Page 61 of Mountain Dreams

She nodded.

“Emotions are running high for both of us tonight. I’d rather wait until it’s just about you and me. Do you know what I mean?”

She reached over and cupped his cheek, enjoying the feel of his stubble against her skin. Now that she’d touched him, she craved him like a drug. “I understand, but I can’t pretend I’m not disappointed.”

“You don’t have to pretend anything with me.”

“This feels so good, so right, but I get why you want to wait.”

He slid his arm around her waist and tugged her closer. “Really? Because, right now, I feel like the biggest fool who ever lived.”

She laughed and twined her arms around his neck. Her breasts rubbed against his chest hairs and made her nipples harden again. She tried to ignore it, but he didn’t.

“I think they like me,” he teased.

“How long do we have to wait?” she whined.

He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “We’ll know when the time is right.”

Selfishly, she wanted it to be right now; however, she understood his concern. She didn’t want him thinking she was on the rebound or using him to bury her grief.

The truth was, her relationship with Wyatt had been unraveling for a long time, and by the time they acknowledged it, it was too late.

“I should go upstairs,” he said, though he tightened his hold on her.

“You could sleep here,” she suggested in a last-ditch effort to change his mind.

“If I stay, neither of us will get any sleep.”

She wriggled against him, feeling the ridge of his erection against her stomach.

“I guess I’ll have to settle for a kiss goodnight.”

“My pleasure,” he said and covered her lips with his.

It was the longest goodnight kiss she’d ever had. She wasn’t sure how they managed it, but they kept their other body parts mostly to themselves while their lips and tongues took up the slack.

He pulled back first, his breathing ragged. “I’m serious. I really have to go now.”

She sat up and watched him roll out of bed and pick up his shirt from the floor. In the meantime, she was still topless, but she made no attempt to cover herself.

“Why am I leaving again?” he said, his gaze roaming over her.

“I have no idea,” she replied, grinning from ear to ear.

He sighed. “Goodnight, Mads.”

“Goodnight, Cody.”

He started to leave, but then he turned back around. “Ugh! Tell me to go.”

“Go,” she said without conviction. She wiggled her fingers at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“God help me,” he muttered.

After he’d gone upstairs and closed the basement door, she lay back and tried to catch her breath. She listened closely, aware of every sound, wishing he would come back downstairs.

After a while, she realized he wasn’t coming and crawled out of bed to put on her pajamas. She thought she could distract herself by reading, but she was sorely mistaken. Instead, she lay there, staring at the ceiling and wondering what he was doing upstairs…