Dreaming of Love (8 page)

But his lips felt so good on her skin. And his teeth, as he nipped at her skin, sent shivers right through her.

Dae drew back, and she clutched the back of his shirt, keeping him close. She opened her eyes and met his heated stare.

“You didn’t eat dinner,” he half whispered.

What?
“Not hungry.”

He pressed his lips together in a hard line. “It’s late. I should let you get some sleep.”

“Not tired.”
What are you doing?

“Emily,” he breathed.

Anything
.

He searched her eyes as he brought his hand from her thigh to her cheek.

No! Put it back!
She wanted to feel him close to her most private places, even if they weren’t taking things further—or maybe they would. Either way, she wanted to feel the heat of his hand crawling up her thigh.

“It’s late.” He shifted his eyes to the empty yard. “We’re on the front porch.”

He lifted her legs off of his, rose, and drew her to her feet. Her heart thundered in her chest as he folded her into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and went up on her toes to kiss him again, even though he’d tried to sever that connection. He met her halfway in a tender kiss that ended way too soon. She should stop trying to kiss him, but her mind and body were reeling out of control. Before she could process what he was doing, he grabbed her purse from the bench and led her inside and up the stairs toward her room.

He wasn’t even trying to sleep with her, but in her head she was trying to figure out if she was really ready for what she wanted—which was to be beneath him. Naked. Her thighs pressed against his hips. She took stock of her emotions. Oh hell, she couldn’t take stock of anything. She was too amped up to think of anything other than making out with Dae. At the door to her room, she fished her keys from her purse.

Her mouth went dry at the thought of going further with him, and he wasn’t even
trying
to go further. She felt like they were on the cusp of something real, and she worried that rushing into sex might somehow tarnish that.

Dae took the keys from her hand and wrapped his arms around her again. His hair fell around their faces, and the air beneath it warmed.

“Emily, I’m so attracted to everything about you.”

“Me too, you.”
OhGodohGodohGod
.

“If I go in that room, we’re going to get to know each other very, very well.”

“Yes.”

“I want that with you. I want to know every inch of you.”

Her body hummed with anticipation. “Yes.”

He touched his forehead to hers. “I’m so glad you didn’t say,
Oh
.”

She managed a smile, but nerves had stolen her voice.

“Em, I don’t want a fling with you because I’m not a guy who has flings. I can’t. I mean, I can. I’m capable, and I did when I was young and stupid, but…” He closed his eyes for a beat and shook his head.

His eyes were as apologetic as they were sincere. He was a gentleman at heart, which made him even more attractive.

She swallowed past her nerves as the pieces began to fall into place. She forced herself to speak. “Because of your birth mom?”

“Yeah,” he whispered. “It didn’t sink in until I was in college. I suddenly realized that I could cause the same pain my mother experienced, and I don’t want to do that. I know that makes me sound strange, or weak, or some shit like that, but…” He shrugged. “It’s who I am now.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” The words slipped out before she could stop them.

His brows knitted together. “Not the reaction I was expecting, but okay.”

“No, not because I don’t want to sleep with you. I do. But…I’m out of practice.”
Out of practice? What am I doing, playing golf?

“Out of practice?”

“Not practice. Dae, you make me flustered.” She sighed. “It’s been a long time, and I’m really enjoying this. Us. And I was worried that sleeping together tonight might change things.” She pressed in closer, feeling less flustered now that she’d told him how she felt, and knowing the kind of man he was made telling him, and moving in closer, that much easier. Better. More meaningful. She pressed her hand to his chest and smiled up at him.

“Dae, I like that you don’t want to cause any trouble for me, even though I’m a big girl and know how to protect myself against pregnancy.”

He pressed his hands to her cheeks again and kissed her again, nearly pushing her hesitation out of the way completely.

“So do I, but that’s not the point. There’s more than one way to hurt a person. Sometimes the worst pain comes from things you can’t see. It’s not about pregnancies. It’s about what’s in here.” He placed his hand above her left breast, covering her heart, and it made her pulse speed up even more. “Let’s see what tomorrow brings.”

