by Katy Evans
“You’re scared? I am too, but I won’t hurt you. I promise you. If I ever get out of line, you more than anyone, India, know exactly how to tame me.” I bite my lower lip, smiling at the way he teases me, because he’s right. I do know how to handle him, and yet all I want is the chance to love him.
Dragging in a ragged breath, I lean up and impulsively kiss his hot, hard lips. I again fill my hands with fistfuls of his hair and clench my fists even harder as he starts kissing me back. Kissing me like I’m all he wants.
He frames my face in his big hands, devouring what I’m offering, then slides one hand down my body—down, down between my breasts, along my abdomen, dipping it between my legs, then pulling my skirt up and sliding his hand back down to push my thighs apart and stroke me over my panties.
I gasp at the touch, welcoming it. Craving it.
He eases the fabric of my panties aside and drives one finger inside me. I arch up and rock my hips to his touch. “Yes.” I groan.
He’s watching me, his gaze hooded and his lashes heavy.
“I can’t even find the words to describe how gorgeous you look right now,” he rasps as he tugs my panties down my legs. He flings them over his shoulder, onto the floor behind us.
I’m fully naked now. I reach out to unbutton his crisp white shirt as quickly as I can even as he unzips his trousers and whips off his belt.
He removes his shirt and discards his trousers, along with his black boxers. He stands before me, fully naked, a dark-haired Adonis I want to binge on just like I know, sense, feel, that this Adonis wants to binge on me.
His erection stands tall and proud. His body is well-defined and athletic, his taut, tanned skin stretching across miles and miles of muscles. My eyes run over him, drinking in the dusting of hair along his chest, the admirable six-pack, once again to pause on his pulsing, thickened erection—and the way a drop of moisture shines at its tip.
I swallow eagerly.
William’s lips curve sinuously as he notices my admiration. He leans over me, running a hand down my front, stopping to circle one of my nipples with his thumb, then the other, with expertise.
He drags that wicked thumb down over my belly button, to the V-shape between my legs, caressing me there.
“You’re so sexy and so eager, India.”
“Aside from the other night with you, I guess it’s because it’s been...a long time,” I confess.
His expression gentles. His voice thickens. “I’m glad somehow that you haven’t been with anyone for a while. At least...not with anyone while you’ve been working with me?” He waits for my answer.
I’m panting as his fingers trail down my stomach, down my hips and sides of my legs, then slowly up the inside of my thighs.
I shake my head, then nod, confused by his question. “Yes. No. I mean...there’s been no one since I’ve worked for you. You’ve kind of made it hard for me to have a life after what you’ve put me through.”
“Are you saying I need to make it up to you?” He sounds amused. My blood keeps boiling. He looks masculine, confident, sexy.
God, help me, he looks like a man in love with me.
As he lays me down and starts descending to kiss me, I pull him closer, my greedy hands on his buttocks, urging him to fill me. No more foreplay. No more pauses. No more excuses.
A low moan escapes me. The pleasure of our connection, the pleasure of feeling him—hard, hot, pulsing—his skin brushing against mine, is overwhelming.
“God, William.” I groan.
“I like it when you say my name. Say it again and kiss me, my hungry, beautiful India.”
I do as he asks.
He drives in at that moment, and the utterance of his name ends in a groan. I clutch him tighter, and William feasts on my mouth, pulling out and repeating the thrusting motion, setting up a rhythm. He’s got my wrists in his hands, both of them, pinned at my sides. My whole body arches up to his. I take every thrust and meet it with a roll of my hips. Every thrust pushes me closer to the edge, until I’m trembling from the pleasure. From the anticipation, the tension building inside me.
He feels amazing. He tastes amazing. He sounds so hot.
His burning blue eyes fix on me as I thrash beneath him, caught between wanting to savor every moment and an explosion that I’m afraid will tear me apart, one I will never recover from.
I should be scared. I am scared, but I’m too helpless to resist him, delirious with happiness and with desire. I lean up to meet him, kiss for kiss, touch for touch, my hips rocking in rhythm with his.
