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Nora closed her eyes, afraid to take in the meaning of his proposal, afraid she’d want so much more than what he was offering…but more afraid he’d see just how much she wanted him.
His warm breath tickled her face, his body shifted against hers, and even with her eyes closed, she knew he was moving in to kiss her. Parting her lips, she waited until his tongue skimmed her mouth. Gentle at first, Eli took his time as he continued to hold her face between his firm hands.
Nora slid her arms up over his shoulders, locking her hands behind his neck and toying with the ends of his wavy hair. Her baby moved, kicked a couple times, and Eli eased back.
“She kicked me,” he muttered against her lips.
“I’m not at my most attractive state right now,” she defended.
Eli’s hands moved from her face down to cup the sides of her belly. “You’re beautiful, Nora. You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever known, pregnant or not.”
She loved how his hands felt on her stomach while the baby moved around. He made her feel attractive, wanted and cherished.
Nora placed her fingers on his chest, not to push him away, but to feel the strength, the warmth, of the man she craved and ached for.
“I can’t deny I want you,” she told him. “But are you sure? I mean…”
His brows drew together. “What?”
“I’m more concerned how you’ll feel once you see me…you know.”
Shame had her dropping her head between her shoulders. Eli’s fingertips went to the hem of her scrub top and pulled it up. Then he went to work on the long-sleeved tee she still wore. Not wasting any time, he tugged it up and over her head, tossing it to the side, as well.
Nora refused to meet his gaze. How ridiculous she must look standing in her kitchen wearing black scrub bottoms, tennis shoes and a very unflattering white cotton bra that was barely containing her ever-growing chest.
When his hands slid up over her rounded stomach, Nora closed her eyes, suppressing a shudder. Chills danced across her exposed skin in the path his hands took. The tips of his fingers glided over the tops of her breasts and traveled around to the back to unhook her bra. Nora extended her arms, allowing him to remove the unwanted garment.
“Look at me,” he demanded in a firm yet soft tone. “Don’t hide from me, Nora. Ever.”
When she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but raw desire, a need she was sure matched her own.
“If you’re unsure, tell me now,” he muttered as his lips traveled over her bare shoulder, up the side of her neck and to the corner of her mouth. “Tell me I should go and I will.”
As if she could speak at all now that he’d assaulted all of her senses. No way could she deny him or herself this pleasure they both so desperately needed, ached for.
Her arms came up around his neck as she eased back and looked him in the eyes. “I think we need to get out of this room, considering my curtains over the sink are open.”
A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I have no intention of sharing you with anyone.”
He bent down and scooped her up with an arm behind her back and another behind her knees.
“Oh, Eli, you’re going to hurt yourself. Put me down.”
“You’re still light, Nora.”
He carried her with ease up the stairs and down the darkened hallway into her room where her small bedside lamp was on.
The fact he wasn’t out of breath after carrying her up a flight of steps spoke volumes for his strength and made him all the more appealing…as if he wasn’t enough already.
When he eased her to sit on the edge of the bed, he stood back and stared down at her. Shivers of arousal threaded through her as his eyes raked over her body.
No way could she turn down this man. She loved him, had possibly never stopped loving him, on a level that terrified her. But she had to take a risk; she had to show him just how she felt because the words just wouldn’t come…and she wasn’t altogether sure he was ready to hear them.
“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than the way I want you right now,” he told her.
Suddenly feeling brave, Nora stared up at him and smiled. “Then take me.”
