Guilty Cravings (The Steamy South 1) (18 page)

In the midst of the
insanity, Nick shoved his cock deep and held himself there with a loud groan,
his cock flexing inside her as he came.

He collapsed on top
of her, struggling for air. After a few moments, he withdrew and gradually her
rationality returned.

“Good god, Em,” he
gasped. “You trying to kill me or what?”

“No.” She giggled.
She couldn’t help it. Laughter simply bubbled up and overflowed with her tears.
She had never been so happy in her life.

He snorted, then
laughed with her. “You’re freaking insane.” He rolled her over on top of him,
hugging her to his chest. They rested that way several seconds while she
floated in the bliss.

“That was amazing.”
Sighing, she wiped her tears away.

“You got that right.”
He released a harsh breath, then helped her roll to the side. “I’ll be right
back.”

After disposing of
the condom in the bathroom, he returned to bed and drew her against his
gorgeous, hard body. Simply wanting to touch and pet him, she stroked her palm
across his prickly beard stubble and pushed his still damp hair back from his
face. He observed her with a captivating expression, seeming to absorb every
detail of her face. “You’re so damn beautiful,” he whispered, emotion strong in
his voice, then kissed her forehead.

Tears burned her
eyes. Not because of the compliment, but because of what it meant. Maybe he
cared for her deeply. Maybe she meant something more to him than simply great
sex for a brief time.

“And you’re
gorgeous.” She kissed his scruffy chin, then his delectable lips, slowly
exploring every millimeter. For several moments, she tasted him like a most
sinful dessert, flicking her tongue into his mouth. His cock grew hard against
her leg.

“Mmm,” he breathed.
“Good thing I told Pierce to bring me two dozen condoms.”

“What?” Mortification
singed her skin and she tried to hit him.

Clutching her to him
and restraining her arms, Nick laughed.

“You told Pierce that
we…”

“Didn’t take a genius
to figure it out.” He bit his lip, obviously forcing himself to be more
serious. “He knew how bad I wanted you the first time he saw us together. So
don’t worry about it. We needed condoms and I couldn’t get out past the local
police to get any.”

“Fine.” She buried
her burning face against his bare chest. She’d never be able to look his
partner in the eye again. They rested that way a few moments, with her
listening to Nick’s strong heartbeat.

“Speaking of which,”
he said, pulling back. “There’s something we need to talk about.”

“There’s a lot we
need to talk about.” At least she hoped he would share a few things, like how
he felt about her and whether he wanted a future with her.

“True, but the
subject I had in mind was that we didn’t use a condom that first time.”

She held back a grin,
loving how responsible he was being right now. And yes, the thought of
pregnancy did scare her, but if it happened it wouldn’t be the end of the
world. Having unprotected sex had been her choice at that moment. It was the
only choice she could make given how desperate she was and how they didn’t have
a condom. She’d take full responsibility for her actions.

“Don’t worry about
it,” she said.

“Are you on the
pill?”

“No.”

He frowned. “Then why
the hell shouldn’t I worry?”

She shrugged, unable
to believe how calm she felt over the whole issue. “Because I wouldn’t mind…you
know.”

His eyes widened.
“You want a baby?”

“I wouldn’t be
opposed to it.”

“Hell.” Nick drew in
a sharp breath, feeling like a watermelon had lodged in his throat, his
heartbeat speeding along. He was always so damned careful, and he’d never had a
pregnancy scare.

But one thing was
certain—he wanted more than scorching sex with Emily. He wanted a life with
her. A future. He’d never wanted that with anyone before. He couldn’t imagine
ever getting tired of gazing into her beautiful blue eyes, whether wide-eyed
with shock or almost closed with arousal.

He didn’t know how to
tell her what he felt. It was all too new and intense. But he had to try.

“Whatever’s between
us, Emily…it’s strong. And I want it,” he said, loving the sweet affection
written clearly on her face. “I want us to be together. Every day, every night.
It’s not just the sex. It’s a hell of a lot more. I haven’t felt this before.
Imagining being without you now is…gut-wrenching. I need you.”

Huge tears welled and
clung to her lashes. “I need you too, Nick. And I want to be with you. Always.”

Her tears spilled
over, making his insides twist. He brushed the moisture away with his thumb.
“Don’t cry, baby. I want you to be happy.”

“I am. And thankful.”
She pressed her face against his chest, her hot tears wetting his skin. “I was
afraid you’d leave, go back to Atlanta and forget about me. Like maybe this was
only some sort of strange fling for you.”

“No. Hell, no. How
could it be? Besides, I don’t have strange flings.”

He pushed her hair back
and savored her smile. He’d much rather hear her laugh than cry.

“And from now on, no
flings,” he said. “You’re the only woman I want.”

“Truly?” Hope shone
in her eyes.

“Of course. Don’t you
believe me?”

“Yes. I believe
anything you say,” she said with a complete and unconditional trust that
clutched at his heart. “But there’s something I don’t fully understand—what
took you so long?” He loved her expression—a playful mixture of mischievous and
reproachful.

He lifted a brow,
unsure if he could explain himself. Most men would’ve jumped her bones at the
first opportunity, given how responsive she’d been. But he’d never seen her as
an easy lay. He'd always thought sex with her would mean something profound,
and he was right.

“Well…first of all,
the guilt,” he said, unable to believe how quickly that sharp and bitter
emotion had disappeared once he realized how deeply he needed and wanted her. It
wasn’t just physical lust. Considering how much he cared about her, there was
no room for guilt. “And then, I knew that once I had you, I’d want to keep you.
Once I crossed that line, I could never go back to fantasy. I’d have to have
you every night and every day.”

