Fender Bender Blues (38 page)
He was giving up. Rach’s heart fell and she flinched. Hadn’t that been what she wanted, for him to let her go?
It’s just as well
. He stared back at her, and there was no familiar challenge in his eyes, daring her to say something, to argue with him. This wasn’t the Craig she knew, wasn’t the Craig she loved. Somehow, she’d gotten him to break and she didn’t like it. His eyes threatened tears and Rach’s heart climbed into her throat. Instead of walking away, she stood there, gazing into his shimmering eyes and missed the way they’d been together. No matter what had happened, she still loved him. The pain in his face told her that he loved her, too, even if he hadn’t ever said the words out loud. She didn’t want to lose him, not again, and she threw herself at him, crushing her mouth against his.
His surprise only lasted a second before his hands came alive to grip her tight against him. His lips ravaged hers hungrily, as if in the time they’d been apart he’d longed for her every day and now wanted to remember the feel of her all over again.
At first she kissed him in a frenzy of emotions—elation, relief, and so much love she feared her heart might explode—nipping at his lips, holding him tight at the nape of the neck, afraid to let go. And then it hit her; she didn’t have to leave. She could choose to stay and feel him forever, smell his cologne, love him completely. And that is what she did.
Rach slowed her kisses and he matched her tempo. His tongue slipped inside her mouth, gliding against hers in a silky wetness that weakened her knees. His hands were on her back, then on her butt, until he lifted her in his arms and carried her to his bed. The scent of roses and his cologne tickled her nose and she pulled him down, needing to feel him against her, savoring the taste of him.
She opened her eyes and met his, the candlelight flickering across his face. The skin under her fingertips was prickly with day-old stubble and she marveled at how much she’d missed even the feel of his beard. She’d dreamed of this so often in the time they’d been apart and now she wanted to soak it up, commit this moment to her memory forever.
He leaned down to kiss her softly on the mouth. He feathered kisses up to the tip of her nose, up along the bridge of it. He brushed kisses over her closed lashes and across both cheekbones. The tenderness stole her breath away. His lips found her ear and nuzzled it with his nose, then flicked his tongue inside. His mouth was on her earlobe, his breath warm against her skin before moving to her neck again.
They undressed each other slowly, exploring each other’s bodies as if they’d never been so intimate before. She lost herself in his touch, in the feel of his mouth on her inner thigh. Rach kept her eyes closed, afraid if she opened them this would all be a dream, even though the sensations coursing through her body as he brought her to climax were nothing but real. Afterward, he held her to him, brushing her hair back so he could drop a kiss to her forehead.
“I missed you, Red.”
“I missed you, too,” she admitted as their hearts crashed together, the thin top sheet wrapping them in a silky cocoon. She pulled away a little so she could reach up and brush a fingertip across his lips and this time she didn’t fight back the tears welling up in her eyes. “I never want to miss you like that again.”
He kissed her wet cheeks and then her eyelids. “Never again. I love you, Rach.”
She would never have imagined four words could affect her so much, could slam through her and cause her ears to ring. She never thought a declaration of that magnitude would shatter any doubts in her mind, break away any barriers she’d had around her heart. Joy bubbled up from deep within, cascading out of her in waves and she smiled softly before opening her eyes to stare up into his cornflower blue orbs.
“I love you, too.” The words came easy, because she meant them, and had for a long time.
“Good,” he replied firmly, a smile broadening on his lips, “because it would suck to get married to someone who didn’t love me back.”
Her eyes widened in surprise and she stammered, “Huh, wha - what do you mean?”
“What I mean is I can’t imagine another day without you in my life.” He lifted up from the bed and leaned his weight down on his elbow, looking down into her eyes so intensely that she swallowed. “I
won’t
go another day without you in my life. What I’m saying is that being without you hurts more than getting hit by a 350 pound football player. Hurts way more than a sexy redhead totaling my Camaro. What this means is we have to get married so you can never leave me again. “
She gazed deep into his eyes, wondering what had inspired such outrageous words to fall from his lips. There was no doubt in her mind now that she needed him in her life. Just as much as he didn’t want to live without her, she could never imagine going through the rest of her days without waking up next to him.
Rach grinned up at him and touched the side of his face with her fingertips, pulling him in for a soft kiss. When they broke away, she said, “I suppose that makes sense. Just don’t piss me off again or I’ll kick your ass.”
His laughter rumbled, filling the room, and he pulled her on top of him. He leaned his head up to nuzzle her nose. “I’d never dream of it. You’re mine now, Red. Forever.”
She snuggled into his chest, wrapping her body around his. She pressed her cheek against his beating heart and smiled. “I’ll marry you on one condition.”
“Oh?” His voice sounded amused and he hugged her tighter to him.
“That you let me drive that sexy Corvette of yours.”
He coughed and she lifted her head from his chest to smile at the grimace on his face. “I, um, guess I could let you drive it. Once. In a deserted parking lot.”
She dropped her head back to his chest. “Well, that’s a good start.”
Hours later, tucked under the blankets with Craig sleeping soundly at her side, Rach thought,
This is a perfect beginning to the rest of my life. Maybe there is such a thing as fate, after all.
A word about the author...
Once upon a time, there was a young girl who wrote sappy poetry about every relationship gone wrong. She had her heart broken many times before the man of her dreams stepped off a big Navy ship and swept her off her feet, promising to never hold her shoe obsession against her.
From that day forward, she swore she’d never again write sappy poetry of unrequited love. Instead, a sucker for smooches and happily-ever-afters, Niecey Roy now writes contemporary romance inspired by her sailor’s sexy brown eyes and charming sense of humor.
Visit Niecey at www.nieceyroy.com
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