Page 31 of Take This Heart (Windy Harbor #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

WARMER, WARMER, HOT

MILO

“Do we have to leave this bed?” I loop my arm around her waist and kiss her ass when she gets up.

She laughs and swats my chest. “You told them we’d be there in an hour and it takes at least twenty minutes to get there!”

“Fine.” I pretend to be exasperated, but she doesn’t buy it for a second. “I regret making plans today.”

“You didn’t foresee last night happening?” She grins, her hands winding through my hair.

I put my feet on the ground and pull her between my legs, looking up at her. “No. I wished, but no, I didn’t see it happening at all. Did you?”

“No.”

I kiss her stomach and then pause. “So you always have that going on underneath your clothes?” I tap my forehead against her softly, as if I’m banging my head against the wall. “Had I known…”

“I didn’t say that.” She laughs. “Erin and Juju convinced me I needed to bring the lingerie, and I decided to wear it to feel pretty. I did not think you’d see it last night.” She tugs my hair until I’m looking up at her again.

“Your friends know about us…” My hands find her ass and I squeeze two handfuls.

All I want to do is touch her, kiss her, bury myself in her, and never come up for air.

“Well…they know a little bit. I was nervous. I thought we might still be mad at each other.”

“Yet you still agreed to come?”

She bites her lip and nods.

“Thank you,” I tell her.

She bends down and kisses me, but it’s not as long as I want.

“How would you feel about staying another night?” I ask.

Her lips quirk up. “Because you didn’t get enough of me?”

I snort. “Not even close.”

She taps her top lip. “I think I could pull that off. I brought an extra pair of clothes for backup. I’ll just call Dad and maybe Grandma Nancy to see how things are going there.”

“Do whatever you need to do. If you’re tired, we can stay in and order takeout.”

“No, I want to meet Evan and Sara. And I love the food at CōV. Okay, okay, I’m getting ready.” She skirts out of my hold and laughs when I smack her backside.

I shower in the guest bathroom because we’ll never leave if I get in with her.

I’m already shocking myself with the level of these feelings. I knew we would be good together because kissing her is out of this world, but I couldn’t have known how intense it would be.

Goldie comes out in a sleeveless, short green dress that hits the middle of her thighs. Her hair is pulled back and she looks stunning.

“Wow,” I say, walking toward her.

I hold my hand out and she takes it. I twirl her around, taking in the view before I kiss her cheek.

“You look beautiful.” I slide her strap slightly to the side and groan when I see pale pink lace underneath.

“Uh-uh-uh,” she says, swatting my hand away playfully.

“Now that I know what treasures lie beneath…” I tap my temple. “It’s all right here, but the pleasure of unwrapping your package...”

“If you’re sweet, maybe I’ll let you unwrap me later,” she teases.

“I can be sweet,” I promise. “I can be so sweet.”

“That’s what I’m finding out…” She smirks at me as I hold the door open and we walk out.

She’s antsy on the drive to CōV in Wayzata.

I reach over and thread my fingers through hers. “You okay?”

She makes a face. “Nervous.”

“Of Evan and Sara? Don’t be. They’re going to love you. How was your dad?”

“He’s good, and Grandma Nancy told me to stay as long as I wanted. She said Kevin is getting spoiled rotten.” She grins over at me and looks a little more relaxed.

It’s the perfect day—72 degrees and sunny, low humidity, and it’s the time of year when everything is in bloom and the trees and grass are so green, it doesn’t seem real.

In the winter, it seems impossible that it’ll look like this again, and in the summer, it’s hard to imagine all of these trees bare or snowy.

We have a table overlooking the lake. The patio buzzes with chatter and clinking glasses. Evan and Sara jump up and wave when they see us, all smiles. I make the introductions and we all sit down.

“We ordered a lobster guac and halibut ceviche for the table—” Evan starts.

“And then were like, oh no, I hope Goldie likes seafood!” Sara says, making a face. “We can get another appetizer too.”

Goldie laughs. “I love seafood! That sounds perfect. I haven’t been here yet, but I’ve heard great things.”

Our server comes with the appetizers and gets our drink orders.

Sara and Evan ask Goldie a few questions and my hand rests on the back of her chair.

My fingers brush the nape of her neck and I watch her respond to my friends with such poise.

She’s radiant and I can tell she’s relaxing more by the second.

She takes a chip and dips it, her eyes closing with her bite. “This lobster guac is unreal.”

“Isn’t it great?” Sara says and they launch into a conversation about their favorite restaurants in town.

