only my senses, but it embraces my entire body. She feels so good as she presses against me. Like I’m home again. We hold each other, encapsulated in this moment in time. We’re not going backward, and for a few beautiful moments, we’re not going forward either. We’re just us. We’re just here.

I bend over and kiss her, softly at first. It doesn’t take long before our kiss turns passionate, and she lets out a soft moan. I push my tongue against her mouth, and she opens for me. My hand makes a trek down her back and I grab her perfect ass.

Julia giggles and pulls away. “Don’t you think we oughta take this somewhere more private?” She gives me a sexy wink.

I grab her around the waist and pull her against me. “What did you have in mind?” I raise my eyebrow.

“How about this? We go inside and I accept more of my well-deserved accolades and—”

I chuckle. “Your accolades?” I growl and squeeze her tighter until she can feel the bulge in my pants. “I’ll show you accolades.”

She grins and tries to squirm out of my grasp. “You didn’t let me finish.”

I nibble on her earlobe and put open-mouthed kisses on the tender spot on her neck. “Hmmm?”

“We’ll go inside, make an appearance, walk around a bit and then I can take you back to my hotel.”

“Lead the way.”

Chapter Forty-seven

Julia

My soul is so light that if my chest opened up right now, my heart would take off on its own. Ryan has taken some huge steps on his way to recovering from his time in Afghanistan. He not only sent Aubree back to North Carolina, but he also had a long-overdue conversation with his parents. Even though the conversation didn’t have the positive results he’d hoped for, at least they’re working on things.

When Ryan shared the results of the paternity test with me, it was exactly what I had been talking to him about—sharing every part of himself with me—the good and the bad. Thankfully, the test was good. He isn’t the father of Aubree’s baby, so he has no ties to her or the child. Although I’m relieved he doesn’t have that to deal with along with his recovery, there’s still a part of me that feels some sympathy for Aubree. She obviously has some issues to work through.

Once we go back inside and I speak with the other winners of the contest, have a celebratory glass of wine with them, and pose for a few photos, Ryan and I leave the venue. We walk outside hand-in-hand and Ryan leads me to his rental car and opens the passenger’s side door.

“A convertible? No way.”

“Only the best for my best girl.”

I would much rather be riding back to my hotel with Ryan than with Ernest.

I slide into the low car and Ryan hops in, starts the engine, and pulls out of the estate.

“I wasn’t sure how this evening was going to turn out,” he admits as he pulls onto the main street.

“So, you figured if nothing else, the convertible would win me over?”

He smirks. “Hey, it worked, right? You’re in here.”

I pull the pins from my hair and let the locks fall around my shoulders. I run my fingers through my curls, and the wind tosses my hair around. I take a deep breath of the fresh air circulating through the open car top.

Something about seeing my man driving a stick shift convertible wearing a suit and sexy smirk sets me ablaze. My stomach flutters and my body aches with desire.

Ryan glances over, his eyes hooded. He gives my knee a quick skim with his fingertips until his hand returns to the gearshift between us.

“You have no idea how sexy you are when you do that,” Ryan says with a smirk.

“Do what?”

“Let your hair down.”

“Does it give off the sexy librarian vibe or something?”

Ryan runs a hand down his leg. “Something like that.”

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