Page 2 of Provocation (Temptation 3)

Lachlan

Was this what happiness felt like?

Considering it had been years since I’d experienced anything remotely close to it, I wasn’t sure.

But as my eyes slowly opened, the sun streaming into the bedroom of my house in the Chastain Park neighborhood of Atlanta illuminating Julia’s naked, slumbering form, I couldn’t remember ever being so at peace. My heart feeling so full.

We’d only been back on the mainland for ten days, so we were still in the honeymoon stage. With her daughter away at camp, Julia was able to spend every free minute at my house. Couple that with the All-Star Game being in Atlanta, along with a stretch of home games, it was as if nothing had changed.

Unfortunately, that all ended today.

In a few hours, I’d head to D.C. for a series of away games. And Julia would pick up her daughter from camp.

This new dynamic would certainly be an adjustment. I wasn’t going to worry about it, though. I had to trust it would all work out. That there was a reason our paths crossed in Hawaii.

This woman was my absolution. My redemption.

And in my soul, I felt I was hers.

“I can hear you thinking.”

Julia’s sleep-filled voice cut through the silence.

A low chuckle rumbled from my chest as I hooked my arm around her waist, pulling her body back against mine.

“You can hear me thinking?” I left a trail of kisses along her shoulder blade, focusing my attention on that spot where her neck met her shoulders, fully aware how much it drove her wild when I kissed her there.

“Always.” The word came out as a moan.

“Then what am I thinking?”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking. Just that you are.”

I circled my hips against her. “How about now?”

Her laughter filled the room. It should have seemed strange to hear such an endearing sound in a house that had never been home to anything resembling happiness.

But with Julia, it felt right.

“Okay. Now I know exactly what you’re thinking.” She wiggled against me, hardening my erection even more.

“You little tease.” I nipped at her neck.

She turned to face me, our eyes meeting. As I stared into those brilliant, green pools, my heart brimmed with an emotion I couldn’t even begin to understand.

For the past several weeks, I kept thinking I’d wake up and discover everything had been nothing more than a dream. That I’d imagined Julia.

But if this were a dream, I didn’t care. I didn’t need to live in the real world. I’d happily reside in this place of fantasies, as long as Julia remained here with me.

“I thought you liked it when I teased you.” She ran her fingers through my hair, nails digging into my scalp, setting me on fire.

“I don’t just like it.” I pushed her onto her back and hovered over her, smoothing a few auburn waves behind her ear. “I bloody love it. Crave it. Am desperate for it.” I lowered my mouth to hers. “I’m so damn desperate for you.”

“Then have me.”

With a needy groan, I positioned myself at her entrance before easing inside her. She arched her back, mouth opening in bliss.

It didn’t matter how many times we’d done this over the past few weeks. Every time felt different. A new way to experience her. A new way to cherish her.