“My brother is my favorite chef,” Goldie says. “You’ll have to come visit the restaurant when it opens!”

Evan’s eyes meet mine and he gives me a smug grin as he watches my hand. Goldie excuses herself to go to the restroom before the rest of our food comes. The moment she’s gone, Evan and Sara pounce.

“Who are you?” Sara demands, leaning in. “I’ve never seen you like this, Milo.”

Evan smirks. “Man, you didn’t tell us you were cooked.” He looks at Sara. “Did you see the—”

“I know, with the hair and the—” Sara does googly eyes to Evan and they both laugh.

They’ve been together since freshman year of college and usually manage to not be too annoying despite finishing each other’s sentences. Usually.

“I do not look like that,” I grumble.

Sara squeals. “You like her so much! I can’t take it. The cuteness and the—”

Evan picks up. “Steam. I swear it was like about to go—”

“Rated R for nudity and adult themes,” Sara finishes in a movie trailer voice.

“Don’t make me regret introducing her to you clowns,” I say.

Goldie walks to the table, the sun catching on her hair, and my chest tightens. I stand halfway, pulling her chair out for her without thinking.

Sara beams at me across the table and Evan lifts his brows. I roll my eyes.

“What did I miss?” Goldie asks, smiling around the table.

I shake my head. “You missed these two weirdos finishing each other’s sentences. They’ve been like this since they met in college. It’s so annoying.”

“You love us.” Sara laughs.

“We were just talking about how happy Milo seems,” Evan says.

I laugh under my breath.

Sara turns to Goldie conspiratorially. “Goldie, I don’t know what kind of spell you’ve put on him, but keep up the good work. This is the most pleasant he’s been since—”

“We met him,” Evan finishes.

I look at Goldie and shake my head. “This was clearly a bad idea.”

Goldie laughs. “No, I’m having the best time. Tell me more.”

“Even in college, Milo was like an eighty-year-old in that fine physique,” Evan says, laughing.

“I was focused.” I pretend to scowl and they all laugh.

“Focused and a bit…serious,” Sara adds.

Evan leans in. “Tell her about the girl you stopped seeing because—”

“She used too many exclamation points in her texts,” Sara finishes and they all crack up.

Goldie gasps, holding her stomach. “You did not.”

I hold up my hand. “In my defense—”

“There is no defense,” Sara cuts in. “She was sweet! But he got the ick and peaced out.”

“I can’t believe you two,” I groan.

“This is so helpful,” Goldie says. “More ways to push his buttons…bring in the exclamation points!”

I scoot her chair closer to me and lean into her ear. “You already know how to push my buttons.”

Sara fans her face. “Good Lord, the two of you are Frank’s RedHot. Evan and I have been talking about having a baby, and I don’t think it’s gonna take much effort when we get home.”

“Check, please.” Evan pretends to look for our server.

I laugh, pressing my fingers into my eyes. “You guys are too much.”

“This is the best lunch I’ve ever had,” Goldie says, clinking everyone’s glass. Her eyes are still laughing when she looks at me. “You didn’t tell me your friends were so hilarious.”

I hold my hand out. “Nothing could have prepared me for this. They are…in rare form today.”

“So are you, my friend,” Evan says. “So are you.”

After we say goodbye to Evan and Sara, we walk down the boardwalk, just enjoying the day. As we head back toward my place, we’re not hungry enough for dinner, so I park in my parking garage and turn to look at her.

“Do you feel like a walk?” I ask. “It’s a beautiful night.”

“Sure!”

“Will you be okay in those shoes?” I look at her heels skeptically and she waves me off.

“Oh, these are wedges. I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re sure. They look pretty high to me. The second your feet start hurting, we can get an Uber, okay?”

“Okay.” She grins.

It’s a pretty night, so we take our time walking to Flora Room.

She’s never been there, but I think she’ll like the vibe.

All day, the need for her has been building.

She’s been playful and flirty and I am like butter in her hands.

I would’ve been happy to take her home, but I don’t want her to think I only care about getting her in bed.

I want to show her a good time, let her know she’s special.

She loves the place. It’s moody and romantic and we have to lean close to hear each other.

“So…do you have a lot of…” She looks up at me and her mouth shifts to the side.

Our hands are tangled together and if it’s possible for hands to have sex with each other, ours are. Each trail she does with her fingers up my palm makes me harder.

“What? Say it,” I say when she still hesitates.

“Do you have a lot of women on your roster?”

