HAPPY FOREVER AFTER

“You mind your manners, Daniel Rohan” Emma said, getting up and helping him clear the table. “I’m not afraid of you”.

“I know you are not” He said as he poured out two glasses of wine and handed it to her. They went back to the living room.

Emma looked at the newspaper strewn couch, gathered the papers together, and stacked them neatly on the floor.

“I know you are not afraid of me,” he said softly as he handed her a glass of wine. “But I wonder if you know how much you scare me. Here, sit down”. He patted the couch cushion next to him. “The moon is bright enough tonight. We don’t need this.” He clicked off the lamp.

Emma took a quick swallow of the wine and sat down on the end of the couch. She watched shadowy leaf patterns play on the carpeting, highlighted by the glow of the moon, and took another sip of wine.

” Take it easy on the wine, my lady. We don’t want you getting amorous.” he said

She sipped more slowly. “Relax..” she said. “You have nothing to worry about.”

One corner of his mouth lifted a fraction. “So I’m safe, am I? I am so glad you are here, you know”

She almost said, I’m here because you made me. But she didn’t. Instead she said. “You could have simply asked me, you know.. to come over… Like a gentleman should ”NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

He smiled then. “I am a gentleman.. Well… Sometimes.” he said. “The office paperwork is a mess… I have been burning the midnight oil trying to update it.”

He downed the wine, then set the glass on the floor. He swung his body around, propped his legs over the end of the couch, and placed his head on her lap. He looked steadily up at her, his hands folded across his stomach.” I haven’t slept properly since I met you, love. So drink your wine, let me lie here for a while, and then tomorrow you can go home unharmed”

Emma raised her eyebrows. “really?” she said playfully. “I am grateful, m’lord”.

“On second thought, let me have that”. He took the glass from her and drank the wine. I can’t chance your being amorous, since I am too tired to to defend myself ”

He found her hand and placed it on his chest. His eyes closed.” That is good. Just don’t move, Emma. ”

Her fingers itched to forage through his hair, to smooth the rumpled strands.

” Are you going to sleep? “she asked

” Uh uh. Not a chance. I am luxuriating in my lady’s presence ” he murmured, and turned his face into her stomach. He muzzled the softness there, and she felt his grin.

” You have the cutest gasps of outrage, ” he said.” You are good for me, Emma. Come here ”

In a lithe motion, he slid from the couch onto the floor and drew her down on top of him on the area rug.

“Daniel” she protested

“Shh, my own… Don’t fight me now”

It sounded like a plea.

He lifted her hair over his arm as he cradled her to him. His feet found hers and went gently up and down. “There, that is better, love”

Lifted by the easy rise and fall of his chest, Emma felt the roughness of the chest hair beneath the shirt on her cheek and admitted for the moment that Daniel Rohan had his possibilities.

His arm around her waist, he shook her gently. “What are you thinking?” he whispered against her hair. “I can hear the cogs go round.”

“I’m thinking that you are too hard for a pillow” she said

He smiled, then turned to his side and pulled her to him, a heavy thigh weighting her legs. “Are you going to let me kiss you, baby?” he whispered against her mouth.

“Can I stop you?”

“You may not believe this, but yes, you can stop me easily tonight. I had planned to storm your defenses, but you have been so sweet since you came here that I have lost my will to fight. I will even forgive you for that little trick at the party with your dress.”

His kiss was just a taste, a touch of his lips on hers before he pulled back.”I don’t think you realize what something like that can do to a man… To me”

Emma expected more than the light touch of his lips. She wanted more, and moved restlessly against him.

“uncomfortable?” he rumbled over her head. “here”. He shifted and, in doing so, brushed his mouth across hers again.

“That is not fair” she said and he laughed.

Her lips parted, her eyes closed, as the butterfly light kiss deepened.. Daniel’s mouth slanted against hers, his groan of hunger entering her mouth just before his tongue slid inside it. She pressed against him, urged him closer with her hands, met the thrust of his tongue with her own, and sucked out into her moist mouth. At the same time, her hips rose toward the thrusting hardness of his.

Daniel’s tongue flicked at the tender corners of her mouth, then traced the outline of her full lips. His breath stroked her cheek, coming fast and ragged. He unfastened the buttons of her shirt.. His shirt. He moved lower, his lips prowling the fullness of a breast, his palm urging it higher.

Emma’s smooth feet pushed up his pant leg and slid up and down his rough skin, her instep following the bulky lines of his calves. Trembling, she slid her hands beneath the shirt to the male chest below.

He caught the softness of her lower lip gently between his teeth before moving back to her neck. “Honey,” he groaned. “you’re so sweet”. He licked the hollow at the base of her throat, then blew on it lightly.

Emma’s hand slipped inside his waistband and trailed around his lean waist until he trapped it with his own.

“sweetheart, don’t”

“why not?”

“I think you’re a little too susceptible tonight, my lady. Your inhibitions might resurrect themselves tomorrow and leave you full of resentment, and I wouldn’t be around to defend myself. Anyway, I might lose all my forward momentum on this siege, and I can’t afford any loss with you ”

He lifted himself over her, rested the width of his chest lightly on hers, she took a strand of her hair on his fingers. He studied it so intently that Emma asked.” What’s wrong, Daniel? ”

” Everything is so right, love. It’s right for me and I want to make it right for you.” he answered. “something is growing between us, something more than this.” his palm lifted her right breast.

Moonlight stroked his face and honed the rugged planes she traced with a fingertip.

“it’s right now”. She whispered, longing for the full weight of him over her. “tonight, Daniel”

He shook his head. “I’m leaving town in the morning, and I will be gone for a week, kitten” He said quietly. “I have business to take care of. You might regret tonight, and I can’t chance that, love. What we have is too fragile”

She lightly scratched the stubble on his jaw with a fingernail. “You haven’t been exactly reticent until now,” she said, smiling.

He trapped her hand between his shoulder and his jaw. “It’s you I’m worried about. When we do this, I want you to be sure it’s something you want. We should give each other some time. Understand?”

“No, I don’t understand,” she said. “you have made no effort to hide the fact that you want me. I’m here now”

“sure– and inexperienced in dealing with the complications of a night spent making love”

“that’s not true”. She said

“We will resume negotiations when I come back”

“Negotiations? ” she repeated. “you make it sound like some kind of business deal”

“That’s right.. It kinda is” his said

He kissed her again. Stamping his possession, and when it ended Emma lifted her lips for more.

“No, my lady” he said. “That will have to wait till I return.”

“Fine,” she said, surprised at how disappointed she felt. Maybe it was for the best. “your call”

“I wanna take you out on a date..” he said suddenly. “I realize maybe I have been about this the wrong way.. So Emma… Will you let me?.. When I come back?”

“I don’t think that is a good idea” Emma said

“Why not?” he asked and she thought for a moment she heard hurt in his voice.

“We work together Daniel”

“I don’t care about that”

“Well I do,” she said. “It’s not right… And things could get complicated”

“Do you always worry about things like that? He asked

“things like what?”

“You don’t always have to worry about how things are going to work out. You know you could just live in the moment. Enjoy stuff while it lasts”..

While she lasts.. How long would she last for him?. She thought.

“That’s just the way I am”

“We are going to change that..” He said. “but right now, we should get some sleep”