Her eyes widened, and for a moment he thought she’d say she wanted to go inside. Wye chewed on her lip, sent another uncertain gaze toward the maze and said, “Okay, let’s see the stone.”
Emerson’s pulse thrummed as they made their way to the maze’s entrance, still holding hands. Was he fooling himself, or had she just given him permission to get a little closer?
They were silent as they traversed the pathways. He was far steadier on his feet than he’d been the first time Wye dragged him through here, but he still stepped carefully, knowing how much damage one wrong move could do to his ankle. When they reached the center, a shiver traced down his spine. The stone looked a little wild in the light of the moon.
“Should we ask it a question?” Wye asked quietly.
Emerson led her close to it. “Like what?”
She leaned against the stone, facing him. “You could ask if I’d let you kiss me.”
He probably should ask, Emerson thought, but he couldn’t wait for an answer. Instead he braced his hands against the stone to either side of her and lowered his mouth to hers.
His kiss was slow, probing, and her response was sweet enough to take his breath away. He framed her feet with his own, wrapped his arms around her and leaned in. When they finally came up for air, they were both breathing hard.
“What else should I ask the stone?”
An impish smile played with her lips. “If I’d let you undress me?”
“What happened to it being too cold?”
“Shut up.”
He chuckled and unbuttoned her coat slowly, pushed it back over her shoulders and helped her out of it.
“It is cold.”
“We’ll have to take care of that.”
He lifted her sweater over her shoulders next, and Wye shimmied out of it. She quickly unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged it off.
“You’d better warm me up,” she told him.
“Yes, ma’am.” Emerson undid the catch of her bra and tugged it off to bare her breasts. He longed to be naked himself.
Soon.
When he palmed her breasts, sucking in a breath at their delicious heaviness, Wyoming sighed and leaned into him. Emerson caught her mouth in a kiss and began to struggle out of his own clothes.
Wyoming helped him strip down, until he stood in jeans, boots and nothing else. He wrapped her in another embrace, trying to keep her warm with skin-to-skin contact.
“You feel good,” she groaned a moment later, “but I’m freezing.”
“Should we go inside?”
Wyoming hesitated, freezing in his arms. “If they can do it, we can, too.”
“Do what? Who?”
“You can’t tell anyone I told you this,” she whispered. “Cass would kill me—but they’ve all had sex out here in the maze. Every last one of them. Even when it was cold.”
“And if we’re going to live here…” He let the statement hang.
She shrugged. “It’s like… in the rule book. Don’t you think?”
Definitely. Emerson surveyed the situation, scooped his winter coat off the ground, hung it around her shoulders and backed her up against the stone again.
“What about you? Aren’t you cold?”
“Don’t worry about me.” He’d be warm in a matter of minutes. “Wye, are you sure?”
She nodded.
“I need to hear you say it.” He never wanted to do anything she didn’t want him to do.
“I’m sure,” she said. “Look, I’ve spent years holding men at arm’s length, not wanting to get involved. Not wanting to risk letting anyone treat me the way my father did. Then you came along. Emerson, no one… no one’s ever stood up for me the way you did tonight. It was… amazing.” She went up on tiptoe and kissed the underside of his chin. “So I’m sure—about this, anyway. I’m not making any promises about forever, though. Not yet. Maybe not ever. All I’m saying is I trust you. I know being with you will feel good. And I want…”
“You want to feel good?” he supplied.
“I want to get to know you better.”
Was she blushing? He wished he could tell, but the light was too dim. At least it illuminated her curves—and her wicked little smile. God, Wye was hot as hell.
And she wanted him—inside her. His whole body heated at the thought of it.
Emerson worked at the button of her jeans, unzipped them and tugged them down.
“It’ll be easier if they’re off.” Wyoming stepped out of one boot, then the other, balancing on top of Emerson’s feet so as not to touch the snowy ground. She wriggled out of her jeans, her movements turning him on even more.
If that were possible.
He decided to join her. In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought. He hoped like hell no one came looking for them, or they’d get an eyeful of his bare ass.
When he’d shucked off his jeans and boxer briefs, Wyoming ran one hand lightly over him, tracing the scars he’d earned in the explosion, including a long one over his right hip where shrapnel had sliced his skin. He was grateful it hadn’t gone deeper.
“Does it hurt?” she whispered.
“No. Only my ankle once in a while. It took the brunt of the damage.”
Wyoming threaded her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close. “I could have lost you before I ever found you.”
Emerson could hardly breathe. He knew exactly what she meant. He’d built a good life for himself in the Army, but the last few days had been sweeter than anything else he’d known.
“I’m right here, and I’m staying here, I promise,” he told her, encircling her with his arms. He didn’t ever want to let her go.
Wye pressed close against him, making it clear she wanted much more than kisses and hugs. “Emerson—”
He knew what she was asking for. Wanted it, too. His hands explored her curves, his erection hard between them.
“Protection?” he breathed in her ear as he edged her up against the stone again, the coat buffering her from its cold flank.
“We’re covered. The Pill,” she told him.
Good. Not that he’d be opposed to children when the time came, but first things first. He needed Wye to know how good things could be between them. He needed her to want forever.
“Oh,” Wye breathed as he lifted her up, braced her against the stone, positioned himself between her legs, nudged against her, then pushed inside.
His own groan mingled with hers. Hell, he’d be lucky if he lasted a minute. He’d waited for this for so long.
Well, for a month, anyway.
His chuckle was lost in the kiss she pressed against his mouth, and Emerson tangled his hands in her hair as he entered her fully, needing to feel all of her. Wyoming wrapped her legs around his waist. Emerson had a bad moment, wondering if his ankle would hold, but it seemed to be doing fine. If fact, he wasn’t sure when he’d last felt so strong.
Now he had full access to her, and it was everything he could do to hold back as they began to move together.
He wanted the moment to last forever. Wyoming in his arms was more than he’d ever hoped to deserve. Could they really make a life together here?
Could the universe be that kind to him?
He’d learned early the only safety lay in depending on yourself and yourself alone, but the General had chipped away at that stoicism, gradually letting him know he had a champion, at least. When he’d brought him here to Two Willows and encouraged him to woo Wyoming—and make his home here—Emerson hadn’t known whether to trust him entirely.