A Simple Wish About love - Karice Bolton Page 0,41

carried her to the bed, kissing her along the way.

When he placed her on top, she opened her eyes and smiled. “I’ve been missing out.”

Slade’s gaze darkened, and he smiled. “So have I.”

His mouth crashed down to hers, and he straddled her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She moved her hips just so he had no choice but to enter her. She was tight as hell, and with every move she made him keenly aware of how close he was to losing it with her.

The flick of her tongue in his mouth as she wiggled her hips and scraped her nails across his back only added heat to the fire they shared. He moved into her and out of her in an easy rhythm, but the heat kept building between them.

“Slade,” she breathed as her fingers dug into his hair and twisted. Her breathing changed, and every part of him exploded as she clenched around him.

He’d never felt this with anyone.

The raw explosion of heat and desire and vulnerability as her body shuddered in his embrace caused his breathing to become unhinged as he opened his eyes to see hers closed and her breasts heaving underneath him.

God, she was gorgeous. He just prayed she’d let herself be his someday.

Chapter Sixteen

Erika didn’t know what came over her, but she didn’t want to let it go. She’d felt free in Slade’s arms last night while also feeling protected. Over the years, she’d told herself that she wasn’t missing out on a man’s touch or a comforting embrace, but the truth was that was her coping mechanism.

It was her survival mode.

Slade broke her out of it.

And she was afraid to go back to her old way of existing.

She turned over and pulled the sheet up to her chin. Slade was sleeping soundly, and all she wanted to do was stare at him.

Memorize the way his lips puckered as he breathed in.

The way his chest gently heaved with every breath.

The twitch of his lips every so often that almost resulted in a sleepy smile.

Slade’s sleepy eyes slowly blinked open, and he smiled as soon as he saw her.

“Hey, beautiful,” he whispered, his voice still hoarse.

She let out a happy sigh and nuzzled into his chest as he pulled her in.

Erika looked into his eyes. “I don’t think we’re in the friend zone anymore.”

Slade let out a low grumbly laugh and hugged her. “I haven’t had any friends like that.”

She chuckled and let out a happy sigh as he kissed the top of her head.

“Any plans for the day?” Slade asked softly.

“I kind of kept my schedule clear,” she confessed. “Not that I was expecting this.”

“But this was nice, wasn’t it?”

“Extremely.” She didn’t want to untangle herself from Slade. She could happily exist wrapped between his legs and arms all day. “You smell good.”

He laughed. “You do too.”

A few minutes of silence lingered between them, and she didn’t feel the need to fill it up. It was nice, rare in her life.

She closed her eyes and felt his body pressed against hers. She could undoubtedly go for round two, and judging by the feel of things, he could too.

But she knew what was looming—the awkward how should we do this thing? You live in Colorado and I live here talk.

She didn’t want to lose his friendship, so she toyed with the idea of playing a booty call part for him, but she didn’t know how good she’d be at it long-term.

“Your body tensed,” Slade whispered.

“It did?”

“What’s going on?”

She let out a heavy sigh. “Just my mind getting ahead of itself.”

“How so?”

She squeezed his arm that was wrapped around her. “You live in Colorado. I live in the mountains in the middle of nowhere.”

“And?”

“We both have lives where we’re at now.”

“I’d never expect you to root up Scott,” Slade said softly.

“And I’d never expect you to drop everything in Colorado.”

“Funny thing is that I don’t have much in Colorado.”

“You have a business,” she pointed out.

Slade nodded. “I do, but I own it. I suppose I could move it anywhere.”

“Maybe.”

“Why don’t we try not to get ahead of ourselves?” he suggested.

Which in Erika’s mind was code for this might not be going much of anywhere, so why worry about it?

Erika nodded but found herself sliding off the covers and getting out of bed.

“I’m going to hop in the shower.” She turned and glanced at Slade, who looked blissfully content while she was all turned up several notches.

But she had more on her plate than