Dylan cleared his throat. “Should I apologize?” he asked, the words rueful.
She pressed her hand over his wildly beating heart. “I don’t know. Maybe you should do it again so I can be sure.”
Fifteen
Dylan was in over his head. In high school, as a popular kid with lots of money, getting girls had never been a problem. Fortunately, he’d had the good sense to use appropriate protection. But teenage sex and sex in his early twenties had been more about physical release than about bonding with any particular female.
He considered himself a generous lover. None of his partners had ever complained, not even Tara, who had appeared to enjoy his bed but not enough to stay. By the time he met her, he’d been old enough to actually consider settling down. She had flattered his ego. And he had been suckered into the fantasy.
But he had been naive. Fortunately, his broken engagement no longer gave him sleepless nights. He’d made a mistake. And he was lucky it hadn’t taken him as far as the altar. Tara was firmly in the past.
Mia, on the other hand, managed to combine the past and the present in one confusing amalgam of nostalgia and sexual hunger.
Instead of releasing her, he carried her to his bathroom, knowing she would want to freshen up before she sneaked across the hall to the safety of her own bedroom. When he set her on her feet, he managed a smile, even though he was in no way sanguine about had just happened.
To be honest, he was pretty much a vanilla guy when it came to sex. He liked sex. A lot. And often was always better than not at all. But Mia had done something to him. She’d made him feel a gnawing hunger that was not exactly comfortable. In fact, his response to her was pretty damned alarming. How could a meek, quiet, unassuming female turn him inside out and make him doubt everything he’d ever known about himself?
“Mia,” he said, unable to keep quiet. “Are you going to stay? For now?”
At the moment, she clutched her robe to her chest with white-knuckled fingers. What she didn’t know was that in the mirror he could see the outline of her cute heart-shaped butt through the thin fabric. Clenching his fists to keep from reaching for her again, he leaned against the doorframe. “I’d like an answer please.”
When she smiled at him, his legs went weak. “Yes, Dylan. For now.”
He cleared his throat, concealing the rush of jubilation evoked by her quiet agreement. “Good.” He paused. “It’s a gorgeous day outside. What if we get Gertie to fix us a picnic?”
“Cora, too?”
“Of course. She’s part of the package.”
“That would be nice.”
Mia’s eyes were huge. He noticed her gaze drop briefly to his pants where his fly was still open. Calmly, he tucked in his shirt, adjusted the rest of his clothing and hoped she didn’t notice that he was still semierect.
“I’ll go talk to her now,” he said. “Let me know when you’re ready.”
“But we just ate breakfast.”
“I’ll throw in a tour of the house before we go. And there are things in the woods I want you to see.”
“Sounds like the script for a horror movie.”
He laughed out loud. Considering that he had to spend the better part of the next three days dealing with construction headaches down at the Silver Dollar, he knew he deserved this outing. Mia’s company was icing on the cake and then some.
* * *
Mia was grateful when Dylan disappeared. After one disbelieving look in the mirror, she straightened her hair, carefully fastened the sash of her robe and then returned to her own room to shower and dress. Since Dylan had given her a heads-up, she packed a diaper bag for Cora, and then chose for herself an outfit that was comfortable and suited to the outdoors.
The amber knit top and faded jeans were around-the-house clothing, but after she put her hair in a ponytail and slicked some lip gloss across her mouth, she didn’t look half bad. Her canvas espadrilles were made more for style than for walking in the great outdoors, but they would do.
By the time she made it back to the kitchen, her twenty minutes had mushroomed to thirty-five. Since she couldn’t explain why she was late, she decided it was better not to say anything at all.
Gertie and Cora were just coming in the back door when Mia found them. The baby threw out her arms when she saw her mama.
Mia took her, holding her tight. It never ceased to amaze her that her love for this little girl grew every day. “Come here, angel. Were you good for Miss Gertie?”
“Best baby I ever saw. Mr. Dylan asked me to put together a picnic. Any special requests?”
Mia shook her head. “Everything you make is wonderful. I’ve been avoiding spicy food since I’m nursing, but other than that, the menu is wide-open as far as I’m concerned.”
Dylan joined them, his presence making the large kitchen seem to shrink. “While Gertie is organizing our picnic, why don’t I show you the upstairs?”
She didn’t confess that she had already snooped. “Sounds good to me.”
The guest rooms on the second floor were exquisite. “I had help with the furnishings and decor,” Dylan confessed.
Each one was different and beautiful in its own way. “You must enjoy having company,” she said.
“I do. Several of the guys I went to high school with have moved away. It’s fun to host them and their families when they come back for visits to Silver Glen.”
“And single women?” Mia gave him a wry look, knowing the answer to that one.
But Dylan surprised her. “If you mean girlfriends, the answer is no. I’ve never had a lover here.”
“Not even Tara?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I lived in a condo in town when I was engaged to Tara. It was after we broke up that I built this place. It’s my personal space. My retreat, I guess you’d call it.”
“And yet you brought Cora and me here.”
He shrugged. “No choice really.”
