Protecting His Windflower (A Spirit Hunters Series Novel Book 1) by Temperance Dawn (best black authors .txt) 📕

and sweet to hot and desperate in a matter of minutes. Their hands roamed each other’s bodies, their teeth crashed with need. Both of them lost in an intoxicating lust.

Emily pulled back to catch her breath. Liam caught her eyes and brought her hand to his mouth, where he kissed her knuckles and palm before making his way back to the area of her neck that he knew drove her wild. The spot just below her ear. His hand found the hem of her shirt and snuck it underneath. Her skin was fire and bursting with sparks.

“Liam,” she moaned his name when he removed his hand from under her shirt.

Liam lowered his head and kissed her again. “Baby,” he whispered on her lips before taking her mouth once more. But before the kiss turned hot and steamy again, he pulled back. “I have a surprise for you.”

“You do? What?”

“I’m taking you to dinner tonight.”

Emily’s eyes widened with delight, but Liam caught a hint of apprehension.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing, I just didn’t bring anything nice to wear.”

“Don’t worry. We aren’t going anywhere that fancy. Jeans and a sweater will be just fine.”

“Okay.” And this time, Emily kissed him and made it very clear that she didn’t want to stop. But now wasn’t the time. There was no doubt that Liam wanted Emily. If he was being honest with himself, he wanted her from the moment he saw her. The thought of making love to her overwhelmed his senses. But he had made up his mind that he was going to take things slow.

“Em,” he said as he pulled back. He felt her body stiffen under him, and he shifted his gaze. “Look at me?”

When her eyes met his, he continued. “Have no doubt that I want you. I want you more than I have ever wanted anything in my life—more than I want my next breath. But right now is not the right time. When we make love for the first time, it’s going to be slow. And it’s going to be where there aren’t any nosy ears close by to hear you scream when I make you come over and over again.”

Emily’s eyebrows rose with his last statement, a crimson hue began to creep up from her chest to her cheeks. The knowledge that he could cause such an intense and immediate reaction to her senses made his dick twitch with excitement. Liam knew that probably made him sound like an asshole, but it was the truth. And he damn sure wasn’t ashamed of the reaction she caused his body in return.

“That’s right, Em. Over and over. I’m gonna take my time with you and make sure you know how much you mean to me. I’m positive you’re it for me. I don’t want anyone else. We’ve been in each other’s dreams for a reason. We’re supposed to be together. I’m not proposing marriage to you yet, but I want you to know that I am serious about us. Once all of this shit is over, I hope we can focus on where the future takes us both, together.”

“Wow,” Emily breathed as she stared up at Liam.

“Does that scare you?”

“No. It doesn’t. I’m ready to move on with you and… live. I’ve been hiding my entire life. I’m done. Whatever this thing is, I’m ready to fight it and be done with it once and for all. And as for you and me, have no doubts that I fully intend to stay in San Francisco. I want to explore this relationship too. I want to see where life takes us. I am not running anymore. I don’t care how long it takes. Even if the bastard decides not to leave me alone. I’m sticking with you. He’ll just have to deal with it because I’m not letting him dictate my life anymore.”

“I’m so proud of you, baby. That’s the exact attitude we need to have in order to beat him. Or it. Whatever the fuck it is. We need to show it that we won’t back down. Now we need to get dressed. I want to take you to dinner. I’ll show you downtown. It’s a nice little area. You’ll love it.”

“I can’t wait to see it. Thank you, Liam.”

“You never need to thank me, babe. Now come on, let’s get going.”

Nineteen

Liam had gone to meet with Phil’s attorney early that morning, and Emily stayed behind in his flat. Liam had been nervous about leaving her alone, but she assured him she’d be fine. He made her promise to call him immediately if anything happened, and she agreed.

Emily was feeling more relaxed than usual that morning. Usually, a touch of anxiety always lurked beneath the surface. She still had nightmares each night, but being with Liam calmed her. He brought her…peace.

Liam’s parents insisted that they stay a few extra days and take advantage of having time alone when they left to visit Liam’s sister. It had been a week since they arrived back in San Francisco, and almost two weeks since Liam had taken her to dinner that night in Carmel to a quaint little Mediterranean restaurant.

Emily had never seen a town as adorable as Carmel By The Sea. The downtown area was filled with shops and restaurants housed inside of fairytale, cottage-style buildings. Emily had never been to Europe, but she felt like she was walking through a historic European village. Little alleyways of stone-paved streets meandered between and behind the buildings. Many of which had vines growing upward, covering the bricks and stucco.

They sat and ate a delicious meal of gyros, falafel, Greek salad, and hummus. Afterward, Liam took her to a nearby beach where they walked for a bit and watched the sunset. Emily couldn’t remember the last time she had felt as calm as she had that night on the beach. It was as if the weight of everything that had plagued her during her life was lifted off her