“I came to explain,” she said, cutting her eyes away before she said the next part. “And to apologize.”
It was easy to let her say her piece uninterrupted because I was still catching my breath from the sprint across the front of the property. I hadn’t run that much since high school.
She kicked the dirt with her sandaled foot, and I found it hard to stop looking at her bare legs in that sundress.
“I saw you and Lacey hugging on the porch Monday night,” she said. “And, I thought y’all must’ve had feelings for each other after all even though you both said that you didn’t. I thought the best thing for me to do was to leave.”
“Emma, I never-”
Her soft smile shut my mouth. “I know. Lacey told me what happened with her grandmother.”
“You don’t have a thing to worry about between Lacey and me. We’re just good friends.”
“I know that now.” Her eyes widened as the grin twitched off her face. “I’m just so damned sorry I almost let that get between us. I don’t know what got into me.” Her wide eyes were shiny now. She looked close to crying. I didn’t smell great after being outside all day, but I had to have her in my arms after the lonely week I’d had. I pulled her close, kissing the top of her head as she snuggled into my chest.
“I’m sorry, Pete,” she whispered. “I brought dinner as a peace offering.”
My stomach chose that exact moment to growl, and she laughed. “That sounds great,” I said.
“You go get cleaned up,” she said. “I’ll set up dinner.”
I pressed a kiss onto her mouth while she giggled, then hurried to do what she ordered. I went back to the bathroom, stripped off my dirty, sweat-soaked clothing, and got in the shower. I washed the day’s stink down the drain, scrubbing hard so I’d smell nice and clean for Emma, and cut the water off. I wrapped a towel around my waist, not even hesitating long enough to dry the rest of me, and went to the bedroom. I picked any old shirt and jeans, forcing them on over my wet body before rushing back out to the kitchen.
Emma had set two places at the table and laid a chicken casserole in the center, surrounded by a bowl of steaming mashed potatoes, another bowl of roasted vegetables, and a plate of freshly baked rolls. She’d opened a few beers and set them next to our empty plates. She smiled up at me from her seat.
“How’s it look?” she asked.
I never took my eyes off of her, loving the sight of her in my kitchen waiting for me after a long day’s work. “I never saw anything better in my life.” I took my seat as she dished out the casserole. “It smells so good.” I hadn’t eaten this good since dinner at her daddy’s house. Things just felt natural again as we dug in. I was relieved to find it was so easy to pick up right where we left off before Monday night.
“I had a lot of time to think this week,” Emma said, peeking across the table at me. “I realized I was so hurt by what I thought was happening between you and Lacey because I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I hated losing you, but I didn’t want to stand between you and Lacey if that was what you wanted.” She smiled, but her pretty eyes were shiny and sad. “It was a long week.”
I knew just what she meant. I put my fork down, not wanting anything to get between us right now – even the delicious food I couldn’t get enough of.
“You could never be in the way of anything, Emma. I want you in my life.”
“I know,” she said, and her eyes had changed. I knew that hungry look. I felt a stirring in my jeans. But she went back to picking at her food.
“I missed you this week,” I said, and she looked up at me again. I just couldn’t go on without feeling her lips on mine and her smooth, warm body beneath my fingers. It had been far too long. “I’m going out of my mind just sitting here, watching you.”
She drew in a deep breath, the color rising into her cheeks.
I stood at the same time she did, and we met in the middle of the room, pulling each other close as we kissed. The horrible week just melted away as I slid my tongue into her mouth. We kissed for a long time, pressed together in the kitchen, before she pulled her head back, leaving both of us breathless. She stared up at me, her green eyes wide and the look in them so hungry.
“Let’s go to the bedroom,” she whispered.
I didn’t need to be asked again.
I swept her up into my arms and carried her down the hallway.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Emma
Sunday
It felt different this time, after what we’d been through. Pete set me down onto my feet in his bedroom, the look in his eye drawing the breath from me. I’d never seen him this way. He looked like he hadn’t had a drink in days and now, here I was, the cool glass of water he needed, just in time to save his life.
His blue eyes took in the dim light in the room, widening so they looked black. He leaned to kiss me again, his tongue pressing past my lips and exploring every inch of my mouth gently in a way he hadn’t done before, like he was tasting me for the very first time.