“There’s always a choice in life. You could have put us up in a hotel. Why didn’t you?”
“I owed you something. For the past. And besides, Cora wormed her way into my heart.”
“And me?”
His gaze settled on her mouth, hungry...wanting. “Let’s just say that what I feel for you now is a wee bit different than it was in high school. C’mon,” he said, taking her arm. His fingers were warm against her skin. She was so attuned to his touch that she felt little sizzles and sparks fizz through her bloodstream. It was impossible to be so close to him and not remember other things. More private things.
He led her to a door at the end of the hall.
“Another bedroom?” she asked.
“Nope. This is the attic access. Let me carry Cora. The steps are steep.”
She trusted him implicitly with her daughter. And she was glad he had offered his help. The stairs were indeed slanted sharply upward.
When they reached the top, Dylan flipped a light switch. The cavernous, unfinished space smelled of wood shavings and dust. Cobwebs caught the light. “I’m not sure what we’re looking at,” she said. If this were a romantic tryst, he wouldn’t have brought a baby along.
Handing Cora back to her, he cranked a large handle. Gradually, a section of the roof began to open. Now, with the sunlight pouring in, she saw a large telescope against the far wall. “It’s a makeshift observatory,” he said, clearly enthused about his revelation. “I come up here on clear nights and look at the stars. That’s why I bought this property. We’re far enough away from town to escape the light pollution.”
“Where did you get the telescope? And how did you learn to use it?”
“I took a class online. Ordered the parts. Put it together.”
“Dylan.” The exasperation in her voice got through to him.
“What?” H
e seemed genuinely perplexed.
“I don’t want to hear another damn word about how smart I am or how dumb you are. Are we clear?”
Dylan shrugged, grinning. “Yes, ma’am.”
Poor Cora seemed baffled by her mother’s rant.
Mia felt better for having that off her chest, but she realized that yelling at the man she was falling for probably wasn’t the smartest tack to take.
Before she could apologize for her vehemence, an unexpected crack of thunder made all three of them jump. A large summer storm cloud had come out of nowhere, it seemed, and suddenly the sky above was gray and roiling. The wind picked up, and they felt the first drops of rain.
Dylan manned the crank with all his might, closing the gap just in time to prevent the attic from being soaked. It was quieter suddenly, and awkward.
He put his hands in his back pockets. She saw his chest rise and fall. Sometimes she forgot how handsome he was. Looking at him now, she tried to see him through a stranger’s eyes. Some people would write him off as a simple guy with a gift for gab and a charming smile. But there was so much more to Dylan. In that instant, she knew that her feelings were far more involved than was wise. She wished she knew what he was thinking. “I guess that’s it for our picnic,” she said.
“We could have it in the living room in front of the fireplace. I’m sure Gertie can rustle up an old blanket for us. Cora would like that, wouldn’t she?”
“Of course.”
* * *
Dylan busied himself carrying things from the kitchen to the living room, but he reeled mentally. Mia had read him the riot act upstairs in the attic. And she seemed so adamant that she was right. Had he really been so clueless about his own abilities? Had he allowed an unspoken competition with his older brother to make him feel inadequate?
As he settled onto the quilt with Mia and Cora, he had to smile. Awash in contentment, he listened as the storm raged in full fury. Rain lashed the windows in wind-driven sheets. Gertie, watching the radar, had decided to make a run for home half an hour ago, hoping to miss the worst of the weather. She didn’t live far. Dylan was sure she had made it without much trouble, but he sent a text just in case and was reassured when she replied that she was home safe and sound.
Mia had said very little during their informal meal. In fact, she had addressed most of her attention toward Cora. Unfortunately for Mia, the baby was fast succumbing to sleep. Dylan, without asking, tucked sofa pillows around her so she wouldn’t roll into anything hurtful as she slept.
When he was done, he crouched beside Mia and stroked her cheek. “Has the cat got your tongue?”
Her abashed look was adorable. “I shrieked at you like a fish wife,” she said, her expression remorseful. “I’m sorry.”
He drew her down onto the quilt, leaning against the low wall in front of the hearth and putting her head in his lap. “I’m actually flattered. And I’ll concede, you may have a point.”
After that, they were quiet, content to listen to the storm outside and the crackle of the fire close by. He combed his fingers through her hair, wondering if he would always remember this day as a turning point in his life. He knew what he wanted now. Mia. For always. And Cora. And maybe—when he’d had time to get used to the idea—a second kid.
There was still the matter of Mia’s work. To be honest, he couldn’t imagine ever leaving Silver Glen. But when it came down to it, he was more sure every moment that he would choose Mia and Cora over most anything else he could think of.
He touched her cheek. “What are you thinking about?
When she looked up at him, he could swear he saw something in her eyes that reflected what was in his heart. For a long time he thought she wasn’t going to answer him. But finally, she spoke.
“I was thinking about how lucky I was to come to Silver Glen and run into you again. My life was in chaos, but you were so calm and reassuring. For the first time I began to think that Cora and I were going to make it.”
“Of course you were going to make it. You’re a bright, capable woman. But everyone needs help once in a while.”