“On my roster?” I laugh. “No. I mean, I’m thirty, so I’ve gone out with my fair share of women, yes. I told you about Roshana. She wanted to get married and I just didn’t feel…” I glance down at her and she’s listening intently. “Something was just missing, you know?”

She nods. “And you said you didn’t live together?”

“No. That’s how I knew I wasn’t ready. I had no desire to live with her. I wanted to feel more…I just didn’t.”

“How did it end?”

“She got upset that I was traveling more for work. I was gone for a weekend and I didn’t call her.

I think she thought I was cheating on her or something, but there was a big time difference and I was so busy.

When I got out of a meeting, I checked my phone and there were at least twenty missed calls from her, each message getting worse. The last one was her sobbing and I—”

“You peaced out?”

I make a face. “Yeah, I peaced out. I broke up with her as soon as I got home. It didn’t end well. She threw a vase at me.”

She winces. “Oof.”

“Enough about that. Do you like your drink?”

She ordered a Tuco Tuco and took a picture of it because it’s so pretty.

“I love it. How’s the Palo?”

“Here, try it.” I hold it to her lips and she takes a sip, her pink tongue grabbing a drop from her lip.

I groan and she gives me a flirty smile but then makes a little face when the taste hits.

“I like mine better,” she says.

She shivers slightly and I glance down to rub her arms and notice her nipples pebbled against her dress.

My dick protests the restraint.

“Are you chilly?” I ask, my voice husky.

She takes a long swig of her drink, finishing it. I smile and she leans in, moving toward my ear.

“I need you to take me home and warm me up,” she whispers.

I stand up, throwing money on the table and then pulling up the app to arrange a ride.

“We’re not walking?” she asks, biting the inside of her cheek.

We hurry outside.

“No, ma’am. I’m getting you home.”

She glances down at the huge tent in my pants and smirks.

“Such a gentleman.”

“Mm-hmm. Keep telling yourself that. I’m getting you home and fucking you so hard you’ll never be cold again.”

An older couple is walking by and the woman gasps.

“Mercy me!” she says, glaring at me.

“Oh, to be young again,” the man says.

When we ride the elevator to my penthouse, I brace my arms on either side of her head and kiss her the way I’ve wanted to all day long.

“Milo,” she whimpers. “I’m so ready.”

The elevator dings while I’m sliding my hand up her dress. She kisses me while I’m unlocking the door and as soon as the door is shut behind us, I’m undoing her dress as fast as I can.

“Holy fuck,” I whisper in awe when I see tonight’s lace.

There’s barely anything to it, but the way it highlights all her assets is fucking glorious.

“I can’t believe you’ve been hiding that from me all day.”

She giggles and does a turn for me. I growl.

“Go face the window,” I tell her. “Hands on the glass.”

Her mouth parts and she does what I asked.

She looks like a dream and I hope to God that we’ll never wake up from this.

I want her. I want her more than I’ve ever wanted anyone or anything.

I undo my pants and slide my briefs down along with them.

I give my dick a tug as I stalk toward her.

She gasps when she feels me against her back and arches into my dick.

“Do you like that people might see you like this?” I whisper.

“Yes,” she says, breathless.

I trace from her ear down her neck, one hand twisting her nipple and the other sliding down between her legs. My fingers move under the lace and I rub her wetness over her before dipping inside.

“So wet for me…”

I get on my knees behind her and only have to wonder how to get her bare for a second when I feel the hook-and-eye closures. They’re undone in seconds and she slams her hand on the glass when I do the first long swipe of my tongue across the length of her.

I don’t go slow tonight. The foreplay has been simmering between us all day. I unleash my tongue on her, plunging it inside her, and she bucks against my mouth like she’s starving for me. It doesn’t take long for her to come.

“I need you inside me,” she cries, still shuddering around my tongue.

I stand and she does quick work of taking the lingerie off the rest of the way.

She looks at me over her shoulder, her eyes dazed, and I impale her.

She lets out a long, hungry moan and it feeds me.

I slide in and out and she meets every thrust. The sounds of us fill my penthouse and I’ve never heard anything better.

I guide her hips over me, faster and faster.

Our bodies are slippery with sweat and I grit my teeth, watching where I drive inside of her.

“Are you warm enough now?” I ask.

Her head drops forward and she twitches inside, strangling my cock as she comes again. I bow over her back, yelling as I empty inside her. I think I see heaven.

“Burning up,” she says after a few minutes.

She looks back and I kiss her as she sags into me.