“We’ll be leaving together,” he informed her, deciding to simply ignore her urging him to forget her since it was so ridiculous. “But it’s a long drive to the Adirondacks, and we’ll feel better if we clean up first.” Better still by reconnecting in the most elemental way possible.
He carried her past the bed and into his bathroom. Already naked himself, he didn’t bother stripping her out of his flannel shirt before walking into the shower and turning it on. He could feel how cold she was, and not just because she’d been outside with barely anything on. He might not be able to warm her up all the way just yet, but between his body against hers and the warm water, he could sure as hell try.
Turning her so that her back was to the tiled shower wall, he set her on her feet, then reached for the front of his shirt and ripped it open. A couple of buttons pinged against the wall and floor as she gaped at him in shock.
“Now? You actually want to do this now?”
He threaded his hands into her wet hair and lowered his mouth to hers. “Always.”
Her lips were too cold against his, but only until she began to kiss him. “This is crazy,” she murmured as he ran his hands over her curves, shoulders to hips, then back up along her belly and waist until he was cupping her breasts. She moaned, “Crazy,” again as he played with the tips of her breasts first with his fingertips, and then with his tongue.
He couldn’t argue with her about crazy, given how consumed he’d been since the moment he’d first set eyes on her. All his life, he’d tried to keep crazy out, thinking it would protect him from sharing his father’s fate.
But Drake was no longer convinced that crazy was a bad thing.
As he rained kisses down her body, he lowered himself to his knees until he could center his kisses over the sweet, addictively soft flesh between her thighs. Her hands bunched in his hair as she let him reposition her legs so that one was propped up on the built-in tiled seat.
“You make me lose control,” she said as she looked down at him through long, wet lashes. “You make me forget why we shouldn’t do this. Why I shouldn’t let you be with me.”
“Good.”
His response, raw with possession, continued to reverberate in the shower as he found her again with his tongue, his control as far gone as hers. For the moment, at least, she was no longer fighting him—trying to fight what had always been between them—as she rocked her pelvis into him, truly the most sensual creature alive.
He needed more. Needed to be closer. Needed to be completely connected with her when she let herself fall.
Thank God, when he stood again he found one more condom left on the shower ledge. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to stop even without it. Not when making love with Rosa—and becoming one with her—had become as deep a necessity as breathing.
Seconds later, he had on protection and reached for her hips to lift her so that she could put her legs around his waist. In one gorgeous movement, she sank down onto him, taking him so deep that his vision actually went black for a moment.
He’d initially been the one kissing her after she’d come in from the cold, but now she was devouring his mouth, nipping over his jaw, sucking at his neck. They rode hard and fast against each other, but even in the midst of crazy he made sure to cradle her head and hips against the tile. Made sure to keep her safe, always.
“Drake.”
When she gasped his name into his mouth, he knew she was close. But it wasn’t enough just to make her come, just to give her pleasure. Not this time. He needed to make sure the physical was completely entwined with the emotional so that she couldn’t forget so easily what was between them.
He drew back so that he could look into her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were full from his kisses.
“I.” He thrust hard and deep on the word, and her lids fluttered half closed with pleasure.
“Love.” He took them both higher again, felt her inner muscles grip him so tightly he could barely hold on as she exploded around him and sent them flying together.
“You.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Drake’s SUV had a big backseat, but Oscar insisted on sitting in Rosa’s lap. The entire car smelled like dog, and his panting steamed up the windows, but with every mile they drove, Rosa welcomed his warmth more and more. Especially when he periodically lifted his head to lick her cheek as if to say, Everything’s going to be okay. You’ve got us.
Drake hadn’t said much during the six hours they’d been driving, only checking in a couple of times to see if she was hungry or thirsty. Not because he didn’t care. On the contrary, she now knew exactly how much he cared.
I love you.
Three little words that kept playing over and over inside her head.