Page 102 of All At Once

Her climax rose quickly, sharp and intense, so she muffled a cry into his shoulder, her body spasming about his. A rough breath sawed from his lips, his chest heavy on hers, and he thrust harder, once, twice, before he went rigid in her arms, his mouth at her ear, another harsh groan as he pulsed inside her.

Her uneven breaths slid her abdomen against his while she melted under him, so replete she couldn’t string a coherent thought together. Intimate muscles fluttered around him, and a raw laugh shook his shoulders. He pushed up on an elbow and grinned down at her, smoothing her hair from her face. “Well, hey.”

“No.” She flattened a hand at his shoulder and tried to lever him back. “No teasing.”

“Who’s teasing?” Wrapping his arms about her, he rolled to his back, fitting her to his side on a satisfied sigh. “That was freaking amazing. You can wake me up anytime, precious.”

“Tick.”

“I take back what I said about not rushing things, too.” He slid a hand from her nape to the small of her back, spreading his fingers across one cheek of her ass. “Rush me whenever you want.”

“Lamar.” She buried her face in his neck, torn between exasperated laughter and a wild desire to sob.

Under her palm, laughter rumbled in his chest, and he hugged her close, rubbing up and down her back. Cupping her head and ruffling her hair, he pressed a hard kiss to her brow. “Lord, I love you.”

Eyes squeezed shut against a prickle of ridiculous tears, she nodded, tightening her arm over his waist. She couldn’t reply, didn’t have to. He knew how she loved him.

And she knew he did.

“Here we go.” Three tightly folded slips of paper hit the island, and Caitlin arched a surprised brow at him.

She shook her head, a slight smile pulling at her lips. “Are we still doing this?”

“Yeah.” Frowning, he lifted his chin. “What? You think I got laid and that means I no longer need to spend time with you outside of bed?”

Quirking a brow, she tried to formulate a reply. That hadn’t been her intended implication, but . . . maybe. How did he put it? They’d collared that dog.

“Maybe you shouldn’t answer that.” He lifted a hand between them. “No, you definitely shouldn’t answer that.”

She sighed. “Tick.”

“No.” He took a step back, serious offense in the taut lines of his face. “When did we boil down to nothing but sex?”

“Lamar.”

“Don’t Lamar me, and not in that tone.” He clamped his hands at his belt line. “You seriously thought that after last night we’d just go back to being roommates who hook up every so often. I think the hell not.”

A shaky breath escaped her. “Roommates.”

He flung his hands wide. “What would you call it?”

She pressed her lips together. He didn’t want to hear her thoughts, and she didn’t want to speak aloud something she couldn’t take back.

They stared at one another, and his mouth compressed to the thinnest line possible. His chest rose and fell with a long, deep breath.

“This started because you weren’t feeling anything physically.” He stabbed a finger at the folded slips. “It ended up being about how we’d lost another type of intimacy.”

“I know that.” She lifted a shoulder. His characterization of them as roommates carried an element of truth, even if she hated to admit it.

“I want what we had last night, what you blessed me with in the shower.” He held her gaze, emotion burning in his dark eyes. Once more, he pointed at the island. “I want that back, too.”

She tilted her chin. “You think I don’t?”

“So we don’t stop until it’s a habit again.”

“Agreed.”

A slow smile softened his mouth, and his stance relaxed. “So pick one, precious.”

Holding his gaze, she reached for a slip and unfolded it. She lifted the paper so he could read his own handwriting, and his smile widened, pleasure and anticipation glowing in his gaze.

“Well, let’s go, precious.” He held out a hand, and with laughter and happiness bubbling up from her chest, she laid her fingers in his sure, steady grasp.