Page 19 of Peak of Love
“Good?” he asked, looking down tenderly before hooking her armpits and lifting her body. Her boneless body dropped on his lap. For some reason, slumping like a sack made Celina giddy. “It wasn’t good. It was amazing,” she stated while fighting down a giggle that pushed against her chest.
Dane nuzzled his face into her hair. She was enveloped in his heat. His strength grounded her, despite the ping-pong thoughts bouncing around her head. Giddy ping-pong thoughts. Who was she right now?
“We need to talk,” he mumbled. “We need to figure this out.”
“Is that what you want?” she asked, surprised by his seriousness. “To figure this out?”
Could they? For the first time since Asher entered her life, she imagined what it would be like to be with another man.
It was terrifying.
“What do you want?” he asked in earnest. “What would make you happy?”
A crystal ball.
Since that was impossible, she articulated the next best thing. “A hot tub.”
He grinned shrewdly. “Good thing I have one of those.”
“You have two,” she teased.
To her surprise, he scooped her in his arms and stood up. Some jostling with his legs freed Dane from his pants and he walked up the stairs as if she weighed nothing.
“Put me down. You’ll hurt your back!” she proclaimed.
“Good thing I’m heading to a hot tub.”
“Seriously! I need to put my bathing suit on.”
The glint in his eyes was pure mischief. “The red one?”
She nodded, and he placed her on her feet without delay. This time, she didn’t bother hiding her giggle.
When she joined him on the patio, he raked her body with dark, hungry eyes. Her cheeks were probably as red as her suit, yet she managed to push self-consciousness away.
They stayed in that swirling cauldron for a long time, enjoying the view and each other’s company. He stroked her thigh while she leaned against his shoulder. She rubbed his back playfully, cooing words of teasing comfort.
“You need to watch your back, old man. You don’t want to break it before your time.”
“If I’m an old man, what does that make you?”
She was exactly three months older than him. “Me? I’m a sweet girl, remember?”
Celina didn’t know where all this sexy playfulness came from, but the way his nostrils flared and he bit his lips made her braver. “A sweet, sexy girl willing to please this old man.”
“Get over here,” he grunted while pulling her close so she straddled his impressive hips. They kissed tenderly, taking their time to relish and explore.
His jutting erection pressed against her body, making Celina shiver with anticipation. And anxiety as well.
Where would all this kissing and touching lead? In less than twenty-four hours, they had shared more intimacy than they ever imagined possible in the decades they had known each other.
Part of Celina felt like this was happening to other people. Like she was watching a movie stuck in fast-forward so it was blurry and nonsensical. Unfortunately, this movie had an unknown ending with real consequences. Everything they did pointed towards an inevitable decision; one she was happy to delay for as long as possible.
“I’m pruney,” she whined.
He took her hand and entwined their fingers. “You’re right, I’ve never seen such a wrinkly girl.”
She shoved him playfully before standing up. He circled her wrist. “Stay here. I’ll get the robes.”
