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I’d never read a children’s book so fast. Luke didn’t seem to notice or care, and as soon as I finished, he curled on his side and closed his eyes. I wanted to run straight to Faith and take her back into my arms, but I didn’t. I remained a gentleman—until I couldn’t stand the sad look in her eyes anymore.
The feel of her lips was everything I had dreamed of and more, and the whimper that sounded in her throat drove me wild as I cupped the back of her head and deepened our kiss. She wound her arms around me and pressed her chest to mine as she shifted on the couch to get closer. The kiss was explosive, and my mouth left hers to cover her jaw and neck. She gasped, and her breathing was heavy as she clung to me, her head thrown back.
My hand brushed the side of her breast, and she arched her chest toward mine and whimpered again. She began to lean back on the couch and pulled my body with hers. A moment later, my body covered hers like a blanket, and she ground her hips against mine.
“Faith,” I breathed into her ear as I curled my hand around her hip and pressed myself firmer against her. Her foot curled around my calf as she kissed a line down my throat. She nipped and then sucked at the skin near my collar, and I hissed. The pleasure and pain of it almost too much. “Faith,” I repeated her name as I leaned back slightly as her desire-filled eyes opened.
“Yes?”
“I want this, I mean, I really want this, Faith. You have no idea how long I have dreamed of holding you like this, making love to you all damn night.” Her body tensed, and I brushed my hand over the side of her face. “But I think we need to talk before this happens.”
She closed her eyes, her body practically vibrating with sudden tension. A moment later, she spoke softly. “I don’t want to talk.” She opened her eyes again. “I want tofeel, Peter. Ineedto feel, please. Tonight just let me feel loved, needed, and I’ll explain it all later?”
She wanted and needed to feel loved? What had Jeremy done to her? If this woman needed to feel loved, then by god, I was going to give her what she wanted.
“Is that what you want, Faith? You aren’t going to regret it in the morning?”
She shook her head. “No. I want you, Peter. Part of me has wanted you for a long time. Since even before we made out on the couch in college.”
I jerked back a few more inches. “What are you talking about, Faith? We never made out on the couch in college.”
She laughed, the sound curling around my heart. “Oh, yes, we did. Jeremy was asleep, and the two of us were pretty drunk. We made out, even took off a few pieces of clothing, and then I had to pee. When I got back, you were snoring, and I left. I was glad you were asleep because I was going to tell you that no matter how much I wanted to be with you, I was with Jeremy.”
I stared at her, the event a muddled memory. “When I woke up the next day, I thought I had dreamed the whole thing. It seriously messed with my head. This might seem weird, but I was totally into you in the eighth grade, and then you started dating Jeremy in high school. I constantly hoped that you two would break up, and I’d finally get my chance.”
She gaped at me. “Are you serious?”
“Oh, yeah. I was head over heels in love with you in high school, but I wanted you to be happy. I didn’t want to come between you two.”
“Peter, the only reason I started dating Jeremy in the first place was that I was hoping to make you jealous enough to ask me out. When you didn’t seem bothered by me dating Jeremy, I figured you didn’t like me.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No! Man, back then, if you had told me that you were interested in me, I probably would have broken up with Jeremy in a heartbeat.”
I sat up, pulling her to a sitting position. “You’re serious?”
She nodded.
“Then why did you marry Jeremy?”
“Because you never showed an interest in me. You never told me not to. You didn’t even remember us making out. I did love Jeremy, and he did make me happy, but—”
She paused, and I stared at her as she scanned the room. “But what?”
She shifted away from me but continued to hold my hand. “There were many times that I wondered what life would have been like if things had been different.”
“Different? You mean, if I had asked you out? Or if you had told me that you were interested in me? Or something else?”
She looked me straight in the eye. “I used to fantasize about you when I was married. I would dream of what life would be like—if you were the one I’d married.”
“Shit, Faith,” I muttered as I squeezed her hand. “Are you seriously telling me that you weren’t happy with Jeremy?”
“I loved Jeremy—when we first got married.” She sighed and let go of my hand, grabbing her glass and guzzling the last of the contents. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but maybe it would be better to do so.”
“I think it would be, not that I don’t want to take back up where we were, but I’d like to understand better where your head is.”
She laughed. “My head? My head is everywhere right now.” She pushed off the couch. “If I’m going to tell you all of this, I need another bottle of wine.”