Every moment we’ve shared, every confession, has been like peeling off each other’s clothes, allowing us to see each other as we really are. What I see delights me, excites me, challenges me, confuses me and obsesses me.
I can’t get enough of him now.
He smothers my lips with his. “Do you understand now?” he rasps against my lips. He tears free and looks down into my eyes with a gaze that seems to carve into my soul. “Why I pushed you away... India, do you understand me now? It was like I knew it would be this...this life-changing.”
I find myself nodding, gasping, “Yes,” and a brief smile tugs his lips before his mouth descends to mine again.
“Well, bring it now,” he says and then groans against my mouth, lifting me up and holding me against his chest, kissing me senseless as he keeps driving inside me.
I shatter. I shatter into a million and one pieces, and then each of those pieces shatters into a million more.
His name leaves my lips in a reverent gasp as I shudder and shake in his arms. Dimly, I’m aware of William’s tensing above me, against me, my name leaving his throat in a low, thick groan as he follows me there.
Moments after, he sets a kiss to the top of my head and brushes a damp tendril of hair behind my ear. “You’re gorgeous, Miss Crowley.”
There’s a calmness in those sexy, heavy-lidded eyes as he looks down at me. He almost looks...at peace. If it wasn’t for that gleam of hunger that still lurks in the very depths of his irises. A hunger that makes my own hunger claw its way back up.
Will I ever get enough of him?
I look into his eyes and find myself smiling in answer to his question, and as his own wicked smile appears in answer, I wonder, Where have you been all my life? How could I have gone on another day without this?
I’m so taken by him that I can’t stop trailing my fingers up and down his body, watching his muscles constrict, as if he can’t help reacting to my touch.
I giggle, and he frowns. “What’s so funny?”
I raise my hand and stroke the stubble on his jaw with my fingers. “You.” I run my eyes over his rumpled hair and his swollen lips. “You’re cute.”
“Cute?” He sits back, appalled and puzzled. “I’m pretty sure that’s the last word anyone would use to describe me.”
“Would you rather I try another?”
“Go right ahead.” We both smile as I prop the pillow behind me and sit up in bed.
“Strong. Confident.”
He keeps waiting for more.
I’m starting to laugh because I do find this man cute.
He lifts one brow. “Nothing about my prowess?”
“Ahh, and a fisherman too. Apparently he’s already out fishing for compliments.”
Smirking devilishly, he pulls me to him and rolls me on the bed until his body stretches above mine. “If you didn’t immediately think of the word, then I must have done a bad job. Let me try again, sweet Miss Crowley.”
I’m laughing softly when he descends, and my laugh fades into a soft sigh of pleasure as we start all over again.
* * *
We’re back at Will’s house the next morning. I got no sleep last night, but am eager to see Rosie before her parents pick her up.
“You sure it’s okay for me to stop by and see Rosie before headin
g home?”
“I insist,” William says, brushing his fingers along my bare back as he opens the door with his other hand.
We’re greeted by intense bawling and William’s dad looking about as panicked as he’s ever looked.
“William! Thank God! She doesn’t want to eat. I changed her diaper. I have no bloody clue,” his father says as he tries passing Rosie to William.
William scoops her up. “Let’s see if warming up her bottle will do it,” I whisper to him as I hurry to the kitchen to warm it while William tries to rock her.
Rosie is calm and hiccupping from crying so hard by the time I return.
“You want to do it, or do you want me to?” I ask William as I show him the bottle.
“Here. You try it. Let me help my dad out. He looks ready for a long nap.” William winks at me, and I smile at Mr. Walker and settle down on the couch, shifting Rosie’s weight in my arms as I offer her the bottle.
I hear the men’s voices as they talk in the foyer, and William’s especially makes my stomach constrict with a warm feeling.
“...haven’t had a night like last night in my life. Thank you, Dad.”
