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My teeth grind together.
“I wanted you from the moment I saw you at the Silver Coop, Brett,” she continues, the words now rushing from her mouth. “But I was afraid. Afraid you would tell me I was too old, that I was past my prime. And worse—that even if you gave me the chance I so desperately wanted, that you would go down the same path he did. That… that you would….”
She trails off, but I don’t wait for her to find the words.
Taking her in my arms again, I turn her to face me. Her eyes are trained on the bathtub floor, so I take her chin between my thumb and forefinger and gently raise her face to meet my gaze.
“I would never do that to you, Denise,” I assure her.
She starts to roll her eyes.
“No, really.” Taking her head in my hands, I kiss her again, hard. “Your ex? He sounds like a huge dick. Anyone daring to mess up a chance to be with a woman like you is a fucking idiot. Trust me—I know. I almost did it myself.”
Her mouth forms a small smile, her eyes glittering as they survey my face. “You kind of did, actually.”
“Well, never again. You’re perfect, Denise. I mean, I just flew back from Houston all because you gave me a cookie recipe. At this point, I would do anything for you.”
In a rush, she leaps up on her feet to kiss me again, wrapping her arms around my shoulders so tightly it’s like she wants to stay there forever.
After our shower, Denise takes me into her bed, and we make love again. Slowly. Deliberately. And once it’s over, she lays beside me beneath the covers, her wet hair splaying across the pillow as she burrows into my arms.
I hold her close, pressing my lips against the crown of her head until she falls asleep.
And when I finally follow her into dreamland, it’s the most peaceful sleep I’ve had in years.
CHAPTER16
Denise
Iwake to sunlight streaming between the curtains over my bedroom window. But rather than having a hangover to nurse, I find myself in bed with something much better.
Although he's backlit by the sun, I can still make out Brett's face half-buried in the pillow.
His salt-and-pepper hair glitters in the early morning rays and his long dark lashes lay still and peaceful below an unfurrowed brow.
Last night was incredible.
It has never, ever felt that good. I want nothing more than the luxury to do it again and again and again until the end of our days on this earth. I want nothing more than him.
Making love to him had released a flood from within me, a fear of intimacy I'd only partially realized I was grappling with since my marriage fell apart. Even now, flushing at the memories of our bodies entwined, I realize I haven't felt this happy in years.
After a few minutes spent gazing at him, I feel his long legs shift beneath the blanket as he begins to wake. His eyelashes flutter, and a moment later, he opens a pair of sleepy blue eyes to me.
I smile. "Hey," I whisper, as if afraid speaking any louder will disturb the magic in this moment.
"Hey." Brett runs a hand through his hair and grins. "Sleep well?"
His hand finds mine from under the blanket. Grasping around my fingers, he brings them to his mouth, kissing each of my knuckles in turn.
"Better than I have in a long time.”
"Me too."
He scoots closer to me and presses his lips to mine again. And even though I should be completely spent after last night's adventures, I can't help but feel that stirring once more. That need for him, that desire pooling deep in my belly, growing even at his simplest touch.
He pulls his mouth back, his striking eyes finding mine again. "What's the plan for the day?" he asks.
I tug on the back of his neck, wishing to have his mouth on me again. "We could do more of this."
