Page 42 of Married at Midnight

A quiet, tender moment passed as his heartbeat slowed and the glow faded. His arms gave way, and he slumped over her, coming down on his elbows. Finally he withdrew to shift to the side. Her heated flesh pressed against his, and he felt her heartbeat in a similar cadence to his own, both comforting and evocative.

They lay together for what might have been minutes or hours until he summoned the strength to draw up the covers and rearrange them in his bed.

Ellie stirred. “I should go back to my room.”

“Stay,” he responded, unsure if he meant for the night or forever, as his senses were still raked raw. “Let me hold you awhile.”

Satisfaction flared in her eyes as she snuggled into his arms. He buried his face in her hair, breathed the sweet scent of it. A wave of fierce possession tore through him. He’d never felt anything like it before. He wasn’t certain where it came from, but it rocked him to his core.

As he lay there with Ellie in his arms, his bare skin pressed against hers, he allowed himself to think of all the things he’d banished to the deepest recesses of his heart long ago—things like being a part of a family, holding his own child, committing to be with them no matter what happened in their future. Family was forever.

The day his mother had left, he’d vowed to never be vulnerable to love again. And yet the woman in his arms made him wonder if he could take that chance, no matter the consequences.

Ellie came awake with someone tracing slow, scorching circles around her breasts. She opened her eyes and looked up into Connor’s bright-green gaze.

“Morning, sunshine.”

Her heart pounded not only at his touch but at the warmth in his voice. He dipped his head and kissed the side of her neck below her ear. He nibbled her neck, her chin, until his lips found hers.

When he drew back for a breath, she asked, “Should we be doing this now?”

“It’s Saturday morning. There’ll be no workers today.” He pushed his thigh between her legs, opening her.

Her cheeks flushed. Sex in the morning was something new for her. “My Birthday Project is today.”

He smiled down at her as he drove his sheathed erection inside her moist folds. “What time?”

Passion flared, then burned. “One o’clock.” She barely managed the words.

He drove inside her. “We’ve got all morning to play.”

She wrapped her legs around his and savored each long stroke. “Is that what you’re doing with me? Playing?”

She sensed him shudder. “You know what they say about work and play. Unless you’d rather get back to work . . .”

“No,” she breathed as he filled her body and her senses with delight and mind-melting pleasure. “Play is just fine.” She tightened around him, seeking to hold, to caress, to heighten his pleasure and her own.

He dragged in a huge, broken breath. And release swept him, then her. A cascade of pleasure broke over her, bright and sharp, and spread through her in a flood of sensation more intense than it had last night.

He stared down at her before he captured her lips for another scorching kiss. His tongue taunted and teased in a possessive way that left her breathless and wanting more.

When he pulled back, he asked, “What is it about you that I can’t resist?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “Last night I would say it was my skintight costume.”

“I’d say it’s a lot more than your leather pants.” Laughing, he kissed her nose, then got out of bed. She feasted on the sight of his bare backside as he made his way to the shower. “I’ll warm the water. Come join me.”

She remained in bed, reveling in the scent of him that clung to her skin for a few moments more. It made her feel as if she belonged to him, even though she knew she never would. Not in the way she wanted. Their agreement would allow for nothing more. And yet, in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would take to make him change his mind.