Changing Everything by Molly McAdams Page B

holding me closer as I prompted her lips open with mine. Wrapping my arms tightly against her waist, I straightened and pressed her back against the wall, loving the throaty sound she made as I did. Her hands moved through my hair as her legs tightened around my hips, and her chest heaved when I pulled back from the kiss.
    Using the wall and one arm to hold her up, I kept my eyes on hers, watching as they widened when I made a slow line down her throat with the tips of my fingers. My lips tilted up on one side when a shiver moved through her body, and I leaned forward to make the same line with my lips and teeth. Her head dropped back against the wall, and a soft, breathy whimper sounded from her chest. I decided right then that was my favorite sound in the world.
    “I want to hear you say it again.”
    “I chose you,” she breathed, her declaration sounding almost like a question.
    Moving away from her neck, I waited until she lowered her head to look at me again. “Not that, Pay.”
    “I love you?” she asked softly.
    “Yeah.”
    Her lips curved up into a bright smile and her brown eyes searched my face for a few silent seconds. “I love you, Eli.”
    I took a deep breath in as her words washed over me, and thanked God for giving me this second chance with her.
    “And I want propped-up pillows with you.”
    A hard laugh left me and I pressed my mouth firmly to hers. “And?”
    “And Sunday mornings every morning.”
    “And?” I prompted, eager to hear everything else I’d wanted from her this morning.
    “I want to watch you roll your eyes every time I get on you for cussing, even though you know it’s coming.”
    “And?”
    “And I want to take the first bite of all your food,” she said against my lips then bit down on the bottom one.
    “And?” I growled.
    “And I want the frosted half of your cupcakes. And to share milkshakes with you. And for you to force me to change when you hate what I’m wearing.” Pulling back a fraction of an inch from my face, she pressed her palms to my cheeks and spoke softly. “And I want to love you, and be loved by you, every day for the rest of our lives.”
    Resting my forehead against hers, I closed my eyes and let out a relieved breath. “All of that, Pay. Forever.”
    September 21, 2013
    Paisley
    M Y EYES STAYED locked on Eli’s as he walked us to his bedroom, and my heart began hammering as the possibilities of what we were about to do flooded my mind. Things I’d dreamt of for years were now finally about to become a reality.
    Placing one knee on the bed, he lowered our bodies onto the comforter—keeping his body a few inches above mine once I had unwrapped myself from him. My pulse thrummed violently when he smiled before dipping his head to kiss his way down my throat the same way he’d done in the entryway. I brought my knees up to curl around his hips, and had to bite down on my lip to keep from making any noises when he rested himself between my legs. Using his teeth to gently pull my lip free, he kissed the spot I’d been biting down on before sliding his tongue into my mouth to torture me with unhurried strokes.
    Moving my hands up his muscled forearms, my fingers curled around his straining upper arms before sliding over his chest and down his stomach. Even through the material of his shirt I could feel the muscles in his stomach twitch from my touch, and with shaky hands, I pressed my fingers to the skin just above his shorts.
    A growl rumbled in his chest, and his body moved a fraction closer. I curled my fingers against his skin, and suddenly his body was off mine and he was sitting next to me. Blue eyes dark with want, chest rising and falling quickly.
    “I’m sorry,” I said automatically. I didn’t know what I’d done, but I knew whatever had just happened had to have been because of me.
    “Don’t apologize,” he begged. “I can’t do this with you yet. Not when you just showed up here after there’s been so much between us that