Page 26 of Love Songs (Harmony Lake #3)

“What about Jaylin?” I asked in a hush.

“She sleeps like a log,” he replied, quietly closing the door behind him. “But don’t be screaming loud enough to shake the foundations when I rock your world.”

A thrill rushed through me at those words. “I seem to remember you being the excessively vocal person.”

With a soft grin, he stepped forward, cupped my face in his hands, and kissed me.

Oh, how I’d longed for those lips. For the way they molded so perfectly against mine.

For the silky way they felt as they moved so passionately over mine.

For the spicy hint of ginger on his tongue from the tea he loved to drink.

Nothing felt or tasted better than Dallas Blade.

“I’ve missed you,” he purred between desperate kisses.

My heart ignited at his confession. “I’ve missed you, too.”

He lifted my shirt over my head and kissed my bare chest. His satin lips and hot breath ghosting my skin and drawing groans of pleasure from me as I struggled to keep quiet.

“Your skin tastes so good,” Dallas whispered.

“I’ve been dying to taste yours again,” I echoed softly, leaning back to unbutton his shirt and push it off his shoulders.

I captured a hard nipple with my mouth, sucking it inside and swirling my tongue around it. A decadent moan escaped from Dallas while his whole body quivered. A wave of pride washed through me that I’d been the one to make him tremble with need, and loving how responsive he was to me.

We divested each other of the rest of our clothing in a frantic tangle of hands and limbs. Dallas seemed as eager as me, unable to wait another second to see and taste and feel all that luscious skin. He grabbed my hand and tugged me onto the bed with him.

“I want you so bad,” Dallas said, his golden-tipped hair fanned out on the pillow and the soft glow from the nightstand lamp giving him an ethereal radiance. “You have no idea how much.”

“Pretty sure I do,” I replied as I settled myself over him, our limbs notching together like Tetris blocks.

Dallas grabbed the lube and condoms from under the pillow and pushed them against my chest.

“Hurry,” he rasped, his gaze intense and imploring. “I need to feel you.”

I felt his desperation like a living thing pulling at me.

“Don’t have to ask me twice.”

But I took my time getting him ready. I wanted to rush. I wanted to dive inside and feel every scorching inch of him around me, too. I wanted him so badly my hands shook, but no way would I risk hurting him because I couldn’t control my patience and didn’t prep him properly.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry,” he keened as I gently, carefully, worked him into a writhing mass of nerves and need.

I claimed his mouth to swallow his moans because the last thing I wanted was for Jaylin to hear us from across the suite. Exhibitionism wasn’t my thing, and I wasn’t about to start with a teenager.

When I was confident that he was finally ready, when he could no longer form coherent words, I sank into him.

Home echoed through my mind, and a sigh of contentment drifted from my lips.

He stared up with at me with those electric eyes of his, so full of desire and adoration, that my breath stuttered.

How could he have come to mean so much to me in so short a time?

I had no idea why he was here in town again or for how long he was going to stay, but I wanted to spend every minute with him.

Preferably in bed, but I would take whatever I could get.

So long as I could watch the light glitter in his eyes, smell the warm, amber-breeze scent of his skin, taste the ginger on his tongue, I would be happy.

We moved together in perfect unison, our groans and moans muffled by our kisses, but they still sounded loud to my ears.

I was having trouble remembering why that was a worry.

Dallas gripped my shoulders, my ribs, my hips, hard enough that I was sure I’d have an abstract hand-print bruise pattern along my torso. I would wear it proudly.

And when I came right after he had, with my hand over his mouth to muffle his shout, I felt like I’d been christened by fire. Like a spark igniting a flame, change was coming. A new life was in front of me, and while I didn’t know what that would look like, I vowed to make sure it included Dallas.

“Stay,” Dallas said, pulling me down to the bed after we coasted back to earth from our orgasmic high and cleaned up.

Hell yeah, I want to stay .

“I shouldn’t be here when your daughter wakes up,” I said reluctantly, even as I crawled back into bed and slipped my arm around his shoulders, drawing him closer to me.

“Then set an alarm.” He snuggled into my side and rested his head on my chest with a satisfied sigh. “But I don’t want you to go. Not yet.”

“Okay.” Like I could argue with him. “For a little while.”

“Good.” He rocked tighter against me.

I wanted to ask him where we went from here, if there was an us— could be an us—but his breathing deepened and evened out.

His body melted against me, and I knew he’d fallen asleep.

