his pants hadn’t receded and guilt clenched her belly. She’d been selfish, something she’d never done before. Usually she was the one left hanging. The thought made her face flame and she ducked her head so Wade wouldn’t see her reddened cheeks. Grabbing her cushion, she hauled it across the grass and onto the timber flooring. Once inside the cabana the material slid easily over the floor and she had the huge pillow back in place in seconds.
Wade went to the fridge and pulled the bottle of champagne out. “Time to open the champagne?” he asked.
“Definitely. How long ‘til midnight?” Emily moved the remaining fruit onto the cheese platter and slid it on top of the empty one.
“Fifty minutes ‘til show time.”
“Open it now.” She picked up the two unused flutes and walked over to him. “We don’t need to wait until midnight to celebrate.”
“Oh.” Wade worked the cork from the bottle, the loud pop made her jump and laughter bubbled in her throat. “What are we celebrating if not New Year?” he asked with a smile.
She waited for Wade to fill their glasses. Handing him his, Emily tapped hers against it and said, “New friends and new beginnings.”
Chapter Six
Wade sipped his champagne and wondered if he’d understood Emily correctly. Was she willing to take the next step? Willing to give them a chance to see where all this amazing chemistry took them? He could just ask her to clarify, and normally he would, but a healthy dose of fear stopped him. He’d never wanted anything so much in his life. His whole future rode on the small shoulders he wanted to get his lips on.
There he went again. He could tell himself a thousand times to cool his jets, only to come up against the overwhelming demands of a libido that wouldn’t be happy until he claimed Emily as his. He’d do it in a heartbeat, except his gut instincts were screaming to go slow. She’d barely opened herself up. Bombarding her with overzealous amorous desires and needs would only cause her to back away. At least he thought it would. He was on new ground where she was concerned.
“What’s wrong?” Emily asked.
He jolted from his circling thoughts to find her watching him.
“You’ve got little furrows between your eyebrows.” She used the pad of her thumb to smooth them out. “They usually mean you’re contemplating a difficult problem.”
That brought a smile to his lips. She may have been rejecting him all these months, but she certainly hadn’t been oblivious to his existence. “Not difficult. More unknown elements I’m not sure how to deal with yet.”
“Me.”
It wasn’t a question. And it proved how in sync they were. He could only image how close they would become with both of them trying. Suddenly Wade wanted a guaranteed yes from her. “We’re doing this. You’re not going to push me away again.”
“No. I won’t.” Her mouth curved up on one end. “But I don’t really know how to do this either. I’ve been focused on my education and then my business for the last eight years. There’s been no serious relationship in that time.”
“You haven’t dated in eight years?” Wade was flabbergasted by the thought.
Emily laughed. “I said no relationship, not dates. I’ve dated plenty over the years.”
“Right, okay, well we’re even then.” He took her hand in his. “My life has been dateless since I lost my parents, and before that there was never anyone worth getting serious with.”
“Is this serious?”
“Emily, I’ve been serious from the moment I set eyes on you.” Wade bought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on each of her knuckles. “It just took you a little while to catch up.”
“I’m not usually slow on the uptake, but I am guilty of tunnel vision. Although once I set my mind to something, I don’t give up until I succeed.”
“Then put your mind on making us work.” He tapped his glass to Emily’s. “To new beginnings.”
“New beginnings.”
He led
Wade went to the fridge and pulled the bottle of champagne out. “Time to open the champagne?” he asked.
“Definitely. How long ‘til midnight?” Emily moved the remaining fruit onto the cheese platter and slid it on top of the empty one.
“Fifty minutes ‘til show time.”
“Open it now.” She picked up the two unused flutes and walked over to him. “We don’t need to wait until midnight to celebrate.”
“Oh.” Wade worked the cork from the bottle, the loud pop made her jump and laughter bubbled in her throat. “What are we celebrating if not New Year?” he asked with a smile.
She waited for Wade to fill their glasses. Handing him his, Emily tapped hers against it and said, “New friends and new beginnings.”
Chapter Six
Wade sipped his champagne and wondered if he’d understood Emily correctly. Was she willing to take the next step? Willing to give them a chance to see where all this amazing chemistry took them? He could just ask her to clarify, and normally he would, but a healthy dose of fear stopped him. He’d never wanted anything so much in his life. His whole future rode on the small shoulders he wanted to get his lips on.
There he went again. He could tell himself a thousand times to cool his jets, only to come up against the overwhelming demands of a libido that wouldn’t be happy until he claimed Emily as his. He’d do it in a heartbeat, except his gut instincts were screaming to go slow. She’d barely opened herself up. Bombarding her with overzealous amorous desires and needs would only cause her to back away. At least he thought it would. He was on new ground where she was concerned.
“What’s wrong?” Emily asked.
He jolted from his circling thoughts to find her watching him.
“You’ve got little furrows between your eyebrows.” She used the pad of her thumb to smooth them out. “They usually mean you’re contemplating a difficult problem.”
That brought a smile to his lips. She may have been rejecting him all these months, but she certainly hadn’t been oblivious to his existence. “Not difficult. More unknown elements I’m not sure how to deal with yet.”
“Me.”
It wasn’t a question. And it proved how in sync they were. He could only image how close they would become with both of them trying. Suddenly Wade wanted a guaranteed yes from her. “We’re doing this. You’re not going to push me away again.”
“No. I won’t.” Her mouth curved up on one end. “But I don’t really know how to do this either. I’ve been focused on my education and then my business for the last eight years. There’s been no serious relationship in that time.”
“You haven’t dated in eight years?” Wade was flabbergasted by the thought.
Emily laughed. “I said no relationship, not dates. I’ve dated plenty over the years.”
“Right, okay, well we’re even then.” He took her hand in his. “My life has been dateless since I lost my parents, and before that there was never anyone worth getting serious with.”
“Is this serious?”
“Emily, I’ve been serious from the moment I set eyes on you.” Wade bought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on each of her knuckles. “It just took you a little while to catch up.”
“I’m not usually slow on the uptake, but I am guilty of tunnel vision. Although once I set my mind to something, I don’t give up until I succeed.”
“Then put your mind on making us work.” He tapped his glass to Emily’s. “To new beginnings.”
“New beginnings.”
He led
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