Could she marry him?
Wye shifted in her bed uncomfortably. What would it be like to have a partner? She wasn’t sure she believed in marriage. Would have told anyone who asked before the last few weeks that marriage wasn’t in her life plan. Watching her parents’ marriage disintegrate—and now Ward’s, too—made it difficult to believe in a fairy tale in which people stayed together. Even if she’d watched every one of the Reed women fall in love and marry.
Wasn’t it safer to keep to herself?
Lots of women lived on their own these days, after all. Had careers. Bought themselves everything they wanted and needed, from houses to jewelry and more. Chose when and where to date men—or women. Didn’t feel the need to weigh things down with more permanent arrangements.
What was in it for her in a long-term commitment? Emerson was wonderful now. Helpful. Supportive. The way he’d sorted out Ward last night was wonderful, but long-term?
Wouldn’t he sink into the same kind of self-absorption most men exhibited?
She’d hate to be married to a man like that.
Wyoming climbed out of bed, wrapped herself in a robe and moved to find clothes for the day. Out in the hall, she ran into Connor, who was already dressed and looked to be heading out to do his chores. He lifted a finger to his lips.
“Sadie’s sleeping. She had a headache last night. I’m hoping she can sleep in.”
Wyoming nodded and fondly watched the big man tiptoe down the hall. Cass and her sisters had found men that didn’t seem prone to being self-absorbed.
They were all still in the honeymoon phase, though, she reminded herself. Who knew what would happen in time?
“Wyoming?” Emerson’s voice had her turning around. He was lounging in the doorway of his room, wearing sweatpants but nothing else. The strong planes of his chest made her fingers itch to explore his body all over again. Heat pulsed inside her, reminding her of how good it had felt to take him inside her last night.
“Just getting in the shower.”
A grin tugged the corners of his mouth. “I could join you.” He shrugged. “Don’t have to if you’re not a morning person.”
She was a morning person. “Give me two minutes. I need to freshen up.” She ducked into the bathroom, closed the door and got ready for a close encounter with the sexy soldier. She opened the door a crack, checked to see if he was still there and opened it more widely, like an invitation. “Come on in.”
Emerson looked up and down the hall and hurried past her. “We’d better be fast. Someone else will be up and wanting a chance in the shower.”
“I can be fast.” She knew she’d be hard pressed to last a minute if Emerson made love to her again.
She worked the knobs of the shower, and as soon the water temperature was right, she disrobed. Half a minute later, they were both under the stream of water.
When Wyoming had wet her hair and squirted a dollop of shampoo in her palm, Emerson took over, scraping the shampoo from her hand and sudsing her hair. When he began to massage her scalp, she moaned. “You can do that every day.”
“I’d like to.” He dropped a kiss to her neck. “Rinse.”
“Mmm.” She did as she was told as he quickly washed his own hair and leaned in to rinse it. When he lathered his hands with soap and began to scrub her body, she turned and leaned her back against his chest, enjoying the lazy circles he made around her belly, hips and breasts.
Turning her again, he soaped her back and bottom as he bent to take one nipple in his mouth. Teasing her and eliciting more moans, he rinsed his hands, then dipped them between her legs.
Wyoming clung to him, unable to do anything else, but when her foot slipped, Emerson looked up. “Not sure we can do this without one of us sustaining an injury—and that’s the last thing either of us needs. Come on. I want all of you.”
“Me, too.”
He helped her out of the shower, turned it off, wrapped her in one towel and himself in another, and opened the door a sliver.
“Coast’s clear.”
They scuttled across the hall into his room, where he picked her up and tossed her lightly onto the bed.
“Brace yourself,” he growled playfully.
Wyoming shrieked when he jumped after her, and he covered her mouth with his hand. “Shh, you want to wake the whole house?”
She shook her head. “Not until we’re done, anyway.” She rolled over onto her belly and propped herself up on her elbows, wondering if he’d understand, but Emerson had already lowered himself on top of her, the salient part of him nudging against her, ready to go.
Their foreplay in the shower meant she was slick and ready for him, and as he slid inside her, she pulled one of his hands beneath her to cup her breast.
Emerson began to move, and she knew soon she would feel as good as she had last night. There were so many things she wanted to try with him. Different positions, different tempos…
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to spend a lifetime with one man.
Emerson gripped her hip with his free hand and worked in and out of her with an intensity that soon had her panting with need. Braced on her elbows, she pushed back against him, needing all of him inside her. He obliged gladly, and soon it was all she could do to hold on. She wanted to feel this way forever—wanton. Desired and desiring. Hungry—on the brink of being satisfied.
Loved.
Wyoming’s eyes flew open at the thought, but her release overtook her at the same time, and the way Emerson pumped into her sent it crashing over her until all she could do was ride the