“I’m glad. I don’t know what you do for each other, but looks like it’s more powerful than a vitamin shot laced with adrenaline.”
I hear William laugh, and the door shuts shortly after, and then there’s silence. I make sure Rosie is still sucking on the bottle and that it’s angled properly so that she’s not drinking air.
Confirming that everything is perfect, I look up to catch William with arms crossed, leaning back on his heels, looking at me like a real big shot from across an expanse of shiny marble floor.
I feel myself flush. “What?” I ask nervously, not used to being the focus of a man’s intense appreciation like his.
“You look good with my niece in your arms.”
“Just because I’m single doesn’t mean I don’t have natural motherly instincts,” I retort, then glare at him. “But don’t get any ideas.”
He shakes his head. “I am. But they can wait. Come here.” He sits down next to me and tucks me into his arm, embracing me and peering over my shoulder as I feed his niece. I suddenly feel like dozing off in his arms just like Rosie, and turn to rest my head against his chest.
“If I’m dreaming...don’t ever wake me up, Walker,” I beg, laughing softly when he just chuckles and sets a kiss on the top of my ear. He’s the best uncle in the world. Best man in the world.
And me? The happiest girl on the planet.
Epilogue
India
“I can’t help being nervous, Will. It feels like a big step.”
It’s Sunday morning. Well, it’s midday, to be exact, and neither William nor I have made any move to get out of bed. This is the fourth consecutive weekend we’ve spent at my place, lying in late and watching TV together. We like the coziness of my place, and I love how down-to-earth—and close—William feels here. For two workaholics, we’re getting much better at relaxing.
But today William wants me to officially meet his family—while he announces our engagement.
“Hey, relax,” he says, stroking my hair gently. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal. You’ve met my dad. And Rosie, of course. You used to speak with Kit all the time over the phone. That just leaves Alex, for now. No big deal.”
“William, it took you two weeks to even come over here because you were scared of meeting Montana.”
William laughs. “Yeah, well, you told me she didn’t approve of me. And our first meeting wasn’t exactly smooth.”
“Come on, that night you came over looking for me, she changed her mind about you and loved you. Plus my family already loves you. So that gives me a lot to live up to. I don’t want to mess this up.”
He kisses my forehead gently. “As if you could. Look, you and Alex are going to get on like a house on fire. She’s just as gutsy as you. And my family will be thrilled that you’re my fiancée.”
“I guess. But still, I have a right to be nervous. It makes this all very...official.”
He pulls me in closer to his bare chest, letting me trace circles on it with my fingers.
“Well, I would say we’re doing well, wouldn’t you? Moving forward and all that?”
I nod quietly. I love him, and he feels the same too. We’re moving forward. Setting a wedding date for next year. Becoming man and wife. Getting better at this whole thing of being a couple.
I even like Will’s new assistant and helped her settle in. I work from my apartment during the week, then meet him after work, helping him organize any pending things at the office. Sometimes I write my novel while I wait for him. And the rest of the time, it’s just him and me. Like this.
After four months of dating, it feels completely natural to have taken this step. I’m elated, in love and simply too eager for everything to be perfect not to be nervous today when we drop the news to his family.
“We can wait, if you’re that nervous,” William says quietly. He’s clearly reading my mood. But I want to please him and, despite the nerves, can’t wait, so I shake my head with a smile.
“No, it’s okay. Let’s do this.”
I start to get up, but he grabs my waist and pulls me back into bed. I laugh as he straddles me, grinning down at me like an excitable teenager. He kisses me.
“We can wait a little longer,” he says, kissing his way down my body. I let him take off my pants, and I close my eyes, forgetting for a while the big day ahead.
* * *
We arrive at Kit’s around 3:00 p.m. I’m dressed casually, and seeing his house makes me feel like I’m in rags. It’s even bigger than William’s and more over the top. I shrink in my seat, but William senses my nerves and grabs my hand.
“It’s going to be okay,” he tells me, and because he’s the one who said it, I believe him.
