wipe the worst of it away.
“Yes, really.” He chuckled a little and shook his head. “You really don’t know, do you. Mi querida, every time I look at you, you take my breath away. You are the most gorgeous woman I have ever met. When I was in high school, I was obsessed by Laura and somehow, I guess we just didn’t cross paths since. At least not while I was paying attention. But I promise you, I’m paying attention now.”
Slowly, giving her time to change her mind and praying that she wouldn’t, he leaned forward to kiss her again, and this time, she melted into him. The tangled mess of a shirt went somewhere, and she was tugging at his clothes, murmuring, begging him to let her touch him.
Let her? He wanted to laugh at such a crazy statement. He’d give his right arm to have her touch him.
This time, when he finally got her on her back again, he used his fingers and his eyes to feast on her curves.
“Hermosa,” he breathed as he ran his lips and tongue over her skin. “Mi hermosa…”
He couldn’t hold himself back any longer. The years dotted with one-night stands and the rare casual relationships hadn’t been enough and he was now straining with a need so deep, he couldn’t breathe. Settling himself between her thighs, he plunged inside of her, long strokes giving way to shorter ones as his self control slipped, and then disappeared.
“Carla,” he cried as his back arched and his body froze, his desire spurting out of him in waves, the world white and featureless around him. He didn’t know…he couldn’t breathe…
Finally, his body unclenched and he propped himself up on his elbows, looking at Carla through bleary eyes. “Are you okay?” he made himself ask. Please let her say yes. He’d lost control there at the end, and he knew it. He wasn’t proud of it, but with Carla, he couldn’t help it.
“Okay?” she breathed, her own eyes fluttering open. “I could fly.”
He laughed at that – now that he’d watched The Princess Bride, he knew that was a line from the movie – and then rolled over onto his side, tugging her up against his front, spooning her, and kissed the nape of her neck.
“I could fly, too,” he whispered, and together, they drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 16
Carla
Buttercup’s emptiness consumed her.
~Grandfather in The Princess Bride
August, 2020
Ahhhh…the Huckleberry Festival. Carla grinned with happiness as they wandered through the booths, the sweet smell of huckleberries drifting on the warm summer breeze. This was the perfect date – free, fun, and lots of great samples. There were huckleberry jams and huckleberry pastries, of course, but here at the festival, she could also taste-test huckleberry coffee and huckleberry wine and huckleberry pancakes and her favorite, huckleberry ice cream. Especially right now, in the heat of the summer.
“I keep expecting to see a huckleberry beer for sale,” Christian murmured in her ear, and she laughed.
“If we find that, I promise to buy you a six-pack,” she said with a saucy wink.
“Yeeaaahhhh…let me try it first,” Christian said skeptically. “The huckleberry wine was good, but I’m not so sure about huckleberry beer.”
Just then, Carla saw a flame of red that caught her attention and she turned to look…
Iris and Declan were there, wandering around the booths also.
Carla froze.
Shit, shit, shit.
Normally, seeing her friend would be cause for celebration. She’d hurry over and give her a hug and they’d hang out and look at huckleberry paintings and…
But today was not a normal day.
Austin Bishop had called the shop right at closing time the night before – Saturday night – and had asked for a bouquet to be delivered on Tuesday that would put all other bouquets in the history of bouquets to shame.
His wife, Ivy, was pregnant.
Iris’ younger sister had beaten her to the punch.
Worse yet, as far as Carla knew, they hadn’t even been trying. Ivy and Austin had gotten married in a quiet ceremony last summer, with only a few people in attendance. Carla’d only found out because Ivy had come in and asked her to create a bridal bouquet for the wedding. It was the only flowers she’d had at the affair.
If they’d been trying for kids since then, Austin wasn’t following in his brother-in-law’s footsteps and sending his wife bouquets each month.
“You okay?” Christian asked, stiffening up and looking around, clearly trying to spot the danger. “What’s happening?”
“Oh, uh, nothing,” she said, trying to conjure up a believable smile.