Page 150 of Hope & Harmony

“I have to know…” Baron brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back softly. “Were you born under a lucky star or something? You’re one of the purest people I think I’ve ever met.”

Cora laughed sadly. “I don’t know about that.”

“I do. I deal with people constantly. It feels like a big part of what I do. You’re different.”

“I don’t know. I probably shouldn’t be so trusting. I was forged in fire, I guess. Not the best home life. But you can let the world turn you into an ugly, hateful person, or you can keep trying to look for the good. The seeds you water are the ones that grow.”

CORA

“You’re wise, young traveler,” Baron murmured, lacing their fingers together lazily.

She had yet to see this side of him, so relaxed and unguarded. And honest, baring the hurts of his past to her…little more than a stranger.

But she cherished his vulnerability because she sensed he shared it with so few. Now her heart was twisting in her chest,and her skin sang every time he touched her. And she counted herself lucky to be someone who was getting to know the new Baron Porter.

Cora carefully lifted herself to straddle him, bringing their faces close. “Wise…and blessed…and…” She tapped her finger gently on his lips, falling into a heated vision of those lips other places on her, lighting her up everywhere.

Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Baron silenced her with a kiss unlike the others. This one was deep and possessive, hungry. He set his glass on the table with a clatter and settled his hands on her waist firmly. “And?”

Cora rolled her hips, creating friction between them, communicating with her body what she was hesitating to say with words.

“And very much wanting to be with you right now.”

“Are you sure?”

Cora lowered to nibble on his ear before whispering, “I haven’t been able to think about anything else.”

Baron lifted to his feet, bringing Cora with him. The master bedroom’s bedspread was rumpled from where she had napped earlier, and Baron laid her down onto it before turning on the bedside lamp.

“I want to see you. Every inch of you, Cora.”

She licked her lips anxiously. “I want to see you too.”

The next moments were a blur of mouths and tearing clothes away. Cora lay bare on the bedspread, staring into the eyes of a man she couldn’t imagine wanting more. She slid her fingertips over his scalp as he dragged searing kisses across her flesh. He was handsome already, but under his clothes, he was lean and toned with a dusting of hair across his tan skin. She couldn’t have drawn a more perfect man in her mind than the one who was moments from making love to her.

And the minute their bodies joined, she knew that’s what this was. He was loving her and she was loving him, as deeply as the moment allowed. As strongly as the connection that had already developed between them. The deeper he rocked into her, the louder she cried his name and the more visceral that truth became. Ephemeral and intoxicating. And she truly never wanted it to end.

But he was Baron Porter, a real estate mogul who owned half a town, and she was traveling on a hope and a prayer straight out of his life come morning. She scored her nails over his shoulders, lost herself in the depths of his savage kisses. And he made love to her like a man who never wanted her to forget this moment…theirmoment.

The waves crashing on the shore mingled with their ragged breaths as they came down from their own crest. Baron’s hand found hers, drawing it over his chest, where she could feel his heart pounding the same rhythm as hers. Already, she wanted more, even as exhaustion was tugging at her. She didn’t want to let him go.

When he lifted onto his elbow and gazed down at her, she couldn’t stop herself from asking… “Stay?”

He held her stare for a moment, seeming to search for something there. Then he nodded and kissed her reverently, like Sleeping Beauty in reverse, because the moment he curled his body around hers and swaddled them together in the blanket, she fell sound asleep.

When the first light of the morning filtered into the room, Cora stretched her arms and legs, reveling in the buttery soft sheets and the warmth of the room. Until she realized that the warmth she was missing was Baron’s. He was no longer beside her, and the tangle of sheets and her clothes strewn around the room were evidence of everything they’d done last night—when they were as close as two people could be.

She sat up and combed her fingers through her messy hair. She went to the kitchen still naked, feeling a little drunk on the memories. Replaying the dirty things he’d whispered in her ear heated her cheeks as the coffee maker brewed loudly. She’d never had a lover like Baron. For a man who held his feelings so close, he seemed to unleash it all in the bedroom.

Cora finally found a sweater and walked around the house sipping her coffee, finding no trace of Baron’s things. The wine had been corked, the glasses washed, the pillows on the couch straightened.

He was gone. The moment…theirmoment…had passed.

The memories of their incredible night began to recede, gradually taken over by Cora’s reality. The road that lay ahead. So many unknowns. She decided to take a long shower. There, she let the tears flow, tears that she’d held back for weeks. Then she pulled herself together and packed her bag. She went from room to room, cleaning and tidying. She changed the bed linens and started a load to wash, leaving no trace as she had promised.

When there was nothing left to do, she forced her feet forward, her heavy bag slung over her shoulder. Leaving the key on the counter, she let herself out, saying goodbye to the house, to Cape Haven, and the memories she’d made here.

She had one stop to make on her way out of town. She’d forgotten to ask when Marty’s opened, but she’d hoped it would be early so she could pick up any extra money she’d earned the night before. When she knocked on the locked door, though, no one answered. She sighed and decided to explore the town a little more. She stopped in a few tiny galleries and read the menus on some of the restaurant windows, something she wouldn’t normally do since she could rarely afford a meal anywhere nice.

---