to give her time to accept all of him. “I don’t…I don’t want to hurt—”
“You won’t…please.”
She tilted her hips, allowing him to ease into her. Her hands moved low on his back, one long smooth leg wrapping around him and their bodies joined.
Powerful emotions crashed over him. A longing to stay, a desire to belong, of being wanted and needed for all the right reasons. He looked at her then and their eyes held. He slid even deeper inside and she rose to meet him. Again and again they moved in perfect unison until she shuddered and cried out his name. And still he couldn’t get enough of her. He never wanted the sensations to end, but his body demanded release and he soon found it in the warmth and protection of her body.
Justin’s hands shook.
He clenched the small paring knife in one, the fresh pineapple in the other. He’d been up since dawn, working for the last hour on the delicate yet edible flowers. Pineapple daisies, tomato roses, strawberry fans and apple leaves.
He wanted everything to be perfect.
The vanilla crepes were done, filled with fresh blueberries and topped with whipped cream. Freshly squeezed orange juice and coffee were on the breakfast tray, as well. All he needed was to get these last few flowers done and he could get back to his bedroom, to his bed, before Gina woke up.
A deep breath and he went back to work. Stifling a yawn from his sleepless night, he was exhausted but in a good way. He and Gina had turned to each other during the night, making love twice more before she fell into a deep sleep in his arms. He’d closed his eyes, loving the feel of her, wanting to stay there forever.
That’s when he’d left the bed.
Being with Gina had been good—no, great, amazing, mind blowing—and he had no idea what to do about it.
They’d agreed last night in the dark to no promises, but in the light of day he had no idea what that meant.
Or where they should go from here.
No, that wasn’t true. He did know where they were going.
Nowhere.
Even as he lost a little bit of himself with every kiss, every touch, he knew the fantasy of last night had to come to an end. But he wanted to give her something special, a few more hours of togetherness before the real world barged back into their lives.
A world filled with uncertainties and doubts, fueled by his own battered childhood and his lack of skills needed to raise a child. A world where their pasts dictated their futures, whether they liked it or not.
The ex-con and the egghead? Not likely.
Mentally scraping all of that to one side, he arranged the fruit flowers on the plates. After washing his hands, he grabbed the tray and headed back to the bedroom. He paused at the doorway, enjoying the view of Gina’s curls fanned out over his pillows and her curves pressed against the sheets.
Ignoring the way his heart seemed to flip over in his chest, he knelt on the bed and placed the tray between them.
Gina opened sleepy eyes. She blinked a few times, almost as if she didn’t know where she was, then her beautiful blue eyes grew wide.
“Good morning,” he said.
Her lips curved into a smile that was both sexy and shy. Justin wanted nothing more than to set the food aside and work up an appetite with this lady, starting with kissing her amazing mouth.
“Good morning,” she replied, her gaze moving from him to the wooden tray. “Wow, what’s all this?”
“Breakfast.” Justin leaned back against the pillows. “Hope you’re hungry.”
Gina sat up, keeping the sheet tucked around her. “Oh, this is beautiful! You didn’t have to do all this.”
Her enthusiasm caused a shiver of pride to course through him. “I wanted to. So, what will it be first? Juice or coffee?”
“Juice, please.”
He handed her a glass and took one of the mugs for himself. Gina reached for a pineapple flower, then stopped.
“You can eat them,” Justin said, smiling. “That’s why they’re on the plate.”
“But they’re too pretty to eat.”
Justin took a sip of coffee and returned the mug to the tray. He cut a piece of crepe with a fork and held it out to her. “Here, try this instead.”
She accepted his offer, a dollop of whipped cream landing on her upper lip as she closed her mouth.
“You missed some.” He swiped away the cream with his fingertip.
Gina swallowed, then her lips turned downward