mouth and slowly eased into her. She was so tight, it made him a little insane, but her enthusiasm sparked to life again.
Half an hour later, he really wished he had another condom—or ten. He could have made love to Hope all night long.
He could definitely love her...for the rest of his life.
* * *
“Lang?” Cuddled together, Hope relished the closeness and comfort of being like this with him. For an instant, she thought of all the time she’d wasted being afraid, and then she shook her head.
It hadn’t been only fear that held her back. No man had offered even a slight temptation.
Not until she’d met this man.
“Hmm?” His fingertips trailed up and down her spine in a never-ending caress.
“Will it ruin the moment if I ask you something?”
He shifted slightly, scooting her up so he could see her face. “You can ask me anything, at any time. Okay?”
Shoot. She hadn’t meant to imply it was something monumental, but now he looked so grave, she smiled. “How come you don’t want me to meet your mom?”
His brows shot up, the seriousness vanished, and he laughed. “God, I’m not sure I want to talk about my mother while we’re naked in bed together.”
Oh. She hadn’t thought about that. No, she wouldn’t want to talk about her mother, either. “Sorry.”
“Kidding.” He rolled her to her back and turned on his side to face her. Now his big hand, fingers opened, rested on her stomach. “I don’t mind if you meet my mom. Actually, I think you’ll like her. For sure she’ll like you.”
“Then why have you excluded me all week?”
His brows leveled. “I’m sorry if you thought I was.”
Hope shrugged. “You’ve spent time with me, and I’ve enjoyed the boat rides. I’m not complaining about that. Everything changed, though, and I wasn’t sure...what to think.”
“I should have explained.” Pressing a firm kiss to her mouth, he said, “I wanted to protect you. Not only does Mom come on strong, she’s a master at making assumptions. I’d worked so hard not to pressure you, I didn’t want her to, either.”
That sounded like a convenient excuse, yet as soon as Hope thought about it, she discarded the notion. Lang wasn’t that way. Far as she could tell, he was always honest with her. “Ivey told me that about her.”
As if they’d been in this very position numerous times, he put a leg over hers. “If Mom has her way, Ivey and Corbin will be married before they know what hit them.”
She knew Ivey would be thrilled—if Corbin was willing. “How does Corbin feel about it?”
He slowly grinned. “This is the strangest after-sex convo I’ve ever had. First questions about my mother and now my brother.”
Hope pushed at his chest. “Well, I’m not exactly up to speed on these things.”
Laughing, he kissed her. “You could try complimenting me. Tell me I’m the best—”
“You’re the only,” she pointed out, then balked as ugly memories tried to intrude. “The only one that matters.”
He smoothed her hair. “You amaze me, Hope. I had all these dumb misconceptions about how you would handle things. I underestimated you, I’m sorry for that. The truth is, I’d love for you to meet Mom. She’ll be there at dinner on Monday if you want to join us.”
Cue the guilt. Knowing she’d just coerced him, Hope frowned. “I didn’t mean to twist your arm.”
“That could be kinky if you want to give it a try.”
The grin threatened; he was always so funny, even now. She loved that about him. “Be serious.”
Turning to his back on the bed, Lang pulled her half over him. After a yawn, he said, “When you meet her, you’ll understand. Going forward, though, know that I want you in every part of my life. If I screw up and don’t make that clear, call me on it, okay?”
She froze even as her heartbeat picked up speed. “Every part?”
Warm brown eyes smiled at her, and he said gently, “I love you, Hope, so yeah. Every part.”
“Lang!” When she tried to sit up, he tightened his hold, keeping her right there against his heart.
“I’m not pressuring you, okay?” His hands gentled, fondling her in delicious ways. “But it’s the truth, I’ve never known anyone like you. I think I fell in love with you that first day I met you in your driveway.”
“You did?” All she remembered of that first meeting was how she’d cowered in her car.
“I swear, I don’t plan to live with Corbin forever. In fact, I’ve