Page 90 of My Heart Before You

His friend ran his hand over his beard. “I was going to check on you, but it looks like everything’s good so . . .” He gestured to the elevator. “I’ll just be going.”

“Thanks.” They answered in unison, and then Emilie’s pearlescent laughter began to fill the hallway.

Max poked twice at the button. “You know if you invited the completely drenched woman into your condo, you wouldn’t have to kiss her in the hall.”

Colin lowered his voice as he tugged at her waist. “That’s true.”

Emilie’s laughter ceased as heat flushed over her skin and settled in her eyes.

He bent his head until he heard. “Still here. Still standing right here. Come on! This thing is taking forever.”

“Goodbye, Max!” he called, leaning back to slightly pick up Emilie and pull her into his condo before kicking the door shut.

He loved the little high-pitched surprised noise she made when he lifted her from the ground, but right now he was only interested in hearing a different kind of sound from those gorgeous lips.

?Chapter 35?

Emilie took a deep breath of early fall air, relishing the sensation of the cool breeze on her skin. After unlocking the entry door to her building, she climbed the three flights of stairs to her condo. The scent of tomato sauce and pasta water filled her nose as soon as she pushed her way through.

Colin stood at the stove in a blue graph-check collared shirt tucked into his grey slacks. He looked up from the pot he was stirring and gave her the sexiest smile. During the day, she’d almost forgotten how breathtakingly beautiful he was.

“Smells delicious.” She grinned as she crossed into the kitchen.

He gave her a quick peck before his focus was back on his task. “Don’t get too excited. I boiled pasta and warmed sauce from a jar.”

“Still. It’s nice to have dinner made when you get home for work.” She placed her hand over his, encouraging him to drop the wooden spoon in the pot. “Especially when it’s made by such a handsome man.”

Weaving her hands over the smooth fabric of his shirt up his muscled biceps and into the hair at the nape of his neck, she pushed an appreciative kiss to his lips. With his hands free, Colin wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly as their bodies and mouths reunited after a long day apart.

Slightly breathless, he joked, “If anything burns, it’s your fault, not mine.”

“I’ll take that risk,” she whispered to his lips before pulling back. “Let me get changed, and I’ll help you finish dinner.”

“No, I’ve got it. Everything is almost done.” His thumb found her cheek for a delicate brush of his lips to hers. “Get comfortable and relax.”

She changed out of her burgundy scrubs into her most comfortable pair of jeans and a light long-sleeve sweater before joining Colin at the table in front of the bay window. The streetlight bounced off her elm’s spectacular yellowing leaves, making a luminous backdrop for their dinner. Since they didn’t spend much time talking last night after he’d flown home from a long week away, she asked about his trip with Max.

He flipped through the pictures of them backpacking in the Smoky Mountains. Emilie looked at them, but her focus kept being pulled to the lift of his eyebrows, the tugging corner of his mouth, and the excited tone of his voice as he detailed each image to her. The remnants of the summer sun still warmed his skin to a slight tan and lightened his sandy hair, making his eyes more striking.

After clearing the dishes, Colin took her hand and led her to the loveseat. She settled against him, breathing in his intoxicating scent, and laying her hand against his strong chest.

“I just realized I spent all dinner telling you about my trip.” His voice reverberated against her body. “How was your day?”

“Good. Busy, but good,” she said.

“Nothing crazy today?” He rubbed her arm lightly.

Her mind quickly recounted her shift. Other than counting the minutes until she could be back here in his arms, nothing stood out. “No, not really.”

“Nobody asked you to hose a guy’s chest out?”

Her body pulled up on its own as a gasp fell from her mouth. His eyes held a mischievous glint, and he had the slightest smirk on his delicious lips.

“Was that today?”

He nodded. “Thinking back on it, the second you pantomimed inserting a shower head into a man’s chest, I was toast.”

She went to playfully kiss the smirk off his face, but his arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her deeper into a kiss that reached every cell in her body. When his lips finally fell from hers, his warm breath tingled the wet skin that still resonated from his attention.

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