He tormented her with his mouth, and everything inside her grew to a fever pitch. She held his head to her, one minute gripping tight, then tunneling her fingers through his hair. He was touching the heart of her, and she couldn’t hold back for much longer. He was rapidly bringing her to the edge of release, his tongue delightful and incredibly effective.
Then he buried his tongue deeper and she didn’t have the slightest chance of staying in control. She willingly jumped into the most glorious oblivion.
By the time she had the strength to open her eyes, he had taken off his clothes and was sliding on a condom. She’d missed her opportunity to repay the favor, but he moved her backward on the bed so he could join their bodies. She didn’t mind. She took him inside her, surrounding him, and knew this was just right, just how it should be between a man and a woman.#p#分页标题#e#
Excitement raced through her veins, followed by another tumult of emotions. Like a far-off light coming closer, they got brighter and brighter. Then it hit her: saying “Only you” was as close as she could get to saying “I love you.”
Oh, God, she still loved him.
She’d never stopped loving him.
He was imprinted in her heart for always.
She looked into eyes that were dark in concentration. It was Tate who made this special for her. He was the reason she was edging toward heaven, storming the gates, pushing them open.
She wanted to tell him.
Oh, Lord, she wanted to tell him.
But from somewhere deep inside, she drew on an inner strength she didn’t know she had, somehow managing to hold back the words of love she knew could destroy her if she uttered them.
Yet she needed to say something.
“Only you, Tate,” she cried out breathlessly as she felt herself being swallowed up by something bigger than the both of them.
And she knew then that no matter what had gone before, no matter what had been, this time in this man’s arms she had truly come of age.
After they made love again, in the shower, Gemma lay in Tate’s arms listening to his breathing, which was relaxed by sleep. The knowledge that she still loved him filled her with joy, and fear. There was so much more at stake this time. They’d found a profound togetherness when he was a part of her, but she knew it didn’t extend beyond those bonded moments. Not for him anyway.
She wanted so much to tell him of her love, but how could she open herself to more hurt? He didn’t love her, and he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her again if he thought she’d done the wrong thing again. She only had to remember how he’d reacted to finding her kissing his best friend. He’d been so angry he’d kicked her out of his life. Could it happen again? Drake was still around, wasn’t he? And even if he wasn’t, Tate still didn’t fully trust her. The littlest thing could bring her world toppling down one more time.
Last time he’d kicked her out, she’d gone because she’d had to. Then she’d picked herself up because she’d had to. But if it happened again and she lost her son and her home and the man she loved all at once, she didn’t think she’d recover. No organization, no book, no counseling, no amount of self-help would repair her broken heart. Her love for him would never die. It was inside her. It was a part of her. It was love at its powerful best, and that meant it had the capacity to do the most damage.
No, she wasn’t willing to tell him.
Thankfully, right then, his mouth sought hers, and her thoughts were soon silenced by the man she loved.
Eight
“Peggy, I’d like you to move Gemma’s things into my room today,” Tate said at breakfast the next morning, making Gemma’s heart jump.
The housekeeper wasn’t quick enough to hide her surprise, though Tate’s note about not wanting to be disturbed last night must have given her a clue that this would happen. A moment later, Peggy smiled at them both with clear pleasure. “I’d be happy to, Mr. Chandler.”
Somehow Gemma managed not to blush, even as she remembered Tate having his “wicked way” with her last night. Three times in fact—three times where she’d had to work hard at not giving herself away—reminding herself that her love for him was a secret. It was a matter of self-preservation.
“We’ll do it together, Peggy,” Gemma said, thinking she could make a game of it with Nathan while Tate was at the office.
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Her heart was light as she and Peggy moved her things into the other suite. With two walk-in closets, there was no need to move any of Tate’s stuff to make room for hers. Of course, she couldn’t help but think that her clothes from before her marriage wouldn’t have taken up a quarter of this space. And it would have only taken a minute to move them.