I slid my palm into his, and he moved back, guiding me in front of him so he could snuggle behind me.
“Lincoln, I wanna—”
“How come you don’t call me Linc?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I figured only your friends and family called you that.”
His lips pressed against my shoulder, the slight flick of his tongue on my skin making me want to turn around and ravage his mouth. But I kept still.
“That’s silly. You’re my woman. You can certainly call me by my nickname. If you want to, of course. Or you can call me babe or whatever you’re comfortable with.” He kissed my shoulder once more, cuddling closer, his excitement pressing into my backside.
My mind raced with why he acted so differently this morning. He seemed relaxed, happy even, whereas before he left with his brother yesterday, he was irritated with me. I couldn’t recall much of our interaction after he returned to the clubhouse because my inebriated state didn’t allow me to retain much of a memory.
I turned to ask him what changed, but he was off the bed and rushing toward the bathroom. “Be right back.” Two minutes later, he stood beside me, looking down at me like I was the eighth wonder of the world. “You’re so beautiful. You know that?”
“Even looking as hungover as I do?” Instead of waiting for his answer, I took in the state of him standing there in nothing but his boxer briefs, his impressive bulge doing a great job of stretching the fabric. When he moved his hand toward his hair, my eyes traveled up the length of him, appreciating every hard plane of his body. Lincoln was built to fight, and as it turned out, he fought to save me. Now all I had to do was come to terms with the fact that while I believed he desired me, his heart hadn’t taken the plunge yet.
“You look perfect,” he finally answered, tossing the covers from me and pinning me to the bed. Instinctually, I spread my legs so he could rest atop of me, most of his weight held up by his forearms. His face was inches from mine, and while I wanted to dwell on my heartache, all I could do was hope for one kiss. “Maddie, I… I want to tell you something.”
Oh no! Was he going to break it off with me? Was he going to tell me I had to leave, that he thought maybe it was best if I went back home? Holding my breath in anxiousness did nothing but make my lungs burn, so I tried my best to breathe regularly and remain calm, but all the while, my pulse thrummed so fast, I was sure he heard it.
He pulled us into a sitting position, his finger tracing the length of my thigh as he looked at me, brushing away the hair that had fallen over my eye. I was so in love with him even though I suspected he was about to shatter the remaining fragments of my heart, which prompted me to say the only thing I could think of to protect myself.
“I don’t love you,” I blurted, swallowing hard when his expression tightened.
“You don’t?” His eyebrow lifted as he leaned in, looking more puzzled than hurt or angry.
Then suddenly, I found myself more confused than ever. One moment I was studying his face, and the next, I was kissing him back with every ounce of love and desire tightly wound inside me, feeding off his need to stroke my tongue with his. “I think you’re lying,” he said when he finally broke away.
“I’m… I’m not.”
“Then that’s a shame.” His bottom lip jutted forward right before he tsked.
“It is?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Resting his hand in the center of my chest, he slowly pushed me until I was on my back again, hovering over me, confusing me, until he parted his lips and confessed, “Because I love you.”
“You do?” I was surprised I had enough brainpower to form those two words, let alone speak them out loud. “But you told me you didn’t.”
Lincoln trailed his finger from my temple to my jaw, down my neck, and over my collarbone until he rested his hand over my heart. His touch was intimate, sensual, loving. The way his eyes bore into mine made me feel cherished and revered.
“I didn’t know.”
“What changed overnight?”
“Someone made me see the light.” He smiled, and it was the best sight I’d ever seen. More glorious than the most colorful sunset. Perhaps I was overly sentimental, but I didn’t care how corny I sounded inside my head.
“Do you mind if I ask you another question?”
“Ask away, babe.” I love it when he calls me that.
“How did you know I was lying?”
Instead of answering me right away, he traced my nipple with the tip of his tongue, capturing the tight bud between his teeth and gently pulling before wrapping his lips around me. A quiver of excitement churned through me, heightening all my senses. Releasing my breast, he hurriedly removed my panties and tossed them behind him, nestling back between my legs.
“Because I see the way you look at me.”
“And how do I look at you?”
“Probably the same way I look at you,” he responded.
I sighed, digging my nails into his biceps and wrapping my legs over his. My heart was full, but my body was on edge. All he had to do was pull himself free and he’d be inside me.
“Lincoln?”
“Still not gonna use my nickname?” He laughed but stopped when I wriggled beneath him.
“Will you make love to me now?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” There was that glorious smile once again. He tried to move back, but I held on to him. “I have to get a condom.”
“Oh. Okay.” I’d almost forgotten about protection. That was exactly how people ended up with a surprise nine months later. And while I’d never gotten pregnant before, I didn’t want to chance it. “Can you ask your mom to
