Page 113 of Second Time Around
“I was afraid I would never do this again,” he said when he pulled a fraction of an inch away. He angled his forehead against hers. “I’ve been such an idiot. I don’t deserve you.”
“True,” Kyra said, tears welling up and streaking down her cheeks. “But for some reason, I can get past that.”
“Now I need to hearyousay it,” Will said, his fingers whispering through the hair on either side of her face. “So I can do what I should have done the first time.”
She knew what he meant because his feelings were clear on his face. “‘Doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move his aides, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love’ you,” she said, borrowing the Bard’s eloquence.
His smile was pure joy. “‘For where thou art, there is the world itself, and where thou art not, desolation.’ I love you. It’s so good to hear those words and feel how right they are.”
She could barely breathe as happiness rioted through her. When he lowered his head and took her mouth in a kiss that held all his pent-up feelings, she felt light-headed and swayed into him.
His arms tightened around her and he lifted his head. “Greg’s taking over as CEO and I’m phasing out of Cronus and Ceres to be a teacher. You gave me the courage to do that.”
She laughed for no reason except that she couldn’t contain all the emotions ricocheting around inside her. “I found out that I can finish my college degree part-time. You inspired me.”
Will smiled down at her. “We make each other better when we’re together.”
“That seems like the best kind of love.” Kyra brushed back a stray strand of his shining hair. “Oh, I hope you’re not allergic to cats.”
“Not that I know of.” He raised his eyebrows in a question.
“I was lonely after we split up, so I adopted Malcolm.”
“You replaced me with a cat.” Will’s eyes were alight with laughter.
“Yep, I have another blond guy in my life.”
He pulled her close again, stroking her hair down her back. “I can’t believe my good luck in meeting you at Ceres that day.”
“Do you believe in fate?” she asked, resting her cheek against the steady beat of his heart. “I never did.”
“I believe you make your own fate,” he said. “You choose who and what to love and that shapes your character and your life. But maybe I started Ceres so that you would walk back into my life.”
“That’s a heck of a lot of work when you could have just done a search on Facebook.”
“And this is why I love you,” Will said.
“Because I’m a smart aleck?” But his words burrowed deep inside her, spreading sparkles wherever they touched.
“Because you’re smart.”
He ran one arm around her shoulders and one around her waist to bring her against him. “As much as I enjoy talking, there’s a more concrete way to show you how I feel.”
He angled his head so that their lips met perfectly, the kiss beginning as a slow exploration but quickly turning into a scorching demand. Desire slid through Kyra like a draft of fine vintage brandy, pooling low in her belly with sensual warmth. Will’s hands moved over her back, rubbing the fabric of her T-shirt against her skin, sending flutters of sensation dancing along her nerve endings.
He seized her bottom and lifted her onto the kitchen counter, standing between her thighs, his erection pressed against her sensitive center. Skimming his lips down her neck, he licked at the skin where it joined her shoulder, making her shiver with pleasure.
When he brought his hands up to cup her breasts, she leaned away from him. “I’m afraid your posse is lingering outside the kitchen door, so we can’t go any further.”
Will groaned in agreement. “You made me forget where I was.” He flicked her aching nipples once with his thumbs, making her gasp and arch. Then he pressed his palms flat on the counter on either side of her thighs. “If I don’t stop now, I won’t be able to.”
She could hear the raggedness in both of their breathing. “Those boys are not stupid. They’re going to have a good idea of what we’ve been doing.”
“Ah, but my conscience is clear because we stopped short.” Will put his hands around her waist and lifted her down from the counter. “Tonight, however, there will be no stopping until—”
Kyra put her hand over his mouth. “If you say any more, I’ll drag you into the pantry and sully your conscience in a big way.”
She grinned as Will’s hands curled into fists of frustrated lust. When he nodded, she dropped her hand and went to the door to unbolt it and swing it open.
Sure enough, the three boys were perched on the bottom steps of the staircase, their heads swiveled in her direction.
“Did you and Mr.Will get right?” Isaiah asked.
Will appeared beside her and slipped his arm around her waist. “We got right,” he said, smiling down into her eyes. “Very, very right.”
And then he bent his head and kissed her, right in front of their audience. She heard snickers and a snort of disgust, but she didn’t care. Because the man she’d thought she could never have was kissing her as though he would never stop.
