Page 83 of The Texan's Secrets

His rhythm started slowly, growing steadily harder, faster and deeper.

The moon, the stars and the world disappeared as her existence shrank to Nick. Nick’s mouth, his hands, his legs and hips all working together in perfect symmetry.

Their lovemaking went on and on, taking her to heights she never knew existed until it burst to a crescendo. She gasped for breath, her heart pounding hard as she desperately sucked in extra oxygen.

Then she floated back to earth, her energy spent, her bones all but melted. She didn’t think she could move.

“Emilia?” Nick’s voice sounded a long way off.

She tried to answer, but it seemed like too much effort.

“You’re wonderful,” he whispered, settling her against his slick body, pulling a sheet over them both. “You’re absolutely wonderful.”

She managed a smile, even as the lethargy of sleep crept over her.

In what seemed like seconds later, she blinked her eyes open.

She was wrapped warm and tight in Nick’s arms.

His breathing was deep and even.

The pink of dawn was just starting to brighten the sky.

She knew nobody would judge her. But she’d prefer to be back at Maggie’s before morning. It was going to be a very full day. The wedding rehearsal was tonight, and Emilia didn’t want anything to distract from the bride.

She slipped carefully and cautiously from Nick’s arms, gazing down at his handsome profile as she backed away from the bed, knowing she’d miss him between now and the wedding.

He hadn’t officially asked her to be his date at the wedding, but he’d said he was attending. She hoped they’d dance. They’d better dance. A man didn’t make such amazing love to a woman, tell her he was falling for her and then not even dance with her.

She smiled at the memory.

Nick was falling for her.

Well, she was falling for him too. She was falling very fast and very hard.

She crept out of the bedroom, dressed in the foyer and took a quick look around the living room in the dim dawn light, liking it very much. Then she let herself silently out of the apartment.

Nico awoke with a start, instantly realizing Emilia was no longer in his arms.

He sat up and looked around the empty room.

The en suite bathroom door was open, the light off.

He swung his legs off the bed, listening hard as he headed for the kitchen, hoping to find her there figuring out the buttons on his coffee maker.

But the kitchen was empty. Her clothes were gone. There wasn’t a single trace of Emilia left in his apartment. If not for her lingering scent on his pillow, he might have dreamed the whole thing.

It had momentarily been a dream, he corrected himself, freezing with his hand on the coffee maker. Now it was turning into a nightmare.

She’d left early, snuck out before saying good morning or even goodbye. There were precious few reasons for her to have done that. The most glaring of which was that she’d seen something with his real name on it. If she had, it was a very short step to a search engine and his very public record of being in prison.

He looked around the kitchen, then retraced his steps.

There were envelopes on a table in the foyer with his name on them. Dozens of letters in the basket where he tossed the mail before sorting. There were countless printouts and reports in his office, and the door stood wide open.

It was impossible to know where she’d looked. He didn’t have any idea what she’d seen. He pictured her staring at the state corrections website, reading his name and his charges and conviction.

He went for his phone, opened his recent calls and touched her name.

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