Did he still hate me? Deep down? For everything I’d put him through?

Could we just enjoy each other tonight and shove away the baggage? Could I make it up to him?

I was determined to try.

I turned my face to the side so he could hear me. “You can do anything you want. I’m yours.”

His voice was a growl against my ear. “Say it again.”

“I’m yours, Adam. Always.”

His hands tightened on me and before I could check myself I yelped in surprise. He immediately yanked them away from my breasts.

“Shit, did I hurt you? I’m sorry!”

I stifled a groan of frustration. “I’m fine. I’m okay.”

He reached out and took the edges of my dress in his hands. My heart lurched. He was going to slip it off. I could barely contain my excitement, closing my eyes and tipping my head back. I was ready to lay back and enjoy the feel of his magic hands on me.

Instead he zipped the dress back up.

Um.

Fuck.

I turned around and looked at him, frowning.

We held each other’s gaze for a long, tense moment.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, backing away.

“You didn’t hurt me. You just surprised me. I—It must be all the procedures and stuff. I feel very—clinical about my chest.”

He nodded, ran a hand through his hair. “I got carried away. It didn’t even occur to me.” His mouth pursed in thought.

I approached him and slipped my arms around his waist. “It’s okay. I’m fine. I—I really want to be with you tonight.”

He hesitated, watched me. His eyes weren’t mirrors, they were vault doors, shut and locked tight to me. He frowned. “We probably shouldn’t. You aren’t—”

I wanted to stomp in frustration. “I’m fine. The doctor says it’s fine as long as I’m feeling like it. Everything is fine. Adam, I want to be with you. I want us to make love. I know you want it, too.”

He blew out a long breath, the furrows not disappearing from his forehead. He shook his head.

So I took action. I stroked along his jawline, gently angling his head so I could kiss him. Pushing my tongue into his mouth, I felt his breath quicken, his hands coming up to cradle the small of my back.

“I know you want it,” I whispered again. “Please.”

And then I ran my hand down over his hard stomach and lower, fondling him through his slacks. Yeah, he was still hard. His brain was saying no but his body was saying yes and I was hoping that would be enough to persuade him. He sucked in his breath. I unbuttoned his pants and he put a hand on top of mine as if to stop me.

But I didn’t stop and he didn’t say no. I unzipped him slowly while I kissed his neck. “Let me…please?” I sank to my knees in front of him and he exhaled sharply when he saw what I was going to do.

I took him into my mouth, opening for him and taking it in deep while I caressed him with my tongue. He groaned, putting a hand on my head, then the other. He didn’t pull or push me but he slid his hands down to my neck, my shoulders. The lace scarf slipped off my head as I moved back and forth, my heart racing with his every heated gasp and groan.

“Emilia…” he ground out. “Fuck.”

I continued the rhythm I was building, closing my eyes concentrating on sucking and licking in all the right places. He put his hand on the top of my head and gently pulled away.

Then he bent and picked me up, pressed me against him. My legs went around his hips and we were only separated by the thin layer of my dress as I felt his hardness rubbing against me. My arms locked around his neck and his mouth sealed on mine. He was carrying me to the bedroom. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the taste of his mouth, his tongue. I couldn’t get enough of him. My heartbeat was thready and rushed and I could hardly catch my next breath.

He stopped us at the edge of the bed, locked together at our mouths and hips. I couldn’t wait another second for us to be together. His hands were on my ass, tight and insistent again. Then he dropped us to the bed.

And if I’d been expecting it, and had prepared myself, his weight landing on me like that would have been no big deal. Hadn’t I been longing to feel his weight on top of me for months? But instead, it knocked the wind right out of me and I had to gasp to suck in air.

Adam scrambled to the side as I fought black spots at the edge of my vision, unable to move. “Shit! Emilia…”

I turned my head and opened my mouth once or twice before I was able to get my breath back. Blinking, I coughed. “I’m fine. I’m okay.”