“Sex? Why not? You were really close to enjoying yourself, but the last part, the cli**x, was too much for you. But you were almost there! You need to try it again.”
She blinked. “When?”
“Now. With me.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m very serious. Every cowboy knows that when you fall off a horse, the best thing to do is get right back on.”
She stared at him. “You’re insane, Adam Templeton.” But a tiny flame of hope flickered deep within her. If he hadn’t lost faith, maybe she shouldn’t, either.
“Maybe I am insane, but I’ve been driving around town thinking about you, and about us, and that whirligig you made with the scarves, and I—”
“The scarves? When did you notice the scarves?”
“As I was leaving. They are so you—the part of you that wants to be free of all this crap.”
“Don’t read anything into those scarves. I put them up right before you arrived to hide a smear of yellow paint. It took me about ten minutes.”
He glanced at the scarves and back at her. “You just made my point, Madam Counselor. Look what happens when you let yourself do something crazy and spontaneous.” He gestured to it. “A burst of beauty.” He stepped closer. “That’s what you’re all about, Valerie. Don’t give up on rediscovering who you are.”
She began to tremble. Much as she wanted to deny what he was saying, it rang true. But was she brave enough to try again? What if she couldn’t let go?
She stalled for time. “Listen, it’s seven forty-five, and you haven’t had dinner. You must be starving.”
He shook his head. “I’m not starving.” He took another step closer. “Come to bed with me, Valerie Wolitzky. If it works out the way I hope it will, we can order takeout later.”
She shook so much she worried that her teeth would start chattering. “You’re giving m-me a s-second chance?”
“I’m giving us a second chance.”
“Why?” She held her breath.
“Because I think . . . I think we might have something special.” His silver gaze searched hers. “And if I drive away from this apartment building without making love to you again, we might never find out if we do.”
It was now or never. She felt like a skydiver at the open door of a plane. She gulped. “Okay.”
“I have one condition, though.”
“Wh-what?” If he didn’t put his arms around her soon, she was going to shake herself apart.
“No games. No one-upmanship. Just . . . two people loving each other.”
She nodded.
“Be brave, sweetheart.”
She nodded again.
“And don’t look so grim.” He smiled down at her. “I think you’re going to love this.”
* * *
Adam hoped to hell she would respond to him. He wished she hadn’t marched back to the bedroom like a condemned person heading for a firing squad. But at least she’d agreed to go. She hadn’t thrown him out again.
The room was dim, and maybe that was for the best this time. She walked over to the bed, took off her bathrobe, and crawled under the covers. That was okay, too. She could have as much protection as she needed in the beginning.
She had a rocker in the bedroom, something he hadn’t noticed before. He sat in it so he could take off his boots. He undressed as quickly as he could, because he had a feeling she was over there hyperventilating at the thought of letting down the barriers.
Knowing she was giving him another chance to make love to her was all the stimulation he needed to grow hard and ready. He put the condom on before he climbed into bed with her. Once he started this process, he didn’t want to stop for anything. She might change her mind.
Poor thing, she was shaking so much. He gathered her close and began stroking her while he murmured words of comfort. She quivered less, and her skin began to warm under his fingertips.
Rolling her to her back, he moved over her and kissed her forehead, her closed eyelids, her cheeks, and finally, her mouth. He wasn’t sure if she’d kiss him back, but she did. Sweet heaven, she did.
She began to touch him, too. Her hands trembled a little, but perhaps it was eagerness now, not fear. Encouraged by that, he began an easy journey down her body, kissing and caressing her. When he reached her smooth belly, she tensed. He’d halfway expected that.
“Adam, don’t . . .”
“Okay, I won’t.” As much as he’d love to taste all of her, he’d give up that pleasure for now. She wasn’t ready to be that vulnerable. Not yet.
Instead, he kissed his way back to her mouth as he continued to caress her hips, her thighs, and finally, that sweet spot he craved entrance to. She was wet. Very wet. His heart thudded with anticipation as he moved between her thighs.
Her expression was in shadow, but her sharp intake of breath told him to go slow. He eased his c*ck in a little bit and paused. She grasped his hips, and for a moment, he thought she might try to stop him. But, no, she was silently urging him to go deeper.
With a groan, he sank into her. This was so right. They had to make it work between them. And he would do his level best to show her why.
Propping his weight on his forearms, he leaned down to feather a kiss over her lips. “Thank you,” he murmured.
Her breath hitched. “I’m so much trouble.”
“And so worth it.” He drew back and slid in again as tiny arrows of pleasure shot through him.
“You should . . . have given up.”
“I couldn’t.” Driven by his own needs, trying to keep his mind on hers, he began a steady rhythm.
She trembled beneath him. “I don’t know why.”
“Because . . .” The reason flowed through him in a river of certainty. “Because I love you.”
“Oh, Adam.” And she began to cry.
God, he’d messed up again. He couldn’t force himself to break the connection, but he stopped moving. Buried deep within her, his c*ck twitched with impatience.
He kissed her wet cheeks. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“I know.” She sniffed. “Don’t stop, Adam. Please don’t stop.”
“But you’re crying.”
“Because you’re so wonderful.” Her tears continued to flow. “Just love me,” she said in a thick voice. “Please love me.”
“I do. I started loving you the first day. I—”
“I mean make love to me!”
She sounded desperate, and as a matter of fact, so was he. He began to thrust, and this time she rose to meet him. She might be crying, but she was completely into this and reaching for her cli**x without hesitation, without fear.
Joy filled him as he moved faster. “That’s it, Valerie! That’s it!”
“I know . . . Adam . . . Adam.” With a triumphant cry, she came, her body clenching around him as she both laughed and sobbed out her gratitude.
A second later, he tumbled into that brilliant, multicolored world with her, and he held on for dear life. He would never let her go. Never.
Long moments later, he lay with his head on her shoulder and listened to the glorious sound of her breathing. She wasn’t crying anymore. Quite the contrary. Judging from the curve of her lips, she was smiling.
She stroked his back and sighed. “I hate to make you move, but—”
Instantly he pushed himself up. “I’m too heavy.”
“No!” She wrapped her arms around him. “I want you right there, but you have to lift your head and look at me.”
“Okay.” He wasn’t worried about her taking control now. Not after she’d been so thoroughly lost in his arms. They’d leaped that hurdle together. He hadn’t messed up, after all.
“Maybe you should turn on the bedside lamp, although I warn you, my eyes will be red, so don’t freak.”
“We don’t have to turn on the light.”
“Yes, we do. Can you reach it?”
“Yep.” Balancing himself on one arm, he stretched out the other and pushed the small switch. Then he blinked in the glare.
“I’ll wait until your eyes adjust.”
He blinked a few times. “I’m fine. And yeah, your eyes could use some saline drops.”
“What a romantic thing to say.”
He laughed. “That’s me, Mr. Romance.”
“I wasn’t being sarcastic. It is romantic, because you’re such a caretaker. Of course you’d notice I need drops for my eyes. I cherish that about you.”
“Well . . . okay. Thanks.”
“I cherish lots of things about you, Adam. I wanted the light on so we could look at each other, because this is important. You see, I love you, too.”
His chest tightened and his throat closed. Damned if he didn’t feel a little misty-eyed himself.
She cupped his cheek. “I think you liked hearing that.”
“Yeah.” He cleared the emotion from his throat. “I liked it a lot. I liked it so much, in fact, that you’ve given me an idea.”
She smiled up at him. “What’s that?”
“I was just wondering . . .” He gazed into her green eyes. “If you, Valerie Wolitzky, would do me the great honor of marrying me and making me the happiest guy in the world.”