Free The Mind (The Reluctant Romantics #1.5) by Kate Stewart Page B

as he tugged at my hair, kissing me thoroughly. He stopped his thrusts to rub me back and forth over him, working himself deeper inside. Our kiss morphed into something else entirely. Our carnal touches turned tender. I lifted myself slowly above him and gently let myself down, feeling every inch of him. Closing my eyes, he stroked my face with his fingertips and kissed my forehead. I reopened them, suddenly emboldened by our connection, and drank his blue eyes in as I took another slow plunge on top of him. He was throbbing and so deep. I lingered above him, riding him slowly. A cry of defeat escaped my lips and a wave of emotion washed over me as I came, shattering around him. I held his eyes as he pulled me into another deep kiss. My heart soared as he whispered to me, his intent clear, “It’s you, baby. I know it is. Just take it and I’m yours.” He came then and buried his head in my chest, wrapping his arms around me, holding me tight against him. I felt the dam burst and realized I had been in over my head since the minute I had laid eyes on him.
    “I’ll take it, Grant.” I tilted my head down to get a look at his face still buried in my chest and saw his hidden smile. He rose to his knees with me still wrapped around him and laid me beneath him. It was the first time I realized the true meaning of making love because that’s exactly what we were doing.

You know those stories? The ones where the couple meets and they marry days later and remain married for sixty something years? I’ve always been a fan of those stories. I mean I’m not naïve enough to believe that a good majority of those weren’t shotgun weddings due to a soldier leaving for war, or a woman suddenly in the family way. The notion seemed so damned old-fashioned now and my generation is so quick to divorce these days. Those stories become less and less, and are considered a Hollywood type marriage, meaning the time frame from beginning to end spans the length of the time it takes for the two actors to fall in love, marry, shoot the movie, and divorce by release day.
    The question I’d been asking myself over and over again when I wasn’t mind deep into labs was: Am I Hollywood or old-fashioned? My parents fell in love in a month, or at least that’s the way they explained it. In all honesty, I never in a million years thought it was possible for me. I credited myself with a level head and as I sat surrounded by books, I was sure it was still on straight. I hadn’t missed a single class, rotation, or lab.
    But I wanted—no, I needed this thing with Grant to work because after only three weeks in what I was feeling was not just lust, and it was far more than affection. I had nobody to prove anything to aside from myself. I wanted to believe he was sincere in his sudden feelings for me. I wanted more than anything to believe that it wasn’t just our amazing sex, which was in a category of its own, that kept my mind occupied with thoughts of him and that damned house I’d help build in my mind. Because if I had to visualize the rest of my life, that’s exactly what I would picture. And he is exactly the type of man I would want to spend it with, given he didn’t have an ugly head yet to rear. But was that really my fear? It didn’t seem possible for Grant to have a Hyde. He was warm, caring, doting, and seemed hell bent on pleasing me. I was hesitant about going along with his whole ‘love at first sight’ scenario. Like for some reason I would need to justify it to myself when all it did was cheapen the authenticity of it. I mean, wasn’t that the point? And as if he’d read my mind, my phone rattled with a message.
    Grant: I’m working on this plane and I keep thinking I’ll own it one day. What do you think about flying everywhere together?
    Rose: I think it would be a dream. Seriously, you’re a pilot, too?
    Grant: Of course. But I won’t mention the mile high club. That would be cheesy.
    Ten seconds later...
    Grant: