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Her smile was small and sad. “Kind of like that, yeah.”
Going with his instincts, Kaj tugged her closer, wrapping his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder with a shudder and a soft exhale that sounded like relief. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I’m so sorry.”
She slid her arms around his waist, under his jacket. He could feel the warmth of her hands on his skin through his shirt and could smell the faint scent of vanilla in her hair. She fit perfectly against him and his body shucked off its exhaustion, his cock perking up with interest.
He hadn’t wanted a woman since Heather. He’d nearly forgotten what it felt like to want like this.
It felt really, really good. He brushed his lips over her soft cheek, satisfied when she cuddled closer, nuzzling into his throat and tightening her hold. This felt confident and real. Val was back and he didn’t want to let her go.
She pressed a chaste kiss to the exposed skin at his open collar. “It was easier with you there. I didn’t feel so alone.”
He gave his head a shake to clear it, because this was important. “When this is over, when Elijah’s safe, maybe she’d like to meet him? Maybe that would help her connect to the world.”
She pulled back far enough to meet his eyes. The soul-weary, defeated exhaustion had been replaced by interest and heat. “That’s a sweet thought. Now, can we stop talking about my mother?” Then she leaned in to brush a kiss against his lips and his body lit up like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Groaning, he gripped the back of her neck, greedily taking her mouth. He ran his other hand over her hair, caressing the braid pinned to her head that he wished he could take down. He wanted to feel her hair in his hands, wanted to thrust his fingers through it. Wanted to wrap it around his hands to pull her even closer.
As if reading his mind, her hands slid up his chest and over his shoulders, clasping at the back of his neck. She plastered herself against him, humming into the kiss. She was as tall as he was and it was a different sensation, holding a woman like this. He could feel her from chest to knee and all the places in between.
Her hips pressed hard against his, and she undulated, making him gasp. His hand was on her ass before he knew it. She filled his palm perfectly and he kneaded, wishing they weren’t in his garage. Wishing they were in his bed. He pulled back enough to take a single breath, and then he was kissing her again and she was kissing him back. It was hot and wet and everything he’d hoped it would be.
But it wasn’t enough, not even close. He needed more. But not now. Not yet.
He ended the kiss before he went too far. She opened her eyes and he nearly gave in to his craving for more of her mouth. More of her. Her lips parted and she was panting, the expression on her face exactly what he needed to see.
Lust and need. She wanted him, too.
He was trembling, his knees close to buckling. From pleasure this time. Not from fear or rage or anguish, like the times before.
With a lovely sigh, she rested her head on his shoulder. “We probably shouldn’t have done that, but I’m not sorry that we did. I needed it. Needed you. Thank you.”
“I might have needed it more. And now that I’ve really kissed you, I don’t want to stop.”
She huffed a chuckle, warm on his skin. “We might need to, for a little while. Your son is on the other side of that door. And, based on the cars outside, we’re far from alone.”
She was right. Her friends had likely made them dinner again. But he wasn’t hungry, not for food, anyway. What he wanted was to grab her hand and drag her up the stairs and into his bed, but that wasn’t going to happen tonight.
But soon.
“I guess we have to leap into the fray.” Opening the door into the living room, he breathed in something that smelled heavenly before stumbling over Czar. “Ouch.” The dog ignored him, wagging his stubby tail and staring up at Val adoringly from his position directly in front of the entrance.
Czar was pretty smart.
“Hey there,” Val crooned, kissing the big dog on his head. “Have you been good?”
“He’s been really good,” Elijah said. His son stood up from the sofa and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong? I heard the garage door. You were in the garage a long time. What happened? Where were you?”
Kaj’s cheeks heated and he stumbled over his words. “We were just...”
Val saved him. “We were talking about my mom and dad. I needed to go and talk to my mother about something and your dad went with me. My mother is... well, she’s still grieving my brother’s death and it’s hard for me to watch.”
Burke came around the corner from the kitchen, his brows raised in question. Kaj realized that Val hadn’t communicated the results of their trip to Burke yet. Her conversation with her mother really had rattled her, making Kaj doubly glad he’d gone with her.
Kaj gave Burke a nod, then tilted his head toward Val with a resigned expression. Burke’s jaw hardened and he nodded back, clearly understanding.
“Oh.” Elijah’s brow creased in a frown. “Is your mother sick?”
“No, honey,” Val assured him. “Not physically. She’s just sad and doesn’t know how to live in the world anymore, now that my brother’s gone.”
