With a low moan, he trailed a line of kisses from her shoulder to her breast, taking time to caress her nipple with his tongue. Then he moved lower still, to her belly and then to the damp spot between her legs.
Though they’d done all this before, he hadn’t remembered this overwhelming need to please her. This time, he was looking for more than just a physical connection, more than ultimate release. He wanted to possess not just her body, but her heart and her soul.
She was wet already and she guided him to the spot, her fingers tangling in his hair. The moment he touched her with his tongue, she cried out in surprise, her hands clutching, her body twisting.
Charlie waited, then began again, slowly teasing her toward the edge then bringing her back again. He was interested only in her pleasure, in her release. But as he drew her closer, he felt his own need being driven by her response.
She murmured his name, pushing him away. “I want to feel you inside me,” she said. Charlie didn’t need to be asked twice. He reached for the drawer of the bedside table and retrieved a box of condoms. After tearing a packet open with nervous fingers, he sheathed himself. But he decided to continue what he’d started.
Slowly and deliberately, he caressed her with his tongue and when he was sure she couldn’t last any longer, he moved up along her body until he was buried deep within her.
It took only one stroke before she dissolved into her orgasm, her body first arching, and then shuddering in her release. He felt her spasms and a moment later, Charlie joined her, waves of pleasure washing over him until he was lost in the intensity of their coupling.
They rode the crest for what seemed like forever. And when they were both completely spent, Charlie rolled off of her, pulling her body against his. She pressed a kiss to the center of his chest and he inhaled the sweet scent of her hair.
“How is your toe?” he asked.
“What toe?” she murmured, with a soft giggle.
“Hmm. I think we’ve come up with a cure for stubbed toes.” He drew back and looked down into her face, filling in the details that the dark room did not allow. “So what are we going to do about this? Because I want to spend a lot more time with you.”
“Naked?” she asked.
“Yes. But clothed, too.”
“How long are you going to stay this time?”
“I don’t know,” he said.
“A week?”
“At least,” Charlie said. Was that all she wanted of him? Just a week? It didn’t seem like enough time. But he could give her at least that. And maybe, after a week, she’d want another and another.
“Right now, I think I could stay here for a year. Maybe ten or twenty.”
She brushed her lips against his. “Don’t make any promises you can’t keep,” she whispered.
Maybe it was time he started making promises, Charlie mused. If he wanted someone to share his life, then he had to be willing to give something in return. And no matter how he looked at it, Eve belonged in his life. Now he’d just have to convince her.
EVE OPENED HER EYES, rubbing the sleep from them as she peered at her surroundings. This wasn’t her bedroom. It took a moment for her to remember where she was-Charlie’s house. They’d spent the night together and sometime in the hours before dawn, she’d fallen asleep.
She rolled over to find Charlie’s half of the bed cold and empty. The scent of bacon and coffee hung in the air and she could hear noise coming from the kitchen. Eve grabbed his shirt from the floor and pulled it over her naked body, then got to her feet.
She found him standing in front of the stove, dressed in a faded pair of jeans and nothing more. “What are you doing?” she asked before stifling a yawn.
“Making breakfast,” Charlie said, glancing over his shoulder. “Are you hungry?”
She stood next to him and stared at the bacon draining on top of a paper towel. “Not for that. Do you know what’s in bacon? You might as well just swallow a handful of deadly chemicals.”
“I love bacon,” Charlie said. “Everything tastes better with bacon.” An English muffin popped out of the toaster. He slathered it with butter and honey and offered it to her. “No chemicals in this. All natural, whole grain.”
She reluctantly took a bite. “Well, Bacon Boy, I’m proud of you. Are the eggs in that omelet from free-range chickens?”
“I don’t know. The chickens weren’t hanging out at the store so I didn’t have a chance to ask. Are you really going to be that fussy and ruin my efforts here?”
Eve sighed, realizing there was a proper time to stand on her soapbox and a time to kick it aside. “Sorry. But when I’m doing the cooking, I’m going to make sure you eat healthy.”
“Does that mean that when I’m doing the cooking, you’ll eat unhealthy?” he asked, waving a piece of bacon in front of her face. “Tempted?”
“It takes a lot more than bacon to tempt me,” she said before taking another bite of the muffin.
