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“You’ve got a deal. But you have to promise not to wear that bikini, or we’ll be doing more than just fishing.” Her laughter fades as her eyes lock onto mine, casting a spell around us. We both lean forward, our mouths inches apart, but when the timer sounds, announcing dinner is ready, we jump apart. “That’s our food. I’d better grab it before it burns.”

She opens her mouth as if she wants to say something, but then closes it again with a nod.

I rush to the kitchen, cursing the timing of the fish. Twenty more seconds is all I needed to finally kiss the girl of my dreams.

Plating our food in record time, I dash back into the dining room and place her plate on the table in front of her before setting mine down. “Can I do one thing before we begin to eat?”

“Anything.” She whispers, licking her lips, causing my cock to harden.

I growl at her total surrender. Leaning down, I capture her mouth with mine, teasing the seam of her lips with my tongue until she opens her mouth with a sigh. “That’s it. You’re such a good girl.” I deepen the kiss, taking it from PG-13 to rated R.

It takes all my self-control to stop kissing her. Ravaging her at the dinner table wasn't part of my plan. “Sorry about that.” I quickly kiss her swollen, well-kissed lips before sitting down at the table. “We should probably talk about whatever this is before we go further.”

She nods and picks up her fork and knife, then starts to cut into the catfish. When she lifts a piece to her mouth and begins to chew, I can’t help but wonder if she’s going through the motions, still lost in that kiss like I am, or if she is genuinely able to enjoy the meal, unlike me. The catfish tastes bitter next to the flavor of her mouth still clinging to my lips.

Chapter 4

Emma

I can hardly taste the catfish. My thoughts are still on the fact that Ben wants me as much as I want him. That kiss was incredible.

In high school, I kissed a few boys, but we never went beyond that, and they definitely never made me feel so hot and needy after just one kiss. I press my thighs together, cursing myself for following grandma’s advice and not wearing underwear.

The inside of my thighs feels slippery, begging me to rub them together to ease the ache between them. I give in, shifting my hips from side to side. “Oh.” I catch my breath at the contact, not expecting it to feel so good.

“Are you okay?” The genuine concern in Ben’s voice makes me feel like a fool for trying to soothe the throbbing need between my legs while attempting to enjoy a nice dinner with him. But based on the hungry look in his eyes, I’d say he’s struggling too.

“I’m fine.” I sip the red wine Ben must have poured before I arrived. “So one other thing grandma told me about you is you’re a world-famous writer.” I set the wine glass back on the table. “Why didn’t you ever tell the class?”

He sips his wine before placing it back on the table. “There’s only one person in the class I’ve ever wanted to tell, but I’ve always thought—” he pauses. I hold my breath, praying he willsay what I want him to say—what I need him to say. “That you were unattainable since you were my student and I was your professor.”

The breath I was holding comes out in a rush, “How long have you felt that way?”

“From the first day you walked into my class and sat in the front row, even though you were one of the first students to arrive, you had your pick of seats. Yet, you chose to sit smack dab in the middle of the classroom, right in my line of vision. From that day forward, I always considered that your spot.”

“It was the only place that felt right. It was as if my body guided me to that desk, urging me to claim it before someone else could.”

Four years. I can’t believe he has liked me for four years.

I work up the courage to ask him the question I’m dying to know. “Why didn’t you act on your feelings?”

“I think you already know the answer to that. You were just out of high school, barely even eighteen. You had your whole college future ahead of you. What would you want with a stuffy professor six years older? Plus, it was my first teaching job. I couldn’t risk losing it.”

I nod. I understand. I truly do. We were both young and reckless, not realizing it was okay to take a chance on the love of a lifetime.I’m just grateful we were given a second chance to act on that love.

“Do you know why I’m staying at the lake house alone this summer?” He shakes his head, so I continue. “I felt lost after graduation—like a piece of me was missing. I didn’t know what that piece was until I saw you sitting on the dock that first day as if fate threw you in my path, showing me, without words, what I was missing.”

“I feel the same way. My writing has suffered even having you close by. But knowing you were so close and unable to touch you gutted me. Do you know I spend most of my days staring out the window, watching you lie out on the dock, sunning yourself, and wishing every minute that I was out there with you, rubbing lotion into your beautiful skin.”

My breath catches in my throat. “I want you to be the one rubbing lotion on my back and anywhere else you want to rub.”

He stands, walks over to my side of the table, then drops to one knee on the carpet and takes my hand. “Emma, I wanted to make this night special, but you being here is what truly makes it so. I know it’s only been four years, but I feel like I’ve waited for you my whole life.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a velvet box. “This was my grandmother’s. I’ve been carrying it around with me for four years, waiting for the perfect time to ask the woman I love if she’ll marry me.” He lets go of my hand to open the box, revealing a beautiful princess-cut diamond with two sapphires on either side.

“Yes!” I throw my arms around his neck, pulling him close, covering him everywhere I can reach with a kiss.

He pulls back just enough to slide the ring onto my finger. “Perfect.” He brings my left hand to his lips and kisses my finger just above the engagement ring. “I think it’s time we make this official.” He stands, sweeping me into his arms bridal style, and carries me to his bedroom, making this the best night of my life.

Chapter four