She sat up. “Is that the only reason we’re together? Because you like helping damsels in distress?”
He cupped her face in his hands. “It was my pleasure to do whatever I could for you and Cora. But no. We’re together because of a magnetic attraction. You must have learned about that in science class.”
Nibbling his fingers, she smiled wryly. “So you’re calling this thing between us opposites attract?”
He kissed her softly and released her, unwilling to let things get out of hand with the baby nearby. “We’re not opposites at all, Mia. Not where it really counts. We both value family. And roots. You wanted that connection badly enough to have a baby on your own.”
Desire shimmered between them. They were enclosed in an intimate cocoon courtesy of the storm and the fire and the memories of last night and this morning.
Mia cocked her head, her expression reflecting his own physical need. “Cora is asleep.”
He felt his neck heat. “We can’t leave her here. And if we try to move her, she might wake up.”
“I was thinking about how comfortable your sofa is.”
His eyes darted to the furniture in question. He swallowed hard. “Really?” It was not a question about the couch.
Mia understood. “Really.”
He helped her to her feet and held her hand as they crossed the thick carpet to the long, leather-covered divan. In hushed silence, they undressed each other. Shirts and pants. Socks and shoes. Unlike the night that cloaked activities in secret, this was the middle of the afternoon.
There was no hiding, metaphorical or otherwise. Mia’s gaze held his steadily, though he could see remnants of her innate shyness. When he knelt and drew her last piece of clothing down her legs, she stepped out of the lacy panties and stood before him bare as the day she was born.
He shed his boxers and felt a rush of heat scald his spine when Mia immediately took his shaft in her hands and stroked him from root to tip. He saw wonder in her eyes, the same wonder he felt. How could two such different people find common ground in such a primeval way?
The bare leather sofa seemed cold to the touch, so he grabbed a soft mohair afghan and spread it across the cushions. “Ladies first,” he said.
When she stretched out and propped her foot on the back of the couch, the bottom fell out of his stomach at the sheer eroticism of the view. After rapidly taking care of protection, he came down on top of her, bracing himself on one arm to spare her his weight. Thunder still boomed overhead, rattling panes of glass in the windows. Mia had been silent through it all.
“I need this,” he croaked, almost beyond speech. “I need you.”
Her small, winsome smile warmed him from the inside out. “Then we’re both going to get what we want.”
He wanted to ask her to stay forever. To walk away from her old life. But that seemed incredibly selfish. So he tried to show her with his body that she was special to him. Ignoring the blistering urge to mate, he paid homage to her quiet beauty. Lingering kisses at her throat. Sharper nips at her collarbone.
Soon, though, Mia was not content to be passive. She found his mouth and kissed him recklessly. “I won’t break, Dylan. And I don’t want to wait. Let me feel you inside me.”
It was an invitation he couldn’t refuse. Bending her knee to gain access, he positioned himself. “I want to go on record as saying that I’m working under adverse conditions.”
He watched as Mia stifled her giggle, biting her lip. “Duly noted,” she whispered.
When he entered her, they went from amusement to awe. Eyes open, locked on hers, he moved inside her, feeling his world shift on its axis. Nothing in his life had ever felt so right, so natural. “Mia...” He had no clue what he was trying to s
ay.
She held his gaze bravely, her arms linked around his neck. “I know, Dylan. I know.”
How long it lasted, he couldn’t say. A minute. An hour. A handful of seconds. Everything faded away. At last, even looking at her became too much of an effort. He closed his eyes, concentrating. Her sex gripped his, making him sweat.
The sofa creaked beneath the force of his movements. Wooly fibers scratched his legs. Sliding his hand beneath Mia’s butt, he lifted her into his thrusts, hearing the choked inarticulate cries that told him she was close.
So sweet...she was so damned sweet and sexy.
Without warning, something inside him snapped. Wildly he plunged into her, straining for the goal and yet trying to hold back an inescapable tide. “Mia, Mia,” he groaned.
The end, when it came, was swift, incredible and draining.
As he collapsed on top of her, he heard her whisper something, but his heart beat too loudly in his ears for him to hear.
Sixteen
Mia found herself in a predicament for which none of her studies had prepared her. She was in love with a man who clung stubbornly to the idea that she was only passing through. And for the life of her, she couldn’t tell him he was wrong, though more and more every day, she wanted to. What Dylan offered was unbearably sweet. But it would mean giving up a great deal. And her sacrifice was predicated on the assumption that he wanted her for the long haul.
His weight was a pleasant burden. She honestly could not tell if he was asleep or not, but the momentary quiet gave her time to think. In her estimation, the sex they had shared was more than just momentarily satisfying. Their physical intimacy seemed born of a deeper connection.
Dylan’s tenderness made her believe he cared even more than he had admitted to her.
But was she deceiving herself?
Moments later, Dylan stirred, lifting off her and standing up. The eye-level view of his sex was disconcerting.
He pulled her to her feet, tucking her against his chest. “We need to talk, Mia.” His big body was warm and hard, making her feel both safe and aroused at the same time, a dangerous combination.
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