Free Chasing Love by Elizabeth Lapthorne Page B

begin to clear from his Mate’s eyes. She was finally coming back to earth, the endorphins losing their grip on her.
    “I think that’s enough for one night, don’t you? I don’t know about you but my legs and nerves wouldn’t stand for anything more intense.”
    He smiled, sad but not surprised with her reaction. His Christiana would want to step back, reassess the situation and work out how to regain the control.
    “I know this won’t make much difference to you right now, Christi, but sex isn’t about one person being in control. Sex is two people on equal footing, both giving and both taking. You can’t hope to be in control all the time. It’s much easier just to accept that.”
    She smiled a sweet, charming smile that melted his heart. Damn, she was sweet.
    “I know. But I’d much rather stay in control when it comes to you. Otherwise I’m likely to end up on the losing end again.”
    Unable to help himself, he reached out to touch her cheek. Gently, he stroked down her soft skin. “I’m not going to hurt you this time, Christi-girl. I just think there’s a lot more for you to understand before you believe that.”
    She smiled and pulled away and he let her. He knew her well enough to know she needed a bit of room now.
    He stood up and pulled on his thong and breeches, belting them swiftly. He concentrated on his task, giving her a minute to rearrange herself. He then held out his hand.
    “Let’s head back. You need some sleep before we head back home tomorrow morning.”
    “We?”
    “Sure,” he smiled, uncaring whether she could see him in the dark. “Grandpa told me to come and pick you up. Your parents are organizing your room at the house until you work out where you want to live. I’m taking you and all those stupid trunks you’ve packed back home.”
    “Oh. So we have a day’s drive together in your cramped truck.”
    He looked at her reproachfully as they headed back to her dorm.
    “The only reason it will be cramped is because of you and all those damned bags you insisted on bringing. I told you to pack light back at Christmas.”
    “You didn’t warn me you’d be picking me up in the truck! Otherwise I’d have only packed a backpack! Nothing else will fit!”
    Edward smiled. At least some things didn’t change. He argued companionably back to her dorm.
    When they had reached her door, once again, she surprised him.
    “Give me my panties back, Edward.”
    He raised an eyebrow at her, knowing the masculine mockery in the gesture was sure to drive her wild.
    “Finders keepers, Christi-girl.”
    He struggled hard not to laugh at the well-known “look-of-death” she speared him with.
    “I’ll wrestle you for them,” she ground out, mad as fire.
    Edward couldn’t help himself and he laughed. “Wrestle me? With that belt you call a skirt and half the college hanging out in the corridors jeering at you? I don’t think so. If you’re really sweet and clever, you might be able to negotiate for them later. But who knows?” he teased her, leaning forward to taunt her more. “By then I could have done anything with them.”
    The anger and fury on her face said it all. Edward knew he had won this scuffle, and felt inordinately proud of the fact.
    “You are so weird,” she complained in that petulant, well-known losing voice he had heard millions of times growing up with her.
    He laughed gently at her. “No, darling, I’m a fairly ordinary male. You simply haven’t learned how to deal with that yet.”
    Refusing to give her time to realize that, if she kissed him passionately, she could steal them back herself, Edward leaned in to give her a chaste kiss good-bye. Holding the door open for her, he watched her stomp into her room and slam the door behind her.
    He grinned and started whistling as he left. Relieved how well the night had gone, he smiled in joy.
    Some things never change.

Chapter Twelve
     
    Christiana greeted Edward with a large purple and green suitcase in one