We head up to the house hand in hand. We’re barely at the door when Kit opens it, grinning like a madman. I’ve met him several times before, but he’s more handsome than I remember. He looks older, too, possibly as a side effect of becoming a dad. Before I can stop him, he throws his arms around me in a massive hug.
“India! I’m so glad we’re finally doing this. Now I can actually speak to you in person instead of over the phone,” he says. “I hope your wit is up to scratch in person too.”
Now that he’s put me on the spot, I feel the pressure to say something clever, but fortunately Kit has already moved on to greeting William. “All right, brother. Come on in. Rosie’s missed you.”
I step inside, sticking close to William’s side. We head to a lounge area, where Alex and Alistair are enjoying a whiskey. Alex is beautiful—all vibrant red hair and catlike eyes—but I don’t feel intimidated as she stands to shake my hand. She smiles sympathetically at me.
“Hey, India, nice to finally meet you. Thanks so much for helping William out with Rosie while I was away. I know she can be a handful.”
“She was pretty sweet the whole time, but God, that girl has a pair of lungs,” I say easily. Alistair laughs, standing to greet me too.
“I can already tell you’re going to fit in with this lot,” he says, patting my arm. “We’re glad to have you here, India. You’ve put a smile on my boy’s face. That’s more than I ever hoped for.”
William winks down at me as I smile up at him. It’s suddenly clear to me how much this meeting meant to him. He’s opened up to me a lot over the past four months, saying how much pressure he’s felt to find someone and settle down the way Kit did. I know now that my being here is the best gift I could give him. It’s come hand in hand with his father’s approval too. When Alistair smiles at his son, I can feel the tension between them melting away until all that’s left is love and respect.
We spend a blissful day together. Alex and I share our dirtiest jokes. Kit and I play Ping
-Pong until our wrists hurt. Alistair talks to me for half an hour about whiskey and I pretend to know what he’s talking about. William and I tend to Rosie when she needs changing, giving Kit and Alex an opportunity to curl up on the sofa together and watch a film. And through it all, William’s by my side. Touching my back each time I seem nervous. Filling my glass each time it gets empty. Laughing the loudest at my lamest jokes. Without a word shared between us, I feel love like I’ve never felt it before.
When it comes time to make our big announcement after dinner, I’m not nervous at all. When William stands up, draws me to my feet and tells his family that we’re going to get married, I feel surrounded by their joy and love. I lean into William’s chest, trying to remember a time when I felt this happy.
“You okay? You seem kind of deep in thought,” he says after we’ve arrived home at his place later in the evening. I tilt my chin to look up at him, smiling.
“I’m just reflecting on today. I can’t believe how happy I am. But I miss Rosie.”
“You don’t need to miss her for long.”
“What? If you’re implying I want to have a baby on the very day we announced our engagement—”
He laughs, pulling me closer. “I’m implying we can babysit anytime. But now that you mention it, I’m more interested in the act it takes to make a baby.”
“Oh, are you?”
He nods somberly. “I’m...sort of addicted. To this act. To be honest.”
We’re both laughing as he pulls me into his arms. Then suddenly we’re kissing—hard and fast, with joy and a need for connection.
I sink into the kiss.
I never believed that I could love kissing William the way I do. Love spending time with him. Being a part of his life. I never believed I would constantly battle with this craving to be a part of him...for him to be a part of me.
So when he gathers my dress up at the small of my back and tugs down my panties, I have nothing to say. I curl my arms around his neck and whisper “Yes” in his ear. Eagerly I curl my legs around his waist, and let him carry me to the nearest surface. He sets me against the wall, pulling open his fly, never once taking his mouth off mine. Not even as he braces me against the wall and holds me by the hips as he thrusts into me. Not as he starts moving, deeply and strongly, making me moan into his mouth even as he groans into mine. Not as he drags his mouth down my neck, then up again, to devour my gasps once more. Not a single moment do we stop kissing each other, and even when we’re done it’s like we can’t get enough.
