Page 81 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

He angled his head to kiss her deeper, his hand spanning the back of her head, tracing her ear with his thumb. She shivered as her fingers moved all over his chest and abs, leaving trails of fire everywhere she touched.

The pressure had been building for sixteen months. Now that it was finally happening, he didn’t know how to be gentle. He was too far gone. Had denied himself too long.

He shifted her hips to where he wanted her, and she let out the sexiest little sound he’d ever heard.

“Oh my ... Jamie,” she panted, sitting up a little, which put more pressure there, and his eyes almost rolled to the back of his head. “We’re on the floor. I didn’t mean to, um ...”

“Do I look like I care?” He lifted his hips a little. He pulled her back down and growled against her lips. “Does it feel like I care?”

Her already flushed cheeks went a deeper shade of red. She kissed him for a long moment before she pulled back again. “Still. I didn’t mean to come over and attack you like that.” She slid off him and stood, holding out her hand.

He lumbered off the ground on his own, knowing if he touched her he’d just pull her back on top of him. “Again, I’m not complaining. Do that every day. Please.”

Hank wormed his way between them and sat in front of Elliott, his tail sweeping the floor. Jamie didn’t have to see his face to know he was giving her his best puppy-dog eyes.

She laughed and knelt down to hug him. “Hey, bud. I didn’t mean to ignore you, but I was on a mission.” She nuzzled his neck and rubbed his ears, and as he watched them, Jamie’s heart filled to the brim.

Also: a mission?

Was that her way of saying this was a go? She wanted to be with him for real?

He was too afraid to ask. Was that pathetic? That even if she walked out the door right now, he’d take these last several minutes over the alternative?

They’d spent a lot of time together the last couple of weeks. Running, talking, trading books. Once she spotted him at the dog park with Hank and came out to sit with him while Hank spent an hour running himself ragged. He’d learned a lot about her, and she him.

They’d become friends, and it had been incredible.

But it wasn’t enough. Not for him.

After she’d finished loving on Hank, she straightened. He hadn’t even gotten a good look at her when he first opened the door. She was perfect in jeans and a relaxed V-neck shirt showing off that sexy collarbone that drove him crazy. The tiniest hint of her port was visible on the left side before disappearing underneath her shirt. Her face was devoid of makeup, and her soft hair hung straight to her shoulders, where just seconds ago he’d pressed his nose to inhale her citrusy scent.

She was so very Elliott, and he could hardly breathe.

Her gray eyes searched his face, and she stepped forward to slide her hands around his waist. She laid her cheek against his heart, breathing deeply and humming with satisfaction when he returned the embrace.

“So,” he finally said.

“So.”

“We gonna talk, or should we just head to my room?”

She smacked his chest and he laughed.

“Seriously, though ...” He wanted her with a ferocity that quite frankly scared him.

She looked up at him with a smile. “I vote for both, but we should probably talk first.”

“Yeah, probably. But you have to sit over there.” He sat in the armchair and pointed to the couch. “I need to keep my distance if you don’t want me to touch you.”

“Same,” she agreed, though she looked just as unhappy being several feet away. “Thanks for giving me some time.”

“I’d never want this if you weren’t sure. It might have killed me if you didn’t decide to give me a chance, but it was a risk I was willing to take.” He passed a hand across his jaw. “I might regret asking this, but what changed?”

“Everything and nothing at all.”

“I see.”

She laughed. “Nothing changed about the way I feel about you. It’s been the one constant ever since we met, a lingering awareness that never faded. At first it was warm and good and gave me hope. But even when it became something sort of dark and that I felt guilty about, it was still there. No matter what I did or how hard I tried to pretend it wasn’t.”

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