Page 54 of His Secret Wish

His hips jolted, and he growled into the kiss, his tongue seeking and sparring. She gave him everything and then demanded he do the same.

He broke away from her lips, trailed little kisses across her jaw to her ear. “I want to be inside you so badly. I ache for you.”

She angled her head, gave him more room. “I want that, too.” Her voice was a breathy whisper.

He lifted his head, stared down at her. The heat in his gaze scorched her very soul. “Are you sure?” His voice was hoarse, the deep timbre sliding across her skin. Making her shiver.

She let her gaze roam over the handsome lines of his face. A face she knew so well. A face she’d loved for so long. Taking this step with him, even with their bargain for the weekend in place, was huge.

And she knew, no matter the rules of the deal they’d made, or how many times she told herself it was only for the weekend, that this would change things. Change her.

The idea was terrifying. The pieces of her shattered heart were barely holding together. One little nudge, one little bump, and it would shatter again. Into pieces she didn’t think she’d ever be able to put back together.

She took a deep breath. “Let’s go upstairs.”

Owen followed after Isabella, his hand in hers. She glanced at him over her shoulder, giving him a sweet, soft, almost shy, smile. His heart gave a painful thump against his ribs.

She led him up the back porch steps and into the kitchen. Only the light over the stove was on, the rest of the house dark and quiet. Quiet in a way it hadn’t been all weekend. It was peaceful.

He slipped off his shoes, and she tried to do the same, although her strappy heels made it slightly more difficult. She grabbed his arm with one hand, and lifted one of her feet, trying to undo the outside strap with her other hand. He chuckled at her struggle, which got him the stink eye, and then dropped to his knees.

“What are you doing?” Her breathy whisper went straight to his cock, making it throb against his fly. She was seriously killing him.

He grabbed her calf, pulling her foot toward him and placing it in his lap. Her skin was soft and smooth, and he couldn’t help but slide his fingers over it. “Helping you.”

She planted her hand on his shoulder for balance and sucked in a breath. He stared up at her, at this goddess who was willing to be here with him, regardless of the reason. The love he had for her made his heart swell, his chest ache. His eyes burned, and he ducked his head so she wouldn’t see, blinking furiously to stop the stupid tears.

The buckles on her shoes were delicate, making his fingers feel big and clumsy. “For fuck’s sake.”

She laughed, the sound bright and airy in the silence. “Here, does this help?” She turned her foot until the buckle was facing him. The sole of her shoe rubbed against his aching cock, and he made a rumbling sound deep in his chest.

He looked up at her with his version of the stink eye, and she laughed again. The corners of his lips twitched, although he refused to give her the satisfaction of knowing he found her amusing. “You couldn’t have done that earlier?”

She just shrugged, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. Oh, she was so going to pay for that.

He finally got her shoe undone and slipped it off and then grabbed her other foot to do the same. This time, it took way less time, mostly because there was an urgency building inside him. It had been too long since he’d done this, so long since he’d had her in his arms.

Now that he had this chance, there was no way in hell he was wasting it.

He pushed to his feet, his knees aching in protest. He wasn’t quite as young as he used to be, and working on the ranch for long, long hours every day was doing his body no favors in that department.

“You doing okay there, old man?” There was a teasing note in her voice, a sexy little smirk on her face. She bent down and scooped up her shoes.

“You do know that you’re older than me, right?” He gave her a cocked eyebrow, before bending down and grabbing his own shoes. They’d been born in the same year, but her birthday was in August, his in November.

She gave an over-the-top gasp and raised her free hand to her chest. “Sir, did you just insinuate that I’m old?”

“You’re the one that started it.” He shrugged, although he was enjoying their teasing. It had been way too long since they’d been so comfortable with each other. The last couple of years, the few interactions they’d had had been full of tension and anger. And hurt. So much hurt.

“Well, I never.” She sniffed and lifted her nose in the air. With a toss of her head, she walked to the base of the stairs.

He held his breath. Shit, had he ruined it? Leave it to him to screw up the best thing that had happened to him in forever. His heart, which had been floating at their teasing, sank into his stomach like it was attached to a horseshoe.

She turned to face him, stepped backward onto the first stair. Then she stepped up onto the second one, and then the third. He was frozen in place, unsure of what to do, what to say. How to fix his fuck up.

“Well, are you coming or not?” She grabbed onto the railing, half turned. “Bet you can’t catch me.” She turned the rest of the way and ran up the stairs, disappearing around the corner.

It took too long for the words to penetrate his thick skull, but once they did, adrenaline shot through him. His muscles unlocked, and he raced after her. He skidded on the landing, his socks making his feet slip, and bounced off the wall. His heart thudded against his ribcage like a runaway stallion.