Page 22 of Back in the Bay

"Are you coming inside, or are we just going to sit in your driveway all night?" she asks, one hand already on the door handle.

I'm around to her side before she can open it, pulling the door wide. "Impatient, counselor?"

"Thirteen years," she reminds me, taking my offered hand and stepping down from the truck. "That's a lot of lost time to make up for."

The porch light casts her in gold as I fumble with my keys, her body pressed against my back, her lips finding the sensitive spot just below my ear that she somehow still remembers. The key finally slides home, and we stumble through the doorway together, her laugh vibrating against my neck.

Inside, I barely have time to kick the door closed before she's on me again, those clever fingers working at my tie and my shirt buttons. But this time, I'm the one who slows things down, catching her wrists gently.

"My turn," I murmur, backing her against the wall of my entryway.

Mabel's mouth crashes into mine the second we're through the door, and I barely manage to kick it shut behind us. Her body is a furnace against mine, all curves and urgency, making my head spin faster than any whiskey ever could.

"Need you," she pants against my lips, her fingers already tugging at my shirt. "Now, Cole."

I've imagined this moment for weeks—hell, months—but the reality of Mabel Roberts in my foyer, desperate for me, eclipses every fantasy. Her cardigan drops to the floor, followed quickly by my work shirt. My hands cup her face, thumbs brushing her flushed cheeks.

"Bedroom's that way," I manage between kisses, nodding toward the hallway. She smiles against my mouth, that wicked smile that's been driving me crazy since she first walked into Cedar Bay Construction looking for Fox.

We stumble down the hall, a tangle of limbs and half-removed clothing. Her bra is lace—deep purple—and I groan when it joins the trail of discarded items marking our path. By the time we reach my bedroom, she's down to just her panties, and I'm still fighting with my belt.

"Let me," she whispers, replacing my fumbling fingers with her own. The belt buckle gives way under her touch, and she sinks to her knees, looking up at me with those blue eyes that see straight through me.

I thread my fingers through her dark hair as she tugs my jeans down. "Mabel, sweetheart, you don't have to?—"

"I want to," she cuts me off, pressing a kiss to my hip bone. "But later. Right now, I need you on that bed."

I don't need to be told twice. I step out of my jeans, lifting her back to her feet and walking her backward until her knees hit the mattress. She falls with a soft laugh that turns into a gasp when I hook my fingers into the hem of her panties and push them down her legs.

"You're so beautiful," I murmur, taking in every inch of her naked body spread across my sheets. "Been dreaming about this."

I start at her ankles, pressing kisses up her calves and her thighs, lingering at the junction where her legs meet. Her scent is intoxicating, and when I finally taste her, she arches off the bed with a cry that makes me harder than I've ever been.

"Cole," she gasps, her hands fisting in my hair as I work her with my tongue, circling and sucking until her thighs begin to tremble against my shoulders. "Oh god, don't stop."

I have no intention of stopping. I slide one finger inside Mabel, then two, curling them forward as I focus my mouth on her clit. Her breathing grows ragged, punctuated by little whimpers that tell me she's close.

"That's it, sweetheart," I encourage against her heated flesh. "Let go for me."

When she comes, it's with my name on her lips, her body clenching around my fingers, back bowed like a perfect arch. I work her through it, gentling my touch as she comes down, pressing soft kisses to her inner thighs.

"Inside me," she demands once she catches her breath, reaching for me. "Need to feel you."

Something shifts in her eyes at that confession—something tender and raw. She cradles my face in her hands. "I love you, Cole. I’ve missed you so much."

My heart hammers against my ribs as I align our bodies, pushing slowly into her heat. "I love you too, Mabel. So damn much."

The first thrust steals both our breaths. Mabel's legs coil around my waist like tendrils, pulling me closer, urging me to delve deeper, and I oblige, establishing a rhythm that leaves us breathless and panting. Her fingernails rake across my back, and I press my face into her neck, overwhelmed by the sensation of finally being inside her.

"Missed this," she whispers against my ear, her voice breaking on a moan as I dive deeper. "Missed you so much it hurt."

The confession undoes something in my chest. I pull back to look at Mabel, memorizing the flush across her cheeks and the way her lips part with each breath. "Never again," I promise, my voice rough. "I'm not letting you go again."

Her answer is lost in a gasp as I shift the angle, hitting that spot that makes her see stars. Her inner walls flutter aroundme, drawing me deeper, and I have to grit my teeth to maintain control. Thirteen years of wanting her, dreaming of her, and now she's here beneath me, saying my name like a prayer.

"Faster," she pleads, her hips rising to meet mine. "Please, Cole."

I give her what she needs, what we both need, my hips snapping forward with increasing urgency. The headboard knocks against the wall with each thrust, and I can feel her building toward another climax, her body tightening around me like a vice.

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