Page 121 of Royal Icing

“Is that a yes, or a goodbye?” he asked when she pulled back.

She put a hand on his cheek. “It’s a ‘we’ll try.’”

Relief flooded his body. No matter what happened with her job or his project, at least they had each other.

“I’ll take it,” he said. He dove back into the kiss, burying a hand in her hair. His heart was still beating too fast.

He would show her what a lifetime with him could look like.

The moon was high when he pulled back and grabbed her hand. He tugged her down the street toward his new apartment, his insides a tangled mess of desire, yearning, and fear.

The second he opened the door, he moved to pull Emma to him, but Cooper bounded over. Then the kittens meowed. Shit. He had woken up the entire menagerie.

Emma smiled and tossed Cooper a treat, then pulled Leo into the animal-free bathroom. She immediately removed her stitched-up coat. He did the same, and they came back together. Her mouth was warm against his, but she trembled in his arms.

“You’re cold,” he said.

“I’m fine,” she said, but her teeth chattered.

“Let’s warm you up.”

He leaned past her to turn on the shower, then draped two towels over the heated towel rack. Hot water pumped out, filling the room with steam. He shed his sweater and tugged her to him. Their tongues danced, and her hands raked down his back and then went to her own clothes.

In a flash, they were both naked. He pulled back to look at her. Her hair tumbled down her bare back, acres of curves waiting to be touched. Claimed.

She washis, damn it.

He grabbed her more roughly than he intended, hoisted her up so she straddled his waist. Her bare breasts teased his collarbone, and her nipples stiffened in response. He bent to nip them, bottom lip dragging over her silken skin. She shivered again, and he carried her to the shower.

This was all he wanted.Shewas all he wanted. She was here, under his fingertips, a dream in the flesh. But in a matter of hours, she would be gone. Again. What if she never came back? What if the distance was too much?

The warm spray ran in rivulets down Emma’s torso, and steam curled into the air. She kissed him with a hunger he’d never known, like she was trying to squash a lifetime of passion into this stolen moment.

She forced a hand between them and found purchase on his dick, which probably could have supported her weight all on its own by this point.

He met her hunger with heat, running a hand over the magnificent topography of her body, trying to memorize every peak and valley by touch. She unwound her legs and dropped to her feet, and he pushed her into the spray to keep her warm while he sampled every inch of her—neck, breasts, stomach, and bikini line—before trailing a finger over her delicate folds.

Her back arched in response, and she yanked him back to her. He ached to be inside her, but a previous shower escapade in college had ended in disaster when the water had washed away all the natural lubrication.

She deserved tenderness, patience, finesse. Something he would give her forever if only she’d let him. He left the shower running and led her gently out of the spray. The towels were warm, and he wrapped one around her before lifting her to perch on the edge of the vanity.

Her eyes were dark with need as he dropped to his knees and guided her legs apart and over him to rest on his shoulders. He was hard as steel as he buried his face between her thighs, tongue circling and swirling. She went rigid as a board, breaths coming in short, ragged gasps. He slipped a finger inside her, and her moan echoed in the small room.

The floor was hard and unforgiving on his knees, but he would have happily stayed there forever. Bringing pleasure to this remarkable woman was one of the most fulfilling duties he’d ever had.

She must have been at the edge, but she pushed him back with her legs. His eyes met hers.

“Condom. Now,” she said.

He grabbed the other towel and dashed into the flat, dodging around the kittens, who seemed to have dragged a pizza box out of the trash.

He rolled on a condom, and in seconds, he was back. She still waited for him on the counter. Her towel had fallen open, revealing every centimeter of her beautiful figure. She reached for him, and they met like two seas, crashing together and coalescing until they were a nebulous vortex of heat and need.

He took her, claimed her. Filled her from within. She wrapped him with her legs and her warmth, and it was everything he could do to not lose control immediately.

Their damp skin slapped together as he moved, slowly at first, then more urgently.

Stay. Stay, he mentally pleaded with every thrust. As if he could transfer the idea to her via dick-induced osmosis.