Chapter13
Reed swallowedAnika’s gasp and soft moan, winding an arm around her waist and drawing her tight to his body. Her soft curves pressed into him, and he swelled in his pants. The longing he’d experienced since seeing her again came to a head, pushing up with the force of a geyser and fixing his lips harderontohers.
He hadn’t planned for this to happen. He’d truly meant to thank her for the help with his daughter and spend some much-desired time in her presence, but going out to dinner and talking about the past simply made him unable to resist the lure of her mouth and the invitation of her dark eyes. His need had taken charge. It was an unstoppable force that broke down his willpower as easily as a battering ram would acanvaswall.
One knee shifted between her thighs as he pushed her into the cool car. He was moving too fast. Wanting her too much. But he didn’t know how to stop. Certainly not when she purred and allowed him to slide in his tongue. Her soft kisses prompted him to swipe at the interior with eager enthusiasm. She sucked on his tongue, slipping her fingers through the hairs at the nape of his neck and sending heated tingles down hisspine.
He kissed her jaw and swept her hair aside to suck on her skin, listening to the breathy moan of pleasure that escaped. The scent of her overwhelmed him and charged heat through his blood as he flicked the tip of his tongue across the racing pulse at her throat and tasted the slightly salty flavor ofherskin.
Boldly, he shifted his hand inside the split of her skirt and lifted her foot from the pavement, angling her knee to his hip. Another gasp fell from her lips with a murmuredoh godas he ground his hips between her legs. His hand was inside her panties now, rubbing at her swollen clit and sliding through the slippery wetness until her headfellback.
“Damn,” he muttered, watching her give herself over to the pleasure of histouch.
Her hips undulated, rubbing her sex against the palm of his hand, her face twisted into an expression of tortured pleasure as she bit down on her bottom lip and breathed heavily throughhernose.
Reed nipped at her neck. “Don’t fight it. Please don’t fight it. I want tohearyou.”
He slid two fingers into her and stroked. Then he kissed her, hard. A fierce, intense melding of the mouths that had her sinking her fingers intohishair.
He didn’t let up. His fingers continued a steady stroke between her legs. And then, with a gentle squeeze of her clit, she shattered, gasping and pressing her face to his chest to keep from crying out loud, her hips working feverishly against his hand to capture the last remnants ofecstasy.
Reed gently kissed her temple. Then he moved to her ear and down to her neck. “Sweet, sweetAnika.”
She kept her face hidden against his chest, breathing heavily, while Reed slipped both arms around her waist and held her close. His own body begged for release, but he ignored the discomfort of his rigid hard-on, concentrating on Anika and the fact that he was holding heragain.
From a distance he heard laughter, and at the corner of his eye a trio of restaurant guests strolled through the parking lot. The group sent a cursory glance in their direction before exiting the lot to the hotelnearby.
Reed studied Anika’s bent head. “Talktome.”
His body burned for her. He wished he could scoop her up and whisk her away from there, but he remained silent, awaiting aresponse.
“I don’t want togethurt.”
Reed brushed the back of his fingers down her arm. “I won’t hurt you.” She finally returned her gaze to him, and the wounded expression in her eyes cut him straight to the bone. “When you look at me like that, itkillsme.”
A slight tremor disturbed the line of her lips. “I don’t know what to think. Maybe you’re trying to recapture the past, but what we had has come and gone. I don’t think it’s possible torecreatethat.”
“So you admit that there was something deeper between us?” Acknowledgement. That was a start, atleast.
“Yes.Wassomething between us. Pasttense.”
“We can recreate that feeling again. That closeness that weshared.”
She let out an off-pitch laugh. “But why? What difference does it make? You walked awaybefore.”
“What happened between us was unexpected. I planned to explore the city that I had heard my mother talk about for years. I never for one minute thought I’d see you and enjoy myself the way I did. I messed up, big time. I let you go. I won’t do that again. I want a chance with you, a real chance. You can’t deny we’re goodtogether.”
“Chemistry is not the same as being good together. There are things you don’t know about me. Maybe once you find out, you won’t be so open-minded.” She huggedherself.
“I want to know everything—the good, the bad, the ugly. And I want you to know everythingaboutme.”
He tilted up her chin to look him in the eyes. “Listen, I’m not going anywhere this time. I’m in for the long haul. I want you to be comfortable with this, too. We’ll take our time and get to know each other. We’re different people than we were seven years ago. And I’d love for you to spend more time with my daughter and get to know her. It’s obvious Brielle has taken to you, and you did a much better job of calming her down than Ieverhave.”
He still saw hesitation in her eyes. She was keeping the walls up, but he suspected the reason for doing so wasn’t only because he’d hurt her. Something else kept herguarded.
“I won’t push. Tonight was only supposed to be about thanking you, but I can’t deny I want more.” His voice lowered to a husky whisper. “I want you. Give me a chance and let me make it up to you and prove you can trust me. Will you atleasttry?”
She didn’t answer right away, staring into his eyes as if seeking thetruth.
Finally, she nodded. “I’lltry.”
With utmost relief, Reed rested his forehead against hers. That’s all he could ask of her for now, but knew he had his work cut out for him. Luckily, he was up for the challenge. Venice was not a fluke. The referral to Davenport Design Studio was not bychance.
Fate had brought them together again, and this time, he would not waste hischance.