Charlie grabbed her hand and took a bite of the muffin, then grinned. “You were tempted last night.”
She felt a blush warm her cheeks. “That was different. What you were offering was…healthy…and natural. Low in cholesterol and calories, and high on fun. If bacon had as much to offer, maybe I’d start sleeping with a slab under my pillow.”
“I’m not sure I could give up meat,” he said, taking a bite of the bacon. “I’m a guy. We need protein or we can’t function. And don’t tell me I can get protein from tofu or those sprouty things.”
“You should at least stick to fish. And chicken, maybe.”
He flipped the omelet he was cooking, then cut it in half and slid the pieces onto two plates. “Veggies and cheese inside.”
“When did you learn to cook?” she asked as she grabbed a fork.
“I’ve always known how to cook. My mom worked full-time after my dad died. Me and my sister and brother were left to take care of ourselves. Lena did the cleaning, Ben took care of the yard and I cooked.” He handed her a pepper grinder. “As I recall, the last time we were together, we didn’t think a whole lot about food.”
“We’re more mature now,” she teased. “We have our priorities in order.” She took a bite of her omelet. “You never told me much about your family.” In fact, she’d never asked. Their first relationship had been all about sex. She’d always thought they’d have time to get to know each other. “How old were you when your dad died?”
“Ten,” he said. “He was a good man. He worked really hard and we didn’t see much of him. He traveled a lot on business.”
“Is that why you’re always chasing bigger and better adventures?”
“What do you mean?”
“Were you running from your own mortality?”
“I don’t know,” he said, as if taken aback by the notion. “Maybe. Someone else told me the same thing.”
“Men do that,” she said. “That’s why they cheat on their wives. To make themselves feel young and virile. Climbing a mountain will do the same thing. You get addicted to the thrill.” She sighed softly, then turned her attention back to her omelet.
“I gotta tell you, last night was pretty thrilling.”
Eve looked up to see him staring at her. A shiver skittered through her as she remembered all that had passed between them. “For me, too. It’s…It’s been a while. Really, a long while. Too long.”
“For me, too.”
“Two years?” she asked.
He drew in a deep breath, then shook his head. “Not quite that long.”
“So you thought I’d be a sure thing?” she asked.
“No,” he said, his tone adamant.
“What did you have planned when you stopped by the restaurant?”
“A drink and some conversation. But it seems like we always get distracted when we’re together.”
“I’m not surprised we ended up in bed,” she said.
“We never really had an end to things five years ago.”
“We didn’t? I thought you marrying Dave put a nice tidy period at the end of it.”
“I married Dave because-”
“Matt,” he corrected.
“I know!” Eve cried. “I just thought it was easier to go along. Which is exactly what I did with Matt. He seemed like the easy choice,” she said. “The path of least resistance. You would have been the difficult choice. Besides, you just disappeared in the middle of the night. I didn’t have to choose. You did that for me.”
“Well, I won’t be doing that again,” Charlie said. He stepped around the counter and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her into a long, deep kiss. “I’m sticking around for a while.” He tugged her toward the hall. “Come on, I want you back in my bed. We need to work up an appetite for lunch.”
“I have to be at the restaurant in an hour,” she protested. But her resistance was weak at best. She had a staff of kitchen help who knew exactly what to do to prepare for the lunch crowd. And Lily would be there to supervise. She deserved a day off every now and then.
He wrapped his arms around her thighs and picked her up. “I’ll have you there in forty-five minutes,” he teased. “Or six hours. Depending upon how good I am.”
There was no doubt about his skills in the bedroom, she mused. And six hours sounded like just about the right amount of time to satisfy all her cravings. They’d enjoy a sexual feast now and she’d deal with the famine later.
3
HE HEARD THE KEY IN THE LOCK and Charlie smiled. He and Evie had spent the last three nights together and this would make a fourth. Though their nights began late, usually around midnight, they could afford to sleep in. Eve usually left for the restaurant at eleven.
“I’m in here,” he called when he heard her footsteps heading toward the kitchen. A few moments later, she appeared at the end of the sofa, a bag slung over her shoulder. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to the bag.
“I’m tired of rushing home to shower and grab fresh clothes in the morning. So I brought a few things along. If you have a problem with that, then tough.”
Charlie grinned. “No problem. But we should probably set some ground rules if you’re planning to move in.”