I kissed his forehead and closed my eyes.

That I had to get up and set the alarm was the last thing to cross my mind before falling into the most restful sleep I’d had since Dallas had left.

I TRIED TO climb stealthily out of bed the next morning, but Dallas reached for me, his hot hand on my biceps stopping me mid-rise.

“No, don’t go,” he grumbled. His voice was rough with sleep and his eyes were still closed. “Why are you up so early?”

I lowered back to his side, his skin warm and comforting, and kissed him.

“Body clock.” I nuzzled his ear. “I’ve always been an early riser.”

“Blasphemy.” He grunted, snuggling closer.

Chuckling, I planted a kiss on the end of his nose. “And I should get out of here before your daughter wakes up.”

“She’s a teenager. She won’t be awake for at least a couple more hours,” Dallas mumbled against my chest. “Stay.”

I hesitated for only a second, because of course I wanted to stay.

“We should make use of the extra time, don’t you think?” I nipped at his shoulder as I slid a hand down his lean torso.

Dallas hummed and rocked his hips toward me. “I like your thinking.”

After a perfect morning blowjob to start the day, I didn’t get back into bed after cleaning us both up. I had visions of Jaylin walking in and catching me with my bare butt hanging out. No thanks.

“I really have to get out of here now,” I said to a blissfully sated Dallas. His skin flushed a pretty pink.

He huffed. “Fine. Okay. But meet us in the lobby for breakfast?”

“I will.” I kissed him again before forcing myself to leave. If I didn’t stop now, I’d never stop. “Text me when you’re ready.”

I pulled the covers up and tucked the blanket around him, earning a lazy smile and a kiss on the back of my hand, then snuck out of the hotel suite as quiet as possible.

I grinned at the concierge, who raised a judgmental eyebrow at me as I passed the front desk, and headed outside to wait in my truck for Dallas’s text.

More than anything, I wanted to still be in bed with him, taking our time and exploring each other’s bodies all day.

After what felt like forever but was less than half an hour, my phone pinged, and an ear-to-ear smile spread across my face. Ugh . I needed to get a grip. I was acting like a lovesick teenager instead of a full-grown adult.

With a shake of my head, I headed back to the lobby, fighting the urge to run the whole way, and found Dallas and Jaylin waiting in the same spot they’d been last night when we’d said goodnight—at least temporarily for Dallas and me.

Only difference being they were wearing different clothes today—Dallas in a white button down open at the collar, a faded jean jacket over top, decadently snug jeans, and boots, and Jaylin in an oversized plum-colored hoodie with ripped jeans and bright yellow sneakers with pink laces.

And me . . .

Jaylin looked me up and down, and a wide, knowing grin crossed her face.

“You’re wearing the same clothes as last night,” she said with a giggle.

I felt my cheeks heat. So much for playing it cool and thinking I got away with sneaking out this morning.

“Who says they’re the same clothes?” I countered and raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I have a closet full of matching shirts and jeans.”

I did, actually, have several matching shirts and jeans. It made deciding what to wear less stressful.

She snorted and rolled her eyes.

“Come on, kids,” Jaylin said, giggling under her breath. “I’m ready for breakfast.”

She smirked at me before marching ahead of us toward the inn’s restaurant. Dallas winked as I fell into step at his side. He mouthed, “ Busted .”

I bumped my shoulder with his, then trailed my pinky finger down the back of his hand. He turned his hand over, grabbed mine and gave a quick squeeze, slanting a sexy smile my way before letting go as we entered the restaurant.

We sat at a table that overlooked Harmony Lake, and we all ordered the to-die-for French toast with cinnamon-infused maple syrup from Sam’s farm. There wasn’t anything better, as far as I was concerned.

“So. What’s your first impression of our little town so far?” I asked Jaylin while we waited for our meals to be served.

“It looks like something out of a Hallmark movie,” she replied, with a note of glee in her voice.

“I take it that’s a good thing?” I asked, having never seen a Hallmark movie before, but if it described Caldwell Crossing, then it couldn’t be a bad thing.

“Oh, yeah. That’s a good thing.” She brightened and leaned forward, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. “Love is always right around the corner, but the couples never realize it until the last fifteen minutes.”

Okaay . . . I shot a quick glance at Dallas, who grinned back at me.

Jaylin spent the next fifteen minutes regaling me on all things Hallmark, while Dallas watched her with so much affection, so much love, I couldn’t help but fall a little more in love with him myself.