Page 67 of Connected By Souls

I wakeand reach for Emma, only to find the bed empty. I look outside the window and see the rain still coming down pretty hard. Pulling on my sweats, I look in the bathroom first before making my way downstairs. I hear her humming softly as I make my way into the kitchen. I stop, mesmerized as I watch her. She has her hair in a messy bun, wearing one of my t-shirts that she must have grabbed from my closet. My heart squeezes at the sight. She’s chopping up some veggies, and I can smell the bacon in the oven. She looks up and beams at me as I walk over and hug her from behind, kissing her softly on the neck. “Good morning,” I whisper. “I missed seeing you in bed this morning.”

“It’s noon,” she says, laughing. “I figured you would be hungry since all we had was pizza last night.”

“I can’t believe I slept until noon. I guess the past two days caught up with me. And you’re right. I’m famished.” I nip her on the neck.

“You can get dessertafterif you promise to eat,” she giggles.

“Deal. What can I do to help?”

“Well, if you want to start on the coffee, that would be great. I’m just about done cutting up these veggies for the omelets, and the bacon should be done any minute.”

Walking over to the coffee maker, I pour the coffee in and push the brew button. “I need to take Nala out. I completely forgot.” I look around for her.

“I took care of her before I started brunch. I also found her food and fed her,” she says, pulling the bacon out of the oven.

“Thank you.” I love that she cared enough about Nala to take care of her for me.

“You don’t have to thank me. I love taking care of her. Do you think dogs reincarnate too? What if Nala was ours before, and she came back to us too?”

“I never really thought about it, but I don’t see why they can’t. It would explain what I felt when I first saw her. She felt like mine since the moment I laid eyes on her.” I smile at her and meet her eyes. “I love the idea that she could have been ours before.”

“Me too,” she smiles.

I pour the coffee into our mugs and add a touch of creamer to them. Taking them over to the island, I hear her phone ding.

She walks over to the table and looks at her phone. She reads her message while I wait. “The power is out at the library and some other businesses in town. They say it may be a couple of days before it comes back on. Miss Sylvia said she would let me know when the library is back open.” She puts the phone back on the table and takes the coffee cup from me, taking a sip.

Looking out the window, the rain is still coming down. It’ll be a while until I can get out and check on some neighbors and see if the roads are clear. “Looks like we’re both staying put for a while. Did you let Skye and Cole know you’re okay?”

“I only had ten messages waiting for me when I got up and several missed calls,” she laughs softly. “I texted them back, letting them know I survived my first hurricane. I also told them you’re forgiven, and they don’t need to fly to Florida to kick your ass.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” I laugh.

We get our plates and sit down to eat our omelets. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was. This is so good,” I say between mouthfuls.

“I’m glad you like it.” She takes a bite. “Mmmm.” She closes her eyes and enjoys the taste. I see her tongue come out to lick her lips. Opening her eyes, she finds me staring at her. “What? Do I have egg on my face?” She asks, feeling her face.

“No, you’re perfect. I was just thinking about my dessert.”

Looking a bit mischievous, she takes another bite and licks her fork, making sure she takes her time, knowing I’m watching her every move. I watch her as we eat, seeing her tongue come out to linger on her lips as she swipes them before moaning again from the taste on her tongue.

Well played, Emma. Two can play at this game. I get up and stretch, letting my grey sweats ride low on my hips, making sure to flex my abs as I move my hands down my bare chest. I watch as her eyes roam my body, having her exactly where I want her. Sitting back down, she looks at me through narrow eyes. “What?” I ask, trying to look innocent. “I needed to stretch.”

“Hmm.” She gets up to go over to the fridge. She bends down to open the freezer door giving me a perfect view of her bare ass. She’s not wearing anything under my t-shirt. I swallow hard. Pretending to look through the frozen food for something, she bends over even further.

Growling, I walk over to her and pick her up. “You win. I’m ready for my dessert now.” I kick the freezer door shut with my foot and carry her back upstairs.

Giggling, she throws her arms around my neck. “I guess you saw something you liked.”

“You have no idea,” I say under my breath as I carry her into the bathroom and turn on the shower.

ChapterTwenty-Six

Emma

I watchhim turn on the shower with his back to me. My eyes roam over his tanned back as his muscles flex with his movement. The last twenty-four hours have been like I’m living in a dream that I don’t ever want to wake up from. Turning to me, he slowly walks my way. His blue eyes bore into mine like a predator about to pounce on his prey. I’ll gladly be his victim, I think to myself, as I watch him remove his grey sweatpants. He’s hard as a rock as his hand closes around his thickness and starts to move up and down, watching me.

Heat pools in my center as I slowly remove my t-shirt. Wanting him to feel what I feel as I watch him, I lower my hand down my stomach and find my wetness. His nostrils flare as his eyes darken with desire. He increases his pace as I slide two fingers inside while my other hand comes up to tease my breast. “I need to be inside you right fucking now,” he growls, coming over to me and picking me up. I wrap my legs around him as he steps into the shower.

---