He slid a hand inside her robe to rest on the curve of her waist and waited to see how she’d respond.
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and her breathing went shallow. Two very good signs. As he slowly moved his hand upward, she closed her eyes and arched toward him—and suddenly he had both br**sts in his hands. He trailed kisses over her soft skin from her collarbone down, thinking she might finally stop him. Part of him prayed she would. But when her hands came up, they didn’t push him away. They clenched in his hair and held his head where it was—and she moaned softly as his mouth closed over one nipple.
The sound of her pleasure made him want to feel her, taste her, plunge inside her with eager, powerful strokes. He’d never desired a woman so badly. But he was afraid anything too aggressive would spook her. After Manuel, she couldn’t handle too much, too fast.
Raising his head, he kissed the very edge of her mouth, and she turned her head to seek his lips. She slid her tongue lazily against his, as though relishing the sensation it provoked.
That was perfect. He covered her ni**les with his thumbs as their kissing grew deeper, more passionate. “You feel so good,” he murmured.
She guided his mouth to her other breast. He suckled her until she whispered his name. Then he slipped a hand down her flat stomach, past her belly button and even lower, until he skimmed the top of those lacy panties. She swayed in his arms as he ran his fingers lightly over the fabric, back and forth—and finally delved underneath.
Immediately her legs came together, denying him access.
“Emma…” His voice was raspy, foreign, even to his own ears.
Her eyes locked with his. She looked worried. He told himself to walk away, to put some space between them. Because of Vince, he had no future, no life, no right to be doing this. But he’d never felt so helpless. “Let me touch you, Emma,” he whispered.
She bit her lip uncertainly and he kissed her again—long, deep kisses that showed her everything he was feeling. Slowly, her legs parted, and euphoria caused his every nerve to tingle.
“That’s it,” he murmured. “I won’t hurt you. I would never hurt you. You know that, don’t you?”
She nodded.
Supporting her back and shoulders with one arm, he watched her face as his fingers searched for—and found—what he wanted.
“Look at me,” he whispered, enjoying her expression. “Do you like this?”
Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled faintly. But he didn’t need more of an answer. The way her pupils dilated told him enough. And her mouth…It was slightly parted and still wet from their last kiss. She seemed dazed, as swept away as he was.
Nothing seemed to matter beyond the here and now. He claimed her with two fingers, and her eyes opened wide. “Oh!” she said. But he was pretty sure her exclamation conveyed pleasure and surprise, not alarm. She didn’t push at him or recoil, but he tried to reassure her anyway.
“You’re okay, Emma.” He kissed her bare shoulder. “Relax.”
He knew she was probably too wound up to relax, too sensitive to his touch, but her arousal fed his own. Burying his face in her neck, he reveled in her musky scent, her silky feel. When she began to rock with his movements, every muscle in his body grew tense. She was moaning softly, clinging to him. Then she suddenly pushed him deeper, and he groaned with her as she shuddered against him.
He was aching to be inside her, but he waited, hoping the passion he’d seen in her eyes a moment earlier wouldn’t be gone when she opened them. He wanted to finish what they’d started, but this wasn’t about sex. This was about believing in life again.
Finally, she looked up at him. He tried to maintain his composure, to be aloof, indifferent, just in case. But he couldn’t manage any emotional distance. The loss of Dallas seemed to bleed like an open wound right in front of her. He couldn’t hide his pain or his need.
“Preston?”
He closed his eyes at the sound of his name on her lips. It was tender, knowing. Reaching out, she touched his cheek. Then she began to pull off his shirt.
Her hands felt cool as ice as she ran them over his burning skin. He liked her caresses. Her eagerness carried him to even greater heights. But he stopped her before he lost himself completely. “I want to make love to you, Emma,” he said. “But I can’t promise you anything after we reach Iowa. There are…things I have to do. You may never see me again.”
“I don’t want to hear that right now.”
“But I can’t take any more guilt or regret. If this…if this is going to make your life harder somehow…”
She held his face, made him look at her. “Stopping now would be harder than anything.”
“But I don’t have any birth control. I haven’t been with anyone since Christy.”
“I’m on the pill.” She gave him a shaky grin. “So help me get your pants off. I can’t seem to do it fast enough.”
He peeled her panties away first, but left her robe on. He liked touching her while the silk brushed against his arms. It seemed more intimate that way, as if he held the prized, secret key.
When he finally stripped off his boxer briefs, her eyes went round, and he laughed at her quick, shy smile.
“Are you embarrassed?” he murmured, pressing her against the wall and kissing the indentation below her ear.
Her eyebrows arched and her smile widened. “Actually, I’m impressed.”
When he laughed again, something cracked inside him, something that allowed a little light to penetrate the darkness of the past two years. He took a deep breath as relief and joy engulfed him. With Emma, he felt healthy and strong, almost like his old self.
“I’ll take it slow and easy,” he promised, but the moment he felt her tight around him he lost all control. He thought he’d died and gone to heaven.
A few minutes later he was sure of it.
“MOMMY? Are you in there?”
Emma froze, her body still slick with sweat, Preston breathing heavily against her. “Um…” She cleared her throat when her voice squeaked. “I’ll be out in a minute, sweetheart.”
“Where’s Preston?”
She could hear Preston’s labored breathing in her ear. “Tell him…I’m in…the Jacuzzi,” he said.
But she couldn’t manage that many words quite yet. After what had just happened, it was difficult to gather her faculties. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt like this…if she’d ever felt like this. “He…he’s gone.”