Page 18 of Talulah's Back in Town

He rested his forehead against hers. “What?”

She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. It was simply what she’d been thinking. But she didn’t mind paying him the compliment; he deserved it. “It’s the little things that take something like a kiss from good to great.”

He seemed unsure of how she meant that statement. “And the way I kiss is...okay?”

She chuckled. “It’s better than okay. It’s fuckinggreat,” she said and the next kiss—and the kiss after that—grew even more intense until she was so eager to feel him inside her she was trembling.

But it was almost impossible to make love in a claw-foot tub, so he stopped himself and grabbed a towel for each of them.

They didn’t take the time to dry off very well. They weren’t willing to be apart for even a few seconds. They dropped their towels along the way and bumped into the walls and furniture while they continued to touch and kiss until they reached the bedroom.

“Thank God,” he said when they fell into bed. “If this room had been any farther away, we would’ve had to do it up against the wall.”

She would’ve laughed, but she was feeling too many other things. He’d quit being so deliberate, had lost the ability to control himself to the same degree as he could in the beginning. But that only made everything more exciting. She was a little out of control herself, so she wanted him to be out of control with her. His ragged breathing and eager movements confirmed that she wasn’t alone in her need for release.

“What about birth control?” he asked as he rolled her beneath him.

She barely had the breath to speak. “I’m on the pill, and I’m clean.”

“Me, too.”

She managed another gulp of air. “Good, because I don’t think I could stop now if I wanted to,” she said and gasped as he immediately pressed inside her.

Once he was settled between her legs, he paused to look down at her for a few seconds before starting to thrust. He smoothed the hair out of her face, which seemed more intimate, in a way, than what they were doing below the waist. She smiled at him, and the smile he gave her in return left her breathless. They weren’t just having sex, she realized. They were sharing a level of intimacy that required trust, and he seemed to recognize and appreciate that.

He continued to watch her as he began to move, and she wrapped her legs around his hips, allowing the tension to build higher and higher. This had to be the best sex of her life. She thought it was odd that it would be with Brant and not with any of the men she’d tried to marry. The irony didn’t escape her, but she wasn’t willing to think about it right now. Giving herself completely over to Brant, she cried out when she hit climax, and saw him close his eyes in relief.

“I made it,” he muttered and let himself go.

When Brant woke up, pale shafts of sunlight were just beginning to come through the windows, the bed was a complete mess and Talulah was all tangled up with him.

Holding still so he wouldn’t wake her, he took a few minutes to enjoy the satisfying pressure of her head resting on his shoulder, having her leg wrapped around his and her arm flung casually across his chest. He’d never dreamed he’d have sex with “Talulah the Runaway Bride,” but she’d been surprisingly responsive and exciting—and yet real and vulnerable, too. When he looked at her now, gone was the girl who’d frustrated him so many nights in high school by stealing Charlie away when it would’ve been more fun to have his best friend along as a wingman. Making love withthisperson had been absolutely intoxicating.

Unable to resist, he lifted a hand to cup her bare breast, and that caused her to stir. “Hey,” she mumbled, opening her eyes.

He rolled her beneath him again, resting his weight on his elbows while running his lips up her throat. “I’m sorry for waking you, but I can’t help it.”

She let her fingers delve into his hair while being careful to avoid the cut high on his forehead. “What time is it?”

“Early,” he said and kissed her.

“How’re you feeling?”

“Better.”

“Can you tell me what month it is yet?”

“August.”

“Hallelujah!” She covered a yawn. “Do you remember telling the doctor it was June?”

“I remember not being able to figure it out.”

“So you’re not shocked to find yourself in my bed.”

He grinned at her. “Nope. I can recall every detail—from the birthmark on your perfect round ass to the sounds you make when you come.”

Her face flushed. “Spare me the details. I’m not sure how we ended up like this. We don’t even know each other that well.”

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