Close to You

crazy and God knows what she’ll do in the
future. It’s sharing a home and going to sleep together. It’s
having children one day. It’s trusting each other.”
    She pursed her lips as though she was
thinking about it when, really, on the inside she was doing
cartwheels. Then she nodded again. “Okay, with one
condition.”
    “ What?”
    “ How do you feel about
sharing desserts in bed?” Struggling not to smile like a loon, she
held out the box she’d brought from the café.
    She barely had time to feel exultant
before his lips came down on hers, hard and possessive.
    He pulled back. Lifting her into his
arms, he carried her to the bedroom, tossed her on the bed, and
dropped down on top of her.
    “ Hey!” She laughed, holding
the box out to the side. “You’ll crush the pastries.”
    “ The only thing I want
right now is you.” His left hand speared through her hair, tilting
her head back. He stared into her eyes, his thumb rubbing the nape
of her neck. “I love you, Eve.”
    Her heart jumped in her chest. “So I
take it you’re okay with cookies in bed.”
    “ I think I can live with
it.” He kissed her again.
    Her chest expanded with love, so much
she felt like she was going to burst. “I love you, Treat,” she
murmured against his mouth.
    “ I have just one problem,”
he whispered back.
    “ What?”
    “ Why the hell are you
wearing all these clothes?”
    Laughing, she pushed him up and
quickly took off her jacket and shirt.
    Whistling, he reached out to trace the
lacy edge of the white bra Olivia had brought for her. He ran a
hand down her throat and over her chest. He covered her heart with
his palm. “You weren’t taking chances.”
    “ Wait till you see what’s
under my pants.”
    He contemplated her hips and legs.
“Will I regret taking so long to uncover them?”
    “ Definitely.”
    But he didn’t rush. Instead, he kissed
her again, his fingers pinching her nipples through her bra, until
she was heated all the way down to her bones. She pushed at his
clothes, managing to get rid of his shirt before he distracted her
by nipping her neck with his teeth.
    She arched, offering him everything.
“Please.”
    He knew what she was asking. He
unzipped her pants and pushed them down. And froze.
    Panting, she looked at him. His
attention was riveted by the garter belt that framed her naked
crotch.
    “ You don’t have panties
on,” he said simply, running a finger over the thigh highs Olivia
had guaranteed Treat would love.
    “ No.”
    “ I may have swallowed my
tongue,” he said as he got out of his jeans.
    “ That seems unlikely since
you can still talk.”
    “ It would definitely be
unfortunate if I had, because then I wouldn’t be able to do this.”
He leaned down and licked deep into her.
    Moaning, she clutched his
hair, her legs falling further apart. “Now I’ve swallowed my tongue.”
    He slid up her body and kissed her
mouth. Reaching for the bedside table, he shook his head. “Your
tongue seems fine too,” he said as he sheathed himself with a
condom and thrust into her.
    Eve sighed. “Treat?”
    “ Yes?”
    “ Love me.”
    “ I do,” he said solemnly.
And then he showed her just how much.

Epilogue
     
    He looked good enough to eat, and she
was ravenous.
    Eve wanted to tousle his neatly tied
back hair. She wanted to pull his shirt out from his jeans and run
her hands all over his skin. She wanted to nibble at him until he
crushed her to him and engulfed her.
    She sighed and wiped the
counter.
    Treat must have felt her eyes on him,
because he looked up from his usual table and grinned, that sexy
half-tilt of his lips that made her heart pound.
    “ I don’t know what’s
worse,” Allison said, setting down a platter of fresh muffins in
front of her. “How you drooled over Treat before you got together
with him, or how your mind’s in the gutter all the time
now.”
    Eve grinned. “You’re just
jealous.”
    “ Ain’t that the truth?”
Allison eyed Treat. “You know, if you want to slip in the back with
him, I’ll cover for you.”
    “ Allison!” Actually, it
wasn’t a bad idea.
    Her barista harrumphed as she pushed
the tray into the glass case. “As if you haven’t thought of
it.”
    Since Allison had the bar covered, Eve
went to tidy a table on her way back to check on cookies in the
oven. On her way to the kitchen, an arm snaked around her waist and
tugged her back.
    Smiling, she melted into her fiancé’s
embrace.
    Treat nuzzled the side