She attached herself and hung her arms around my neck as I held her little legs tucked under my arms. I groaned, pretending to struggle to rise to my feet. I stumbled into the wall with exaggerated movements, being careful of her head. "God, you weigh a lot. Been eating a lot of ice creams, have you?"She giggled and dug her heels into my sides. "Go, Uncle Ethan!" "I'm trying to!" I grunted, pretending to crash into the walls as I stumbled along. "Feels like I have an elephant back there! Did you change from a princess into an elephant?" "No!" she laughed at my antics and poked me harder. "Go faster than this!" "Hold on tight," I said, as we whooped and yelled our way down the grand staircase and into the family area. My sister and Brynne were both waiting for us when we ducked into the homey kitchen. I'm sure all the screeching laughter preceded our arrival, but it was the look on Brynne's face that gave me a kick. Her eyes widened at the sight of us. probably shocked to see me playi
Ethan led me along a high coastal path that overlooked the sea at the Bay of Bris. tol with its sparkling blue water winking a million shiny breaks due to the wind. We followed that for a good while until the trail turned back inland. The sun was shining and the air was fresh. You'd think all the physical exertion would clear out my scattered thoughts, putting them into some semblance of order. but no such luck on that one. Nope. My mind just kept whirling. Engagement announcement? Moving in together? Marriage?! I so needed to schedule an ap- pointment with Dr. Roswell for the moment we got back to London.As I watched Ethan ahead of me, the way he moved, his natural agility and stealth, his physique of ripped muscles propelling his body forward, I still appreciated the view. My guy, my view. Yep, the scenery and my man were both mighty fine.I did indeed love it here and was happy he'd brought me, in spite of the turn our conversation took last night. Ethan had come downstairs this m
"I know you do and I love you too." I nodded and twisted my hand to hold on to his, meaning my words with all my heart. "I do. Nobody else has ever got that out of me before... but you.""Good."He looked vulnerable then, and I wanted to reassure him, make him feel that he mattered to me. Because the truth was, Ethan did matter. So very much. I stroked the top of his hand with a finger, brushing it back and forth.The past twenty-four hours had been so insane, I was merely trying to keep up. What Ethan was suggesting did make me feel pressured, but he also made me feel loved. He was a good man willing to make a commitment to me, and only asking for the same in return. Why was I having so much trouble with it? The truth was something I pretty much understood even if I hated to acknowl- edge it by digging down deep into my psyche. Being with Ethan forced me to examine my demons."I'll move in with you. How's that for a start?" "It's just that a start," he said dryly. "I told you that pa
Ethan waited for me to catch up at the gate and extended his hand. As soon as I touched him, he drew me up close against his body, enfolding me. "You want to look around in there and have a bit of a break? I figured you might be cause you like history so much.""I'd love to. It's so beautiful in here." I looked around. "So peaceful and serene."We walked through the plots, reading names on the stones of the people who'd lived and died in the area. A marble crypt marked the resting place of the Greymont family, the ancestors of Hannah's husband, Freddy. I made out the names Jeremy and Georgina and remembered them as the people Hannah had named in the gorgeous portrait I'd discovered this morning on the stairway. The Mallerton. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the painting of Sir Jeremy and his beautiful Georgina was the real deal and hoped the family would allow some pictures just for cataloguing purposes. Maybe I could get Benny up here to take some good photos. Gaby would want
"That's the third time you've yawned. Are you going to make it back to the house, or do I need to carry you before you collapse?""Oh, right," she scoffed. "We both know why I'm so tired today." She gave me a sassy smirk that made me want to do naughty things to those pretty lips of hers.Well, yeah, you kept her up half the night fucking, what do you expect her to be? I wanted to smile at the remembrance, though. My girl never turned me down. even when I was the freakiest. I'm a lucky, lucky man for sure. But then that's not news and it hasn't been for a while now."Sorry, baby. You'll be happy to hear I enjoyed every single minute of keep- ing you awake. I reached down and gave a squeeze to her lovely bum and watched her jump."You are crazy!" she yelped, shoving me off her. "Crazy for you," I said, wrapping my arm back around her and bringing her in close to me. "We're almost there anyway. I hope Fred and the boys are home so you can meet them.""I can't wait," she said, trying to
I savored the moment of erotic heat that swirled between us--the antici pation of what was coming, because I knew I'd be devouring her with all of my senses very soon. I know that."But you're only looking at me and not touching," she whispered. come?""Oh, I will, baby. I will." I brought my mouth to her neck and inhaled the scent of her skin, the soap and the water all mixed together in a heady elixir that only got me hotter. "How badly do you want to be touched?""Very badly."I could hear the need in her tone, and it cranked me higher. There was noth- ing headier than knowing she wanted this with me. I pressed my lips to the spot just below her ear and felt a delicious shiver from her. "Here?" I asked."Yes." She arched backward slightly, causing the tips of her hard nipples to graze the skin just below my chest."Or maybe here is better?" I licked down from her neck, dragging my tongueover her delicious skin, trailing lower to meet one of those hardened nipples just begging to b
Fucking Brynne hurt so good. It always had and I knew it always would. "And what did I tell you to say to me that night, baby? It was the first time you told me." Her flashing eyes, hooded with pleasure, stabbed me hard, like my cock was stabbing into her pussy right now. "That I'm yours." she breathed."Yes. You. Are." I started adding a little circular twist to my strokes and felt her inner muscles grip tighter. "And now you're gonna come all over me. One. More. Time!"Brynne tensed hard and I felt spasms start within her depths, milking my cock for everything she could. Oh fuck yes! She shuddered beneath me and began to make those soft sounds I loved to hear out of her-the ones that made me soar. Just like that, she came utterly undone in my arms as I speared into her with hot water streaming over us both.Sent me to the outer reaches of the goddamn solar system and then some. And thank holy fuck she did come then because if I'd had to hold on a sec- ond longer. I think I would've
"Why are fish so smart?" Zara asked me.I shrugged exaggeratedly. "I have no idea why fish are so smart. Do you know why?"She nodded seriously. "Because they are always in schools."I laughed at her smug little face, smudged with strawberry ice cream, and tackling a new angle on her melting cone. "Want some, Rags?" She offered her treat to the golden retriever sitting loyally beneath the outdoor table.Rags took a couple of healthy licks with his long pink tongue and I scowled. Zara looked up at me to see what I would say, the little demon that she was. I shrugged at her. "I don't care if you want slobbery dog germs on your ice cream.Do what you want." She giggled at me and kicked her dangling legs in the chair. "Brynne talks funny.""I know. I've been telling her that for a long time, but she doesn't listen." I shook my head sadly. "Still does it." I pulled out my mobile to take some pic- tures of her and got canned poses the instant she understood what I was doing. Zara cracked me