Soul Keeper by Natalie Dae Page B

The scent of him assailed her, a woodsy, sharp tang laced with natural masculinity. She’d never tire of that smell. Never tire of his arms around her. Never tire of him.
    Rob caressed her hair, the heat of his palm soothing, and she wanted to run with him, take refuge in their hotel room so he could drag his fingers through it at leisure. She lifted her head from his chest and ghosted her thumb across his lips. Her nipples perked and her cunt clenched. She needed him inside her, his hands all over her, their sweat-soaked skin sliding, breaths stuttered. With her other hand on his chest, she continued stroking his lips. He dashed his tongue out and licked her thumb pad, and a jolt of lust lanced her. He sucked her thumb tip, swirled his tongue around it, and her knees jolted. Gazes locked, weakness racing to her extremities, Carrie let out a soft moan and pressed herself to him. His hard cock nestled against her pelvic bone, and she smiled.
    “Shall we go?” she whispered.
    Rob kissed her thumb and nodded. Carrie moved her hand to cup the back of his neck, the hair there so soft, and kissed his lower lip. He opened his mouth, inviting her tongue inside, and she glided hers around his, tasting him, loving him. Breathless, she broke contact and blew out a jagged breath.
    “I love you,” he said. “Did right from the start.”
    Tears filled her eyes again.
    My God, he’s so perfect. Precious .
    With a wobbly smile, she crooked her arm in his and pulled him with her toward the exit beside the ticket office. Passengers milled around, awaiting the next train, and she inwardly giggled at the show they’d just given them. She didn’t care what they thought, liberated as she was by Rob’s declaration, by the certainty that he meant what he’d said. Happiness burgeoned, and she wanted to laugh out loud, to tell everyone that Rob was here. That he’d come to meet her, he loved her, and her life was now complete.
    She looked up at him as they rounded the corner, and he smiled, his eyes bright. The feel of his erection still lingered on her pelvis, and a stout gust of wind wrapped his scent around her. The urge to stop and push him against the side of the ticket office gripped her, so she walked faster to stop herself. He’d confessed in an email that, although he could write his desires, in real life, he was self-conscious. Not wanting to risk getting caught and putting him to the test yet, she tugged his arm as they approached the path running behind the station.
    “Shall we walk or get a taxi?” she asked, snaking her other hand under his biceps and holding his arm close to her chest. On tiptoes, she quickly kissed his cheek, the light stubble pricking her lips.
    “It’s up to you, sweetheart. Is it far, though? I wouldn’t want you walking for too long in those shoes.”
    Carrie scrunched her toes in her red stilettos. “It’s okay. It isn’t far. Come on, we’ll walk.”
    She guided him down the path beside the main road that led to town, the streetlights casting an orange line that stretched far into the distance, reminding her of a runway at night. Their emails came to mind, the ones where they’d discussed taking a holiday, walking along the beach hand in hand by day and sex-filled nights upon cool, crisp sheets.
    “So where will we go on holiday?” she asked, looking up at him.
    He pried his arm free and rested it across her shoulders, squeezing her to him so hard she nearly stumbled. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to… It’s just…I love you so much I needed to…” He sighed. “I forget sometimes I can be heavy-handed.”
    His smile and apology brought on a fresh wave of love for him.
    “It’s okay,” she said. “Really. So where will we go, d’you think?”
    Rob sighed contentedly. “Oh, I don’t know. Anywhere you like.”
    The South of France, Spain, Italy, he’d visited them all, had told her about the art galleries and how Paris wasn’t as romantic as people made out. Venice, he said, that