Page 85 of Guarded Secrets
It was a wild ride. He held on to the tattered edges of control to make sure she was there with him.
It felt like they were touching everywhere and wasn’t sure where his body stopped and hers began.
They moved together, climbing high and higher, reaching for the summit. Her body tightened around him, and she let out a keening cry met by one of his own, and holding her close, he felt like they were flying to the edge of the universe.
After, they lay together like survivors of a natural disaster. “I think I’ve gone blind,” he murmured the words into her neck. He knew he was heavy but couldn’t find the strength to move.
She gripped handfuls of his hair and pulled his head back. “Try opening your eyes.”
He blinked. “Oh, that’s better.”
She grinned and he grinned right back. “Have I told you I love you?”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “But you keep right on saying it. It’s all I want to hear.”
***
Later they sat cross-legged on the bed, Owen in sweatpants and no shirt, Keeley in an unbuttoned flannel shirt of Owen’s and no pants. On her knee, she was balancing a plate with a generous slice of cheesecake.
She fed Owen a bite, then took one herself.
She chewed slowly, eyes closed, making a mmm sound. “Oh my god, lemon meringue cheesecake. This is the best cheesecake ever.” Her eyes were glazed over when they opened again. “You get your desserts from Three Sisters Bakery, so why have I never had this before? Rico’s been holding out on me.” She pointed her fork at him. “You’vebeen holding out on me.”
“I approached Rico about developing a cheesecake that he’d bake exclusively for Easy Money. We’re in the sampling stage. He sent a chocolate option a couple days ago that was pretty good. He says Key lime is next.”
“Why haven’t I been in on this? I could be your official taste tester. Right now, my vote is for the lemon meringue. It would be a crime against humanity if this cheesecake isn’t offered to the public.”
“You haven’t tried the others.” He accepted another bite. She was right. It was damn good.
“Nothing could top lemon meringue cheesecake.” Keeley fed them both until she laid a hand on her stomach. “I can’t eat anotherbite.” She settled back against the pillows, eyes closed. “I’m in a cheesecake coma.”
Since his flannel shirt she was wearing had gaped open, and because there was a blob of lemon cheesecake topping still on the plate, he swiped it up with his finger and rubbed it over the pink tip of her breast.
“What are you—” She broke off when he swirled his tongue over the nipple before pulling it in his mouth and sucking deep. “Oh, good lord in heaven. Owen. You make me feel so much.”
He released her and set the plate and fork safely aside.
“That’s only fair, princess, because it’s the same for me.” He let his hand drift over her belly, softly stroking, then lower still. “This time it’s slow, remember?”
She sighed and opened for him. “I remember. Love me, Owen.”
“Always.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Keeley stepped onto the porch, a blanket around her shoulders and a steaming mug in her hand. A gusty wind brought the smell of rain. Clouds had moved in overnight, bringing in a spring storm.
She wasn’t one to be up with the birds, but a noise had woken her and there was no going back to sleep.
Rolling over had brought her nose to nose with Owen. The half-light coming through the east-facing windows was enough for her to look her fill while he slept.
It wasn’t fair that his eyelashes were so long the tips tangled together. The only way hers would ever look like that would be with extensions.
She loved how even in sleep scowl lines formed between his brows. Granted, they were soft scowl lines, but still.
When she had to catch herself before she ran a finger over those lines, she’d forced herself out of bed so he could sleep undisturbed. Lord knew they hadn’t gotten much sleep during the night.
Owen Hardesty loved her. The knowledge felt like a warm sunbeam lighting her from within. The future was still murky, and it wasn’t clear Owen had changed his stance on marriage and family. For now, they were together, and she would cherish what they had.
