“What this?”
“Just what I said. This. This field, this ranch, this pond, this moment.” I let go of her hand and cup her cheek. “I love football, but at the end of the day, football is just a game. A fleeting moment for a chance at glory.”
Kate turns her head to the side to look at me. Her teeth are grazing over her lower lip, making it red and plump. My tongue darts out to slide over my lip as I watch hers pop.
“You don’t want that? The glory?”
Reluctantly, I lift my gaze to meet hers.
“Why take a chance at glory if you can have the real thing, surrounded by people you love, creating a legacy that will last a lifetime in people you leave behind?” I cup her cheek, pressing my lips to hers. “You, Katherine. I can see my future with you.”
Her blue eyes widen, and I can see her slender throat work as she swallows.
“You can’t say that.”
“Why not?”
“Because.” She sighs. “What happens after, when we go off to college?”
“We figure it out.” I shrug, because to me, it’s as simple as that.
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.” I roll over so I’m hovering over her.
“Emmett, you can’t know—”
I skim my thumb over her cheekbone, lean down and press my mouth against hers, stopping whatever she wanted to say. The words disappear as she melts in my arms. A soft moan escapes her lips as our mouths mash together.
“We can’t know, but I’m not going to waste my time thinking about all the ways things could go south, when I can just love you.”
I haven’t been raised to overthink or to quit. If you want something you’ll work hard, and once you get to a problem, you find a way to solve it. Nothing else is an option.
Kate raises her hand, her finger tracing the outline of my mouth. “You make it sound so simple.”
“There hasn’t been a simpler thing in my life. You’re headstrong, stubborn, and loyal to a fault, but I’ve known you’d be it for me from the moment I laid eyes on you. I love you, Katherine Adams. I love you, and I don’t see that changing.”
“It’s scary.”
Kate runs her fingers through my hair, her nails scratching the back of my neck.
“What is?”
“The way you make me feel.” With her free hand, she takes one of mine and presses it against her chest. “My heart is thumping so loudly, like it’s about to burst any second now.”
“Kate…”
She undoes me, slays me to my very core, and just when I think I can’t fall harder, she convinces me I’m wrong.
I wonder if it’ll ever stop.
I hope not, because I don’t want to know a world in which looking into those big blue eyes doesn’t make my heart ache with love.
Kate’s fingers tighten at the nape of my neck, pulling me closer. Our mouths brush, sending jolts of electricity through my system.
“I love you too, Emmett.” Another soft brush of her mouth. “I know I didn’t say it back the other day, but you’re not alone in this. I love you.”
This time when our mouths lock it’s different. Deeper, harder, needier. My tongue slides into her mouth with a vengeance. This need to touch her, taste her, feel her, growing inside of me until I feel like I’ll burst.
Kate’s body arches off the floor, the lace of her dress brushing against me. The dress that’s been driving me insane all night long.
“Kate, I need you so badly.”
Her eyelashes flutter, those blues of hers dark with need and passion looking up at me. “Show me,” she whispers, her fingers brushing against my cheek. “Make love to me.”
I look at her for a moment, not sure if she’s for real, but there is nothing but love and faith staring back at me.
So, I kiss her.
Disentangling our fingers, I slide my hand up her bare leg, enjoying the smoothness of her skin as I work my way up.
I press my mouth against her neck, inhaling her sweet scent as I pepper the silky skin with kisses, working my way up until my mouth is pressed against hers in a deep kiss.
“Are you sure about this?” I ask, breaking the kiss.
She nods her head, her fingers working the buttons on my shirt. “I need you.”
When she gets to the last one, her fingers graze over my crotch. My cock jumps excitedly at her soft touch.
Down, boy.
Inhaling sharply to get some much-needed air into my lungs and clear my mind, if only a little, I help her push the shirt off.
Kate nibbles at her lower lip as she takes me in, her eyes roaming over every inch of exposed skin.
“I want to touch you,” she whispers softly.
“I’m all yours, baby.”
I take her hand in mine and place it on my skin. We both inhale sharply at the touch. Kate sucks her lip between her teeth, her fingers exploring my naked chest. Her touch burns my flesh, or maybe that’s me. Fuck, if I know.
“You remember that first time I was here?” she asks, her eyes fixed on the path she’s tracing.
“Y-yes,” I answer comes out as a stutter. With her fingers on my skin, I can barely remember my name, much less think coherently.
“That’s the first time I saw you shirtless up close and personal, and oh, boy…”
“Yeah, it did seem like the cat got your tongue there for a little while.”
“I remember thinking it was so not fair. Teens shouldn’t look like you do. It should be against the law or something. After that, I couldn’t get the image of you out of my mind.”
“I like that.”
Kate playfully rolls her eyes. “I figured you would.”
Her finger swirls around my nipple, and it hardens instantly. I don’t dare move, or breathe for that matter, as her hands slowly glide over my skin, over my pecs, and down between the hollow of my abs.
“Kitty.” My voice is like a rough growl even to my own ears.
She looks up through those long eyelashes, releasing her lip. The color rushes to the plump flesh but before I can claim it, Kate pushes me back. I fall down on the pillows, air rushing out of my lungs.
“What are you—”
But before I can finish, she straddles my lap and kisses me. Groaning, I slip my hand behind her neck, pulling her closer and deepening our kiss. My free hand slides over the side of her leg. Her skin pebbles at my touch, but I don’t stop. My fingers skim up and down her flesh, moving deeper under her skirt with every new pass.
“Emmett,” she protests, pulling back.
“Hmm?”
Kate kisses and nibbles her way down my body. Shy and tentative. Her cheeks are flushed, but there is fire burning in her irises. When she reaches my pants, she looks up at me. Her tongue peeks out, wetting her lips.
“I’m not sure if I know how to do this.”
“We don’t have to do it.”
“I want to.”
With that, she unbuckles my pants and pulls the zipper down. My dick is painfully hard, and even with my help, it takes us a moment to pull the rest of my clothes off.
“Oh…” she breathes as I lean back against my arms, letting her take her fill. Her eyes are wide, pupils dilated. Once again, her tongue slides over her lower lip, and there is no way I can hold back a groan.