Page 37 of Love, Take Two
"Right," Maya says with the tone of someone who doesn't believe that for a second. "Which is why Emory's thumb is currentlystroking circles on your hip and you look like you want to climb into his lap."
I glance down and realize she's absolutely right, his hand has found its way under the hem of my shirt, his thumb tracing absent patterns on my skin that are making it difficult to concentrate on conversation.
"We're... affectionate," I say weakly, though I make no move to create distance between us.
"Anyway," Maya says, standing up and gathering her styling materials, "I should let you two have some private time before dinner. Just try not to be completely disgusting with your obvious happiness."
"We're not disgusting," I say with a laugh.
"You're absolutely gone for each other," Maya corrects with obvious affection. "But it's the good kind of gone that makes people believe in second chances."
After Maya leaves, the atmosphere immediately shifts to something more intimate. Without her amused commentary, I see how Emory's looking at me, how his hands have never quite stopped touching me since he arrived.
"Come here," he says softly, pulling me fully into his lap so I'm straddling his thighs on the sofa.
"We should probably start getting ready for dinner," I say, though my hands are already threading through his hair.
"Probably," he agrees, but instead of letting me go, his hands slide up my back, pulling me closer. "But first I want to kiss you without Maya providing commentary."
When his lips meet mine, it's with the kind of desperate intensity that suggests he's been holding back all day. My fingers tighten in his hair as I kiss him back with equal hunger, both of us trying to make up for the anticipation of tomorrow's separation.
"Fuck, I've been wanting to do that all day," he breathes against my mouth, his hands gripping my hips like he's trying to memorize the feel of me.
"Then why didn't you?" I ask, trailing kisses along his jaw.
"Because if I'd started kissing you this morning, we never would have made it out of bed," he says with such honesty that heat floods through me.
"That doesn't sound like a problem," I murmur, biting gently at his earlobe in a way that makes him groan.
"It's definitely not a problem," he agrees, one hand sliding under my shirt to palm my breast through my bra. "Though we really do need to get ready for dinner."
"Do we?" I ask, rocking slightly in his lap and enjoying the sharp intake of breath it draws from him.
"Yes," he says firmly, though his actions contradict his words as he pulls me down for another kiss. "Because if we don't show up, someone would come looking for us, probably that Derek, and I'd prefer not to be interrupted."
"Good point," I agree reluctantly, though I steal one more kiss before forcing myself to stand up. "Rain check?"
"Definitely rain check," he says, his eyes dark with promise. "After dinner."
"So," he says, straightening his shirt and trying to look like we weren't just making out on my sofa, "ready for our last evening together before fishing adventures?"
"Ready for Derek's inevitable speeches about destiny?" I counter, checking my reflection in the mirror and trying to fix my thoroughly kissed appearance.
"As ready as anyone can be for that guy's public speaking," Emory says, coming up behind me and pressing a kiss to my neck that makes me shiver. "Though I have to admit, I'm looking forward to celebrating everything that's happened this week."
"Everything that's happened," I repeat, turning in his arms so we're facing each other. "It's been quite a week."
"The best week," he corrects, his forehead resting against mine. "And it's not over yet."
"Not over yet," I agree, going up on my toes to kiss him one more time before we have to face the world again.
I grab my suit, as Emory looks on with a grin. “Just go get your suit on,” I laugh as he sheepishly heads to his suite.
Tonight we'll celebrate with friends, old and new, who've become invested in our happiness. Tomorrow we'll test how well we handle separation after a week of constant togetherness. But right now, we have ocean views and privacy and the growing certainty that what we're building together is worth every complication and risk.
13
EMORY