Tomorrow
. “I promised you tomorrow, didn’t I?”
I’m so glad we have tomorrow. I want a lot of tomorrows with you.

“Yes, and I intend to take full advantage of every minute.”

“Promises, promises.” She smiled to let him know she was teasing. Sort of.

“There are two things I never do. The first is break a promise. The second is the wrong thing.”

“That’s impossible. Everyone does the wrong thing at some point in their lives.”

“Not if I can help it.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it. “
Buonanotte bella. Lo sogno di voi
.” He dropped her hand and bowed before walking away slowly.

“You lost me after
good night, beautiful
.”

“Sleep well. I shall dream of you.”

She had the urge to run to him and leap into his arms, but her legs wouldn’t move. She was swept up in the essence of him. If she moved, she’d surely fall.

He blew her a kiss as he unlocked his door. “Good night, sweet Emily.”

“Good night, Dae.”

She unlocked her door and willed herself to step inside. After closing her door behind her, she leaned against it and closed her eyes.
What a day! What a night! What a kiss!
She tried to calm her racing heart, but even breathing deeply didn’t lessen the excitement she felt.

She opened her eyes with a dreamy sigh and turned on the lights. Her keys and purse dropped to the floor at the sight of vases and planters filled with beautiful, vibrant red poppies. They covered the dresser, the bedside table, and from where she stood, she saw that there were planters in the bathroom as well. Nothing was left undecorated. Rustic, heavy planters lined the floor by the glass doors that led to the balcony, spilling over with bright red blooms. Emily’s eyes filled with tears as they swept over the petal-covered bedspread, where a white envelope sat nestled on her pillow.

“Dae,” she whispered. She reached for the card and opened it carefully, wondering when he’d had time to ask Adelina to help him pull this off. She realized that he couldn’t have written the note, but she didn’t care. It was his voice she heard as she read the words.

My sweet Emily,

It was the light in your eyes that first attracted me to you last night, but it was the energy radiating from you that drew me closer. And it was you, Em, who kept me there. Thank you for the wonderful day. I can’t wait to spend tomorrow with you.

—Possibly yours, Dae

Emily fell back on the bed, clasping the card to her chest. She squealed and kicked her feet up and down with glee, then bolted upright. He was right beyond that wall. She could bang on his door and thank him. She should do that. She wanted to do that. But he’d given no indication that he’d planned anything like this. Maybe he didn’t want her to say thank you.

Well, then, what could she do? What might he want? She stared at the wall that separated them and smiled.
Dae Bray, you are so impossibly wonderful.

She remembered that he had texted her the pictures from earlier.
Perfect!
She snagged her purse from the floor and dug her phone out. She had several missed texts. She scrolled through them. Daisy. Wes. Elisabeth. Callie. Luke. Ross. Rebecca. Pierce. Jake. And finally, Dae. She rolled her eyes, surprised her mother hadn’t texted, too. Daisy must have told someone about Dae, which must have sent the Braden grapevine into motion. She wondered how loud the buzz was around Trusty, where gossip spread faster than wildfire—and how long it would take for her brothers to call out the armed forces if she didn’t respond to their texts. She stared at the phone, and as she decided what to text to Dae, she texted Daisy. It was late afternoon in Colorado and a weekend, so she was sure to get the text.

Someone can’t keep a secret. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
After hitting send, she scrolled through the pictures that Dae had texted earlier in the day. Dae’s gorgeous dark eyes stared back at her. In every picture he had his arm around her, and she looked happy. Happier than she’d seen herself look in ages.
Ever
. Even in the picture he’d snapped when she was out of sorts, she had a dreamy look in her eyes. When she reached the picture of them in the poppy field, she wondered if he’d known then that he was going to fill her room with them. She still wasn’t sure how he’d pulled it off. There were so many flowers!

She scrutinized the pictures again, wondering if the relaxed, happy look in her eyes was from being away from the stresses of everyday life: work, keeping up with family, which wasn’t really a stressor but still added pressure to her days. The stress of wondering if she’d
ever
meet a man she’d want to go out with. She sighed at how often she used to wonder just that and mused at how true it was that people met at the least expected times.

