Page 61 of Maliea's Hero
“Are we complicating this?” She took a step forward.
“If we do, is that a bad thing?” He raised her hands and pressed his lips to the backs of her knuckles.
“Maybe,” she whispered.
“Do you want to kiss me?” he asked softly, pulling her into his arms. “Because I want to kiss you.”
“Yes. Oh, yes.” Maliea leaned up on her toes, her lips meeting his as he lowered his head to claim her mouth.
She opened to him immediately, her tongue tangling with his, her hands sliding up his chest to wrap around the back of his neck.
Reid had wanted to kiss her from when he’d woken that morning and throughout the day. Their one night together hadn’t begun to quench his thirst for her. It had only made him want more.
When he raised his head, he stared down into her eyes. “What if I want strings?” he said without thinking.
She shook her head, her hands lowering to rest against his chest. “We barely know each other.”
“We’ll fix that by spending more time together on this project.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then to each of her eyelids.
“I’m a package deal,” she whispered.
“I know,” he said with a smile. “Two for the price of one. It’s a hell of a deal. Nani is as amazing as her mother. Smart, kindhearted and beautiful.”
“I’m so newly widowed,” she argued. “You could be my rebound.”
“He didn’t do right by you and didn’t deserve you or Nani.” He kissed her cheek and then the tender area on her neck, just below her ear. “Got anything else?”
She laughed. “Give me a minute.”
“Sweetheart, you have all night long.” He held her gaze, all serious now. “Last chance to kick me out.”
“Oh, what the hell,” Maliea said. “You only live once.”
He grinned down at her. “That’s my girl.”
“Stay. Make love with me.” Maliea wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him long and hard. “Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. I choose to live for today.”
Reid’s heart swelled, pushing out the hurt and betrayal that had tainted his thoughts on relationships since his divorce.
Maliea wasn’t his ex-wife. She was so much more, and he suspected he’d only scratched the surface of how wonderful she was.
He swept her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them.
CHAPTER 14
Despite making love until midnight, Maliea woke with the sun the following morning, feeling refreshed and happy. She opened her eyes to find Reid propped up on an elbow, staring down at her.
She smiled up at him. “Wow. I can’t remember when I’ve ever slept better,” she said, stretching an arm over her head. When she brought it down, she hooked it around the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.
“Good morning to you, too,” he said and pulled her naked body close to his. “Though I’d like to pick up where we left off last night, I hear movement downstairs. We might want to put on some clothes and see who’s here beside us.”
Maliea’s eyes widened. “Yikes. They get up early around here.” She pressed her body against his one last time, bumping up against his erection. “Mmm. Can I get a raincheck on this?”
“Absolutely.” He kissed her again and then smacked her bare ass. “We’d better hustle before they come knocking on that door.” He rolled out of the bed and onto his feet.
Maliea rolled out the other side of the bed, quickly dressed in her jeans and T-shirt and pulled on her shoes. Their hosts had brought their backpacks from the canoe and set them inside the door of the bedroom the day before. She rummaged in hers for her brush and quickly smoothed the tangles from her long hair.
All Reid had to do was run his hand through his hair, and it lay perfectly in place.