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He stayed longer there, examining her bookshelves, flipping through a reference book, checking out her computer. He studied a framed photo on the wall. It had been taken when she’d rafted down the Colorado with a group of friends.
He finally spoke. “You don’t look like a coward.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, stung by his not-so-veiled insult.
He shrugged. “It’s pretty clear to me that you’re afraid of what’s happening between us.”
She couldn’t think of an answer to that.
He went on. “Just because it hasn’t happened in a traditional way doesn’t automatically make it suspect. We could have met at a church social, dated for six months and still ended up where we are right now.”
“And where is that?” she whispered.
He shoved his hands in his pockets, smiling wryly. “Well, that’s the problem, honey. I’m beginning to think you’re in a different place than I am.”
Her heart began to pound. “What does that mean?”
His smile was lopsided. “I’m in love with you. I should have told you last night, but I didn’t think you were ready to hear it.”
There was a buzzing in her ears and her fingers were tingling. This would be a bad time to faint. She licked her lips. “Can you say that again?”
His smile deepened and his eyes warmed. “I’m in love with you. The real McCoy. Hearts, flowers, till death do us part.”
She stuttered, torn between joy and suspicion. “But you said you’d never been in love.”
“That’s how I know. You’ve made me feel something brand new. It’s hit me dead between the eyes. No doubts, no second-guessing. I’m sure, Maddy. But clearly, you’re not.”
“What if it’s not real?” she asked, voicing her deepest fear.
Tenderness etched his features. “I don’t think you’re really worried that it’s not real. I think you want me to tell you whether this will last.”
She flushed, her emotions raw. “So, can you?” she demanded.
He shook his head. “Sorry, honey, I can’t. I don’t know your parents, and I don’t know why they gave up on something they’d spent a lifetime building. But I know that I can’t ever imagine not needing you in my life. I’ve had the imitation, and it wasn’t very good. With you . . . Well, I look at you and I see forever.”
A single tear trickled down her cheek. “It would kill me if we start this and it doesn’t work.”
“And why is that?” he probed gently, still keeping his distance.
Her chin wobbled. “Because I love you, too.”
The look on his face when she said the words humbled her. He looked like a man who’d been given the keys to heaven.
They met in the center of the room, their arms locked around each other, their hearts pounding in unison. It was the first time they had touched since leaving the cabin. He kissed her forehead, her nose, her eyes. And all the while he whispered nonsensical love words . . . silly, wonderful, comforting words.
When tenderness gave way to heat, he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. “You’ll be late,” she fretted.
“Shh,” he muttered, folding back the covers and lowering her onto the bed before stretching out beside her.
He undressed her slowly, as though he was anticipating a long-awaited Christmas present. Given their activity the night before, their hunger should have been less intense, less urgent. But it wasn’t so. Their need simmered in the air, trembling and hushed, waiting to be assuaged.
Clothing disappeared as if by magic, and when he lifted her to sit astride him, her eyelids fluttered shut.
He slid into her slick passage with a groan. “Open your eyes, sweetheart. Look at us.” She obeyed, drugged with pleasure. Where their bodies joined, he used his thumb to stroke her. She watched his thick, hard flesh enter and leave and enter again. She started to tremble, the erotic sight etched on her brain.
He pulled her down for a rough kiss, pressing her breasts against his chest. The new angle put pressure, delicious, tantalizing pressure on a very sensitive spot. She felt her orgasm hovering just offstage and tried to shove it back. She didn’t want this to end . . . not yet.
She rose again and stared at his face, her breathing ragged. His eyes were half-closed, his face rigid with concentration. She pressed her fingers to his lips, caressing them.