She scrolled through the pictures again, and she knew the sparkle in her eyes and what had her heart doing a little happy jig in her chest had little to do with where she was and everything to do with the handsome, sexy, playful man staring back at her from the tiny iPhone screen.

She texted Dae.

The poppy fairy visited my room. I think he’s about six two with bedroom eyes and hair any girl would die for. I love them. The flowers, that is. Well, and your eyes and hair. The only thing that would make them (the flowers) better is if you were here with me. Xox.

She reread it before sending and realized that maybe she wasn’t so far off her game after all.

A minute later her phone vibrated, and she smiled, hoping it was Dae.
Daisy
. She groaned as she read her text.
I ONLY told Elisabeth. But Margie might have heard us because she was serving us coffee at the time.

“Margie!” Emily shook her head as she typed in another response. Margie had been the waitress at the Trusty Diner forever. She was the eyes and ears of the town, and if she got whiff of a rumor, the whole town knew about it within minutes. Or at least it seemed that way. Emily loved Margie despite her gossiping ways. Margie was protective of the people who grew up in Trusty. She was witty and motherly, and when Emily was near her, she felt loved.

Her phone vibrated again while she was typing her message to Daisy.
Daisy! You just gave candy to a baby at my expense! It’s a good thing I love you, because I’d like to hate you right now. Xox.

Shaking her head, she scrolled to Dae’s text and opened it.

If I were there with you, the beauty of the poppies would be forgotten.

Heck yeah, they would. She bit her lower lip as she thought up a cute response. Her phone vibrated again. She glanced down and read Daisy’s message.
In all fairness, I didn’t give it to her. She has sonic hearing. Hope he’s worth every bit of the juicy gossip. I might have embellished a little.

“Oh no.” She texted Daisy back.
He’s def worth it, and hopefully soon you won’t have to embellish! Going to bed. Please text my intrusive and adorable family members and tell them I’m alive and well for me? Xox.

After sending the text to Daisy, she texted Dae with what she hoped was the perfect response to keep him thinking about her all night long.

Oh.

Her phone vibrated a few seconds later with his response, which she read with an ear-to-ear grin.
Unfair. You’re impossible!

“Oh dear Dae, you have suddenly switched me into competitive mode. I have no idea how or why, but here goes.” Emily felt herself morphing into the confident work persona she filled so skillfully. Becoming the woman who rose to the challenge to be wittier, sharper, and more in control than her male colleagues. Having grown up with a slew of brothers had its benefits. A mischievous grin spread across her lips.

She texted her response to him.
Totally possible. Good night. Xox.

Emily plugged her phone into the charger and carefully cleared the poppy petals from her bed, wishing Dae were right there with her.

DAE WALKED THROUGH the yard of the villa he’d been hired to demolish with his cell phone pressed to his ear, listening to Frank Corrington, the man who’d hired him, rattle on about another project. Dae had gotten up early to come out and take an initial assessment of the property. There were several different approaches to demolition, from wrecking ball, to explosion, to felling a building into an empty lot, to full-on implosion. Dae was an expert in implosions and was one of only a handful of skilled demolitionists qualified—or willing—to handle them. As far as he could see from the front yard, there wasn’t much to this particular job. He was way overqualified for this simple project, but he’d known that when he’d agreed to assess the job. Frank was a friend of a valued business associate, and Dae had taken on the assignment as a favor to him.

He gritted his teeth, listening to Frank, whose typical demeanor was snapping off curses like adjectives, and allowed his thoughts to shift to Emily. He’d much rather be with her at seven in the morning, but he’d committed to the assessment. And doing it at seven in the morning in order to spend the rest of the day with Emily was well worth it. She was probably sleeping in. At least he hoped so. One of them should get some rest. He’d been up all night fantasizing about her sexy little body and those intelligent, sensual eyes that burned a path straight to his heart.

He trekked across the lawn and stopped at the crest of the hill, where the land gave way to rolling hills flecked with thick patches of red, yellow, and white blooms and the olive grove down the road. His thoughts drifted back to Emily. Adelina had been so excited to help him arrange for the floral delivery, and it had taken all of his restraint not to follow Emily into her bedroom just to see her reaction.