Page 67 of Heartbeat

“You’re the best,” Amalie said. “I’ll take down the banner out front, get the room put back together, and box up whatever cookies are left.”

Sean held out his hand. She grabbed hold of him like the lifesaver he was. They went to work, and within the hour they were headed out the door.

Amalie was taking her roses with her and stopped to set the security system and lock the door. Sean was right beside her with the cookies. They went out the back way,got in their respective cars, and headed across town to her house.

Amalie drove into her garage as Sean pulled up behind her; then they unloaded their cars and went inside. The roses went on the coffee table, and Sean took the food into the kitchen and hung up their coats.

When he came back, Amalie was sitting on a barstool, waiting.

“I never got to tell you how very much I appreciated you staying the course with me today. It was reassuring to see you from across the room, knowing you were within shouting distance.”

“A familiar face is always a plus. I’m happy it was mine,” he said, and brushed a kiss across her lips.

Amalie slid her arms around his neck and felt his muscles tense beneath her hands.

“Can you stay a while, or do you—”

“I can stay if you’ll have me,” he said, and slid his hands around her waist.

She shivered. “All night?”

A muscle jerked at the side of his jaw. “If you’ll have me.”

“Yes, please,” she whispered. “I’m going to change. Can’t take being fancy another minute longer.”

Sean’s heart skipped a beat.

“Need help?”

“I need you, but I have to be honest. Getting down to all the scars in front of a man has yet to happen, so I’m also scared half to death of what you’ll see.”

His eyes darkened. “Bullshit, and don’t ever say or think that about me again. What I see in you is way beyond skin deep. You’re new to this town. We’re new to each other as adults. But we have history, lady. I’ve been holding onto you since before bubble gum. All I see…all I will ever see…is a woman of substance who makes me weak in the knees. You’re in charge. Lights on. Lights off. All I want is you in my arms.”

Amalie sighed. He made it all sound so simple, and in the end, it was.

Lights on in the adjoining bath with the door partially closed. Lights on at the end of the hall. They undressed in shadows and wound up in the bed in a tangle of arms and legs.

His hands were in her hair, his mouth on her lips. The shape of her all woman, from the soft thrust of her breasts against his chest to the gentle curve of her waist and the flare of her hips. The only scars between them were from a lifetime of rejection that nobody could see.

Amalie knew before he touched her how it was going to feel, what he was going to do. He’d lit a fuse and it was smoldering. He was as hard as the muscles knotted in his back, and when he slid between her legs and into her body, she moaned. After that, they moved into another space, minute by minute chasing a climax.

Making love to Sean Pope was everything she’d ever dreamed of.Hewas everything she’d ever dreamed of, and when the blood rush finally came, the last thought that went through her mind was,Just as I remembered.

They collapsed in each other’s arms, still connected, hearts pounding, breathing little more than short, intermittent gasps.

“Love you, baby, so much. That was…that was magic,” Sean said, and held her close.

She slid her fingers through his hair, feeling the short thick strands beneath her palms. “You’re the magician. I’m just the rabbit you pulled out of the shadows.”

“Can we do this again?” he whispered.

She smiled. “I don’t know. Can we?”

He nuzzled the spot beneath her ear and heard her groan.

He smiled, then whispered in her ear. “What are the magic words, Ah-mah-lee?”

“I’ve loved you forever?”

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