Page 20 of Awaken My Heart

“Yes,” she moans. “That feels good. You feel good.”

“So good,” I echo. I reach between our bodies and press my thumb to the side of her clit so with every movement she gets that friction she so desperately needs.

“Bram.”

“That’s it, Spicy. I want you to come all over my cock. Squeeze me with that tight little pussy of yours.”

“I’m almost there. So close.” Her eyes widen and then she explodes around me. The contractions pulse and squeeze my dick, milking me dry of my own climax.

She collapses against my chest, her nose nuzzled into my throat.

Nothing feels wrong about this moment. In fact, it feels entirely too right.

chapter

fourteen

Bram

I wake up out in my workshop. It takes me a minute to orient myself. Then I’m looking around, searching for any sign of Emma, but I don’t see anything. Her bag is gone from the desk.

I quickly dress, throwing my jeans on, and step outside. Her car is gone.

I blow out a breath. Disappointment rises in my throat like bile, but I swallow it down. This was the agreement. She wasn’t proposing more than blowing off steam. So that’s what we did.

I half expected to wake up feeling back to normal. No longer obsessed with a woman barely older than my oldest kid. I grab the rest of my clothes and shoes and head to the house to take a shower. Fifteen minutes later I’ve washed Emma’s scent off of me and dressed in my rubber duck boxers and a new pair of jeans.

I stand in front of my mirror and stare at the map on my chest. It was originally meant to be a tattoo of remembrance for my Lisa. A way to honor her. God, she loved reading. Used to lay up in the bed next to me and read aloud to me. She got me hooked on all those fantasy series.

The truth is, though, that I got the first tattoo out of guilt. Once upon a time I had big dreams of traveling all over the world. Not because I was tired of Saddle Creek. No, I knew this little piece of the hill country would always be home base for me. I wanted to travel to Greece and Rome and Austria. Anywhere really. Somewhere with different cultures, different foods and languages.

But then Lisa got pregnant with Grady and instead of traveling after high school graduation, I became a husband. Then not too long after that, a father.

I regret nothing. Lisa and I were happy. Our kids are amazing.

“Whoa, Dad, did you get in a fight with a wildcat?” Grady asks from behind me.

I meet his gaze in the reflection of the mirror and see it clearly when the obvious truth dawns on him.

“Oh shit. You had sex! The good back-scratching kind.”

I wait for the disappointment, the judgment, to fall like the weight of an anvil. But it doesn’t come. Instead, my oldest son turns me to face him and gives me a bear hug.

“It’s about fucking time.” He pats me on the back and when I wince, he laughs. “Want to tell me about her?” He steps away.

“You’re not mad?”

“Mad? Why would I be mad?”

“Because of your mother.”

For a second Grady just stares at me. Blank faced. As though he can’t even fathom my words. Then, slowly, he gives his head a shake, looking sad and thoughtful.

“Who has been gone more than a dozen years now. Dad, if you’ve been holding off on dating on our behalf, stop it. We never expected you to remain alone. Mom wouldn’t have expected it either. She would have wanted you to fall in love again.”

I shake my head, ignoring the way my eyes sting. “I tried so hard to love her right. Love her enough. I don’t know. I knew I’d always marry her, that she was the one, but I’d wanted things to play out differently.”

“Because of when she got pregnant with me.”