Page 113 of An Engagement for Erica

Her nails were digging into his scalp, but he didn’t care about the pain.

He only cared about the woman he loved on the bed and he wanted her to know how he felt.

He moved back quickly, undressed, and then looked at her on the bed, her light blue oxford shirt open and showing her simple white bra.

Buttoned up, she was conservative.

Like this, she was anything but.

“What are you looking at?” she asked.

“How beautiful you are,” he said, getting back on the bed, nudging her legs apart and sliding in.

She lifted up to meet him, the two of them moving in sync.

He put his mouth to hers, kissed her softly and then deeper.

Not a ravishing hunger like he’d done before, but one where they could savor and hold onto a pace so that he could get her there again.

It didn’t take long for that to happen either with her body lifting and her legs going around his hips.

She started to come and squeeze him, sending him over the edge with her.

And before he could stop himself, he said, “I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

“I do,” she said. “I love you too. It took you long enough to say it.”

36

SHORT LIVED

“Is that your phone?” Harmony asked her on Sunday afternoon. “Or is it mine? My hands are dirty.”

Erica looked at her sister in the kitchen making meatballs. It was nice they took turns cooking and she was getting some work done having come home a few hours ago.

“It’s mine,” she said, letting out a growl.

“Has to be Mom with that reaction.”

“Yep,” she said. “Answer or not?”

“I say do it and then she’ll leave you alone for a while. You’re in a good mood. Tucker is knocking it out of you with all those endorphins.”

She snorted but picked up the phone. “Hello, Mom.”

“Erica,” her mother said. “I thought you’d ignore my call like you always do. It’s nice that you didn’t this time.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m doing some work,” she said. “I can’t always stop and pick my phone up if it’s not next to me the minute it rings.”

She heard Harmony let out a laugh in the kitchen.

It’s not as if she lied. Her statement was the truth. It just wasn’t the truth right at that moment.

“You shouldn’t be doing any work on Sunday,” her mother said. “Why are you?”

She felt her lips twitch and had to stop it. “Because Harmony and I are going out of town tomorrow for a few days and I want to be prepared.”

“Are you two going on vacation?” her mother asked. “I should have figured your sister wasn’t working that hard, but it might be nice that you’re getting away.”

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