Undenied (Unspoken #3)(24)

With a gentle nudge, he was inside her. She sucked in her breath at the exquisite fullness. Slowly, patiently, he allowed her to adjust to his size then inched forward, burying himself in her body bit by bit.

A line across his forehead attested to what his patience was costing him. His jaw set in a firm position, and he took deep, steadying breaths.

She withdrew one hand from his back and feathered it across his brow, wanting to ease the tension etched there.

“Ride with me,” she whispered. “Come with me. Love me.”

He groaned and dropped his forehead to hers. The position was tender and intimate and allowed their lips to dance back and forth in playful harmony.

Soft smooching sounds filled the air to mingle with the soft smack of his hips against the backs of her legs. Their lovemaking was unhurried, measured. Instead of feeling like she was racing down the side of a mountain, she felt as though they were lying on a warm beach, the surf lapping gently at their bodies.

Mellow, like jazz on a hot summer night. Soft, like the whisper of a spring breeze at the back of your neck. Aching, like the yearning of young love.

She floated on the waves of something truly wonderful, a feeling of completion like she’d never known lulling her, enveloping her, holding her tight.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she shut them, holding them back, not understanding their presence. All the longing of youth, of that night when she was sixteen came back on the wings of a bittersweet memory.

It was the same yet different. They were the same people yet older, mature, no longer desperate to grasp the trappings of adulthood. That they could revisit, redo, was a chance most never got.

She opened her eyes again and stroked his cheek with her hand. He closed his eyes now and nuzzled into her palm, kissing the inside.

Their bodies rocked as he moved between her legs. Her release built not as an unbearable explosion but as a gradual swirl. Like a hand dipped into a pool of water. The ripples started small then grew bigger, rolling across the surface.

Wave after wave of sweet pleasure rolled across her as he gathered her in his arms, murmuring endearments in her ear. His entire body went rigid as he thrust once more then held himself against her as a great shudder worked its way over his body.

He eased down on her, his muscles still quivering against her. The warm, comforting weight of his body was the perfect conclusion to their lovemaking. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him closer. When he tried to pull away, she murmured her protest in his ear.

“Let me clean up,” he whispered. “I’ll be right back.”

She reluctantly let him go, and as soon as he left her, she regretted that loss of intimacy. A few seconds later, he crawled back onto the bed and pulled her into his arms.

She snuggled closer, pillowing her head on his arm. His free hand drifted down her body, stopping to rest on her hip. He stroked her skin

for a moment then traced a path back up her side until he reached her shoulder. There, he fingered the strands of her hair, gently pulling them back.

“Get some rest,” he said as he pressed a kiss to her hair. “I want us to have fun tomorrow.”

She smiled against his chest and sighed in contentment. He reached down to retrieve the covers that lay in disarray. When he’d tucked the comforter snugly around them, he wrapped his arm around her and laid his head on the pillow beside her.

It wouldn’t take her long to fall asleep. But as her eyelids fluttered closed, her last conscious thought was that she already dreaded spending the week ahead without him. And they’d only just started the weekend.

Chapter Ten

Wes’s heart did a funny little two-step in his chest as he watched Payton throw her head back and smile as a ray of sunshine hit her full in the face.

She reached for his hand, curling her fingers around his like an excited kid and hurried toward the zoo entrance.

“Do you know I’ve lived here for ten years and I’ve never been to the zoo?” she asked after he’d paid their fees.

He grinned. “I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been. I’m just a big ole kid at heart.”

“Ohhh, I want to get ice cream,” she said right before she let go of his hand and strode toward the vendor’s hut.

Chuckling, he followed behind her.

She chose chocolate, and he got vanilla. As they started to walk away from the little shop, he reached out and took her hand, sliding his fingers over her palm and downward until they intertwined with hers.

She looked over at him and smiled then tightened her fingers around his. She licked at her cone, her tongue swirling around the ice-cold treat. It was an exercise in torture because he could too easily imagine that delectable pink tongue circling his c**k just like it circled the tip of the ice cream.

He thrust the cone toward his mouth, hoping the cold would put a stop to his hot, lusty thoughts.

“Let’s go see the monkeys first,” she piped up. “They’re always the most entertaining. I’d just as soon skip the reptiles.” She gave a delicate shudder.

“Snakes don’t do it for you?” he teased.

“The only good snake is a dead snake,” she muttered.

He laughed. “Well, on that we agree. I once shot a water moccasin out of the backseat of my patrol car. Got wrote up for destruction of city property.”

She gaped at him. “You’re kidding!”