“I bought some yesterday. I have one in my coat pocket, but the rest are in my nightstand drawer.” She could feel her cheeks heating. “What can I say? I’m an optimist.”
“Well, I think you’ve probably figured out by now I’m a sure thing.”
Then he was kissing her again and when he pulled her hips forward until the hard length of his erection pressed against her, she gasped against his mouth. She felt his mouth curve into a smile, and then he was backing her up until she felt the mattress against the back of her legs.
Another panicky moment of wishing the covers were drawn back so they could crawl under them, but then he lifted her up onto the mattress and gave her such a sizzling look, she forgot to be self-conscious.
When he lowered his body over hers, though, she put her hand on his shoulder. “Wait. I should grab a condom before—”
His gaze locked with hers as he slid a hand from her breast to her side, and then down to her hip. “Not yet.”
Any thoughts she had of being impatient or wanting him to get on with it fled when his mouth closed over her nipple and sucked hard. His hand slid between her legs, and she moaned when his fingers stroked her.
She lost track of time as he kissed and caressed every part of her body until she was almost writhing with the need formore. He didn’t let up until her back arched off the bed as the orgasm shook her body, and then his mouth was on hers again—kissing her as she buried her hands in his hair.
“Okay, now,” he said, his voice rough in a way that told her his self-control tank was close to running on fumes.
Nola wasted no time getting a condom from the nightstand and he wasted no time rolling it on. She was so ready for him and as he entered her slowly—his muscles trembling with restraint—she ran her fingernails down his back, making him shiver.
Then he was fully inside of her and the delicious friction as he moved made her gasp. His hips rocked as he thrust and she dug her fingertips into the muscles of his ass, urging him deeper. He rested his forehead against hers, his breath ragged.
“Nola,” he whispered.
He was close, so Nola reached between their bodies to stroke her clit as he drove into her, harder and faster each time. She moaned as her second orgasm rolled over her, and she might have said his name, but she wasn’t sure because the only thing she knew in that moment was explosive pleasure.
Ian groaned and his body jerked as he found his own release, and she grasped his upper arms as he thrust a final time before collapsing on top of her.
Yes, she thought. This was exactly what she’d needed, and had been wanting since the first moment she saw him.
He snuggled against her, nipping lightly at the spot on the side of her neck that he liked to kiss so much. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around him, content to hold him while they waited for their heart rates and breathing to slow down.
She wanted to stay like this forever, with Ian in her arms and his breath warm against her skin. They could sip coffee on her back porch. They could fall asleep in each other’s arms and wake up together. Ian was the piece of her puzzle she hadn’t realized was missing until he popped up in her life.
This was the forever she wanted.
“I don’t want to go back,” she said, and it wasn’t until he made a sound against her neck that she realized she’d said it aloud.
“I don’t want to go back, either,” he mumbled.
“I have to, though. Rosie will be expecting me to help tonight.”
“I don’thaveto, but I probably should because she has my kids.”
Nola laughed and pushed at his shoulder. “Come on, get up. The bathroom’s through that door and we need to get dressed. Our cell phones are in our coats downstairs, and I don’t want them calling around town looking for us.”
Ian stood up, distractingly naked, and Nola made herself look for her bra instead of watching him because they reallydidhave to go. “You do realize Rosie sent you with me on purpose, right? She’s knows exactly where we are right now.”
“Yes, I know.” She just didn’t want to think about it too much. Or dwell on whether Rosie understood her matchmaking had an expiration date.
“I sure do like that woman,” he said as he walked into her bathroom.
Once they were back in Ian’s truck and headed back, Nola couldn’t help smiling. Considering that some of the options she’d discarded included the basement or maybe the barn the Kowalski family used for storage or even sneaking into one of the empty cabins, she was glad Ian had needed gas. And that Rosie, bless her matchmaking heart, had so quickly come up with a reason for Nola to go with him.
Rosie. Dammit.
When she shook her head and started laughing, Ian looked over at her. “What’s so funny?”
“I forgot to get the bourbon butter cake recipe for Rosie.”
