Page 100 of If We Never Met

"Wait until you see the lingerie I bought for the honeymoon," Hannah said with a mischievous smile.

She grinned back at her. "Maybe it's good for Jake that you know CPR."

"Probably," she said with a laugh. "Now get me out of this. Let's go to dinner and drink wine and toast to Chelsea's baby."

"You got it."

They left her shop about twenty minutes later and headed down the street for dinner. For the next two hours, she gossiped with her friends, and it was just the distraction she needed. While the men in their lives came up, they also talked about their jobs, their families, what was happening in town and in the world, what books they were reading, and what TV shows they were binging. It was a great catch-up that had been too long in coming.

Their evening wound down around nine. As they paid the check and left the restaurant, her mind turned to Dante. She was eager to see him, impatient to hear more about what the doctor had said, even though she knew that his good news would be her bad news.

They walked back to her store and hugged their goodbyes. Then she got into her car and headed to the inn.

Lizzie was taking Chelsea home, so she didn't see her when she arrived. The reception area was empty, so she jogged up the stairs to Dante's room.

He answered her knock immediately, pulling her inside the room for a smoldering kiss before she could get one word out. There was so much to say, but he didn't seem interested in talking, and since she was afraid of having the conversation they needed to have, she was fine to leave any discussion for later.

She threw her arms around his neck and savored each kiss more than the last. She wanted to drink him in until she was drunk on the heady feelings bubbling up inside of her.

Dante walked her back against the wall, and she loved the feeling of being trapped between a deliciously hard man and a solid wall. As he lifted his mouth from hers, he gave her a look so filled with desire that her entire body tingled. She felt breathless and impatient and very, very needy.

This man—this gorgeous, rugged, athletically built man—was beyond her wildest imagination. She'd never felt this overwhelmed, not just by him, but by her emotions, her hunger. She wanted to strip off his clothes and trace every inch of him with her mouth. She wanted to touch him and taste him, and then pull his body into hers. She wanted to feel his power and strength.

"Damn," he whispered. "You are so beautiful, Keira." His blue eyes glittered with appreciation. "I want us to go slow, take our time."

"We have all night and you said you were really prepared, so… We can mix it up. Fast, then slow or slow, then fast."

"It's not going to be slow."

"Good. You know I like speed. The more reckless, the better." She tugged at the hem of his T-shirt. "Let's get these clothes off."

He stepped just far enough away to yank off his shirt and kick off his jeans. Then he grabbed her by both arms, turned her around, and pulled the zipper of her dress down to her waist. She stepped out of the dress as he unhooked the clasp on her bra and then his hands were on her panties, pushing them down her hips. She turned back around as the last two items of clothing dropped to the floor.

Dante claimed her mouth once more, sliding his lips down the side of her neck as his hands played with her breasts. Her nerves were on fire, burning with need and impatience. But Dante had apparently changed his mind about going fast, as he explored her body with his mouth and his hands, teasing every sensitive spot until her legs went weak.

He pulled her over to the bed and they fell onto the soft mattress together, getting tangled up in each other as the heat between them got hotter. She wanted to feel him everywhere. She wanted his body over hers, under hers, next to hers. A desperation to make this memory count took over. She needed him to know her, really know her. She wanted to imprint her touch on his body, on his mind, so he would never forget her. Because she knew she would never forget him.

Breathless, heart pounding, nerves tingling, they came together in a perfect collision of need, desire, and what felt a lot like love. She felt overwhelmed with emotion as she floated back down to earth. She could laugh. She could cry. She didn't know which way it would go, because there were too many feelings running through her, and following those feelings came the thoughts and the questions.

She closed her eyes, wanting to hold them back, wanting to just linger in this moment, to enjoy being with Dante. She concentrated on the weighty feel of his arm on her waist as he rolled up next to her, his lips nuzzling the corner of her ear, a spot she'd never thought was so sensitive until Dante had found it.

"Do you want to go to sleep?" he murmured.

She smiled at the husky note in his voice and slowly opened her eyes. "No. I was just trying to catch my breath."

"Breathing is highly overrated," he said with a satisfied smile. "Especially when your mouth is on mine. I can't seem to get enough."

"Maybe that's why I feel so light-headed."

"I feel it, too."

"Do you?" she couldn't help questioning. "Because I've never felt like this before. You're really good at all of this."

"We're good together, Keira. Sorry for grabbing you when you walked in the door. I just… I'd missed you all day."

"Don't apologize. I liked it—all of it."

"Me, too. How was your night tonight?"

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