“Wow,” she breathed,
her eyes growing darker. “That’s good. Because I want to keep you too. You can
forget your playboy, womanizing ways. You’re all mine and I’m not sharing.”

Strangely, her
possessiveness turned him on and made his heart beat faster. That had never
happened before. He usually tried to escape clingy women ASAP, but Emily’s
words made him want to pin her to the mattress and show her exactly what it
meant to be his.

But…a playboy? Was
that how she saw him? He made a choking sound. “I don’t have playboy,
womanizing ways.”

She narrowed her
eyes. “I know you. I watched you, remember?”

“Okay, fine.” She had
a point. He’d been with a few women. He kissed her knuckles. “But you don’t
have to worry. Even when I was with other women over the past three years, I
imagined all of them were you.”

“No, you didn’t. You
don’t have to make up stuff like that to appease me.” Her look of vulnerability
was like a kick to the gut.

“I’m telling the
truth, Em,” he said firmly. “Why would I say such a thing if it wasn’t true? I
couldn’t get you out of my head.” So why the hell would he want another woman?
This one was his ultimate fantasy.

She gave him a coy,
teasing smile. “I hope I never leave your head, then.”

He tugged her tighter
against him and pulled her bent leg over his hip. “Never leave my bed, either,”
he murmured against her lips.

“Really?”

He nodded.

She framed his face
with her hands, her gaze delving deeply into his. “I love you, Nick.”

His gut clenched and
pleasurable happiness like he’d never felt before spread out through him. “Good
god, Emily.” She took his breath away.

“What? Don’t you want
me to love you?”

“Hell, yes. You
better, because I love you. And I can’t live without you.”

Epilogue

“Keep your eyes
closed,” Nick ordered Emily for the tenth time since they’d gotten into the car
that November afternoon at her house. Nick had driven them for about fifteen
minutes through Savannah and out of town. And now he was helping her out of the
car.

“They’re closed,”
Emily said. “Why didn’t you just blindfold me?”

“I plan to.” He
kissed the tip of her nose. “But I didn’t want anyone else to see you that way.
They might think I’m kidnapping you.”

“Well, you are,
aren’t you?” Squeezing her eyes shut tight so she wouldn’t be tempted to look
at him, she slid an arm around his trim waist.

“If that’s the
fantasy you want to play out this time.” His tone was low and rough, but she
heard the smile in his voice.

It didn’t take a genius
to figure out where they were. She smelled the stronger scent of salt air as
soon as he’d helped her step from the car. And now she heard the waves crashing
onto the shore. Given the short drive, they had to be on Tybee Island. And the
cool refreshing wind was stronger here. She loved the beach in autumn. That
Nick remembered that detail touched her deeply.

She and Nick had
escaped for a few romantic long weekends during the four months they’d been
together. Just this week, Nick had been able to transfer to the Savannah police
force and accepted a detective position. Now, he was going to move in with her.
She couldn’t wait. Giddiness consumed her. She was tired of all the traveling
between Savannah and Atlanta.

Once the demand for
coordinating weddings had slowed at the beginning of fall, Emily had been able
to spend more time in Atlanta. But sometimes he had to work so much, she
couldn’t see him. The nights without him were tough and she missed him terribly.
But now that was all behind them.

After he’d guided her
inside a building, Nick surprised her by swinging her up into his arms and
carrying her onto an elevator.

She snickered. “What
are you up to?”

“Seducing you,” he
whispered into her ear, then kissed her.

She brushed her palm
against his stubbled cheek and opened her eyes a crack. She couldn’t resist
looking at him for just one second.

“You’re peeking,” he
muttered.

Grinning, she
immediately slammed her eyes closed. The elevator door swished open and Nick carried
her down what she imagined was a carpeted hallway, given that the flooring
muffled his footsteps. He somehow managed to slide a keycard into the slot and
open the door, all without dropping her. The door slammed closed back behind
them.

The room was quiet
but she smelled the faint scent of wood smoke and heard faint popping. Was it a
fireplace? She hoped so because she loved fireplaces.

“Can I open my eyes
now?”

“Not yet.” He carried
her across a room and lowered her to a standing position. “Now, open your
eyes.”

When she did, she
gazed out over an amazing view of the beach on Tybee Island and colorful pink
clouds at sunset.

“Wow, what a view!
This is beautiful.” But even more pleasing to her eyes was Nick. She reached up
and kissed him. “Thank you,” she said between kisses.

“You’re welcome,” he
murmured giving her more delectable kisses.

When he pulled back,
she glanced around the luxurious room. The king-sized four poster bed with
sumptuous bedding was her favorite, along with the flickering flames of the
nearby fireplace. “What a nice place! You splurged.”

“We’re celebrating.”
He reached for a bottle of champagne on a nearby mahogany table and popped the
cork.

“Of course,” she
said, accepting the full glass of sparkling pink champagne he offered her. “To
your new career here in Savannah.”

“Thank you.” He
touched his glass to hers and they drank. “And…” He set his glass down on the
table before turning back to her.

“And?” she asked.
“Moving in with me!” she said, smiling.

“Yeah. And…” he said
mysteriously with a hint of teasing amusement.

She bit her lip,
unable to think of what else they might be celebrating.

He took the glass
from her hand and set it beside his, then faced her, looking a bit
uncomfortable, or unsure of himself. What was going on? He was never unsure of
himself. He was the most confident man she knew. Nothing fazed him.

“Emily.” He took her
hands, his expression turning serious, which alarmed her slightly.

“Yes. What is it?”
she asked, truly concerned now.

He cleared his
throat. “Do you know how special you are to me?”