Well Met(67)

He stilled his movements as I came, and before I could catch my breath he pressed me under him into the bed. Too weak to hold on, I dropped my hands to lie on either side of my head and he reached for them, threading our fingers together and holding on tight. I tilted my hips up to take him in as deeply as I could. His mouth drank from mine greedily as he drove into me harder.

“I’ve wanted you for weeks, Emily . . . weeks.” The words poured out of him between shuddering breaths and desperate thrusts. He dropped his head, his mouth on the side of my neck. “God . . . I’ve been trying to stay away from you, not touch you, not want you . . .” His eyes were closed and his words washed over me, spoken against my skin, and I gratefully let them soak in. “Then you show up here in that little dress, you make me crazy. Emily.” My name was a hoarse cry torn from his throat, his hands tightened impossibly on mine. “You feel so . . . I don’t know if I can . . .”

“It’s okay.” I wanted to hold him, but he was holding me down too tightly. So I canted my thighs up, clinging to him, and I kissed his neck, his jaw. “It’s okay,” I said into his ear. “Let go. I’ve got you.” I found that silver hoop with my teeth and tugged on it a little, ran my tongue along the shell of his ear, biting, and he sucked in a breath like he was drowning. Then his body shuddered above mine, into mine, and we rode out his orgasm together.

He never did turn on the light that night, but I didn’t mind. Everything I needed was easy to find in the dark.





Seventeen




The first thing I realized, as I blinked slowly awake the next morning, was that Simon was a cuddler. The second thing I realized was that I was too. We’d slept with our legs tangled together, and even in sleep he had one arm wrapped around me and his other hand buried in my hair, holding me to him.

At first I tried to pretend I was still asleep so I wouldn’t have to move. I’d never felt this way in my life. Warm. Safe. Protected. No one had ever made me feel cherished the way Simon had during these last few hours.

I could get used to this.

Early-morning sunlight filtered in through the half-closed blinds that had let the moonlight in the night before. I stretched a little, and Simon’s arms tightened around me in sleep while I let my mind wander. Monday morning. No bookstore. No Faire. That one beautiful, blissful day where I had nothing planned. The only thing on the agenda was keeping an eye on Caitlin, making sure she didn’t burn the house down while April was at work . . .

Shit.

I exploded out of the bed, sheets flying, and scrambled for my dress.

“What . . . ?” Behind me, Simon struggled for wakefulness as I snatched my underwear off the floor.

“I have to go.” I yanked on my underwear and shook out my dress, too flustered to worry about modesty. Or politeness. My phone thumped to the carpet and I scooped it up, punching in April’s number while I pulled my dress on over my hips. “I’m sorry!” The apology was out of my mouth before April could even say hello. “I know, I’m late. I’ll be there in a sec.”

“There you are!” April sounded a little too casual for someone who’d been left in the lurch. “Are you okay? I just checked your room and . . . well, you’re not there. Where the hell are you?”

“I know, I know.” I glossed right over her questions. “I’m on my way now, though.” I tucked the phone between my shoulder and ear so I could pull up the halter part of my dress and tie it around my neck. It was a little awkward, but I got it done. “Be there in about ten minutes. You won’t be late to work, I promise.”

“Nah.”

I stopped short, one sandal on and one in my hand. “What do you mean, ‘nah’? Are you calling in sick?”

“I mean I can do this. It’s time I drove myself. We were talking about it last night, weren’t we?”

“Yeah. But I was going to ride with you just in case. Be your backup.”

“Just hang tight and keep your phone on. If I need you I’ll call, okay?”

“Okay.” I sank down to sit on the edge of the bed. “Okay. But . . . text me when you get there?”

“Of course I will. And then tonight you can fill me in on why you were out all night. Everything okay with you?”

“Me? Umm . . .” I looked over my shoulder at Simon, who was sitting up in bed with his arms crossed over his knees, his smile a mix between amused and perplexed. He met my eyes and raised an eyebrow, and I couldn’t help but smile back. Looking at him brought back the warm/safe/cherished feeling I’d had when I woke up, and the worry in my gut melted away. “Yeah,” I said both to my sister and to the man I’d spent the night with. “Everything is definitely okay.”

I hung up and tossed my phone down onto the bed, and Simon reached across the blankets for my hand. “Are you sure about that? Those three minutes were a roller coaster.”

“It’s a long story. I’d need coffee before I could even begin to go into it.” I toed off the one sandal I’d put on and flopped down on my back with a long sigh. “Sorry for the wake-up call.”

He shook his head and brought my hand to his mouth. “It’s no problem.” He took his time, kissing the back of my hand, the tips of my fingers, and I started to squirm. Yeah, I could definitely get used to this. “But I do have coffee, if that helps. I also have eggs. Do you like omelets?”