Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Eric hugged her to him tightly, one arm wrapped around her neck, the other wrapped around her shoulders. Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, Ana a released a small sigh at his familiar scent. If her hands weren't trapped between their bodies, she would have hugged him back.

"Did you have supper?" he asked as he loosed his hold slightly.

"No," Ana answered as she pulled away just enough to look up at him.

"Good. Let's get out of here."

She grinned. "Let me get my coat."

He followed her over to the front door, and she pulled her jacket off the hook. "I guess this is good night," Ana said to Kate and Elliot, who were now sitting side by side on the couch.

Kate arched a brow at her friend. "None of us have eaten, you know."

"So order out," Eric suggested, taking Ana's coat from her and holding out so she could slip her arms into the sleeves.

"I think I'd rather have dinner with you, Eric," Kate said sweetly. "After all, we haven't seen each other in weeks."

"But I didn't invite you, Kate," he reminded her. Ana quickly zipped her coat, then turned and pressed her cheek against Eric's arm until she was looking at the front door instead of Kate and Elliot. She was barely able to suppress a giggle.

"Didn't stop you," she heard Kate say. "Come on, Elliot."

Elliot winced. "Kate, maybe-"

Ana turned back around just in time to see her friend kick his shin. He instantly sprung to his feet.

"Excellent idea. I'm starving."

"We need to discuss your choice of friends," Eric muttered a few hours later as the limo pulled away from Kate's house.

"You have to admit...you did bring this on yourself," Ana said with a laugh.

"How did I do that?"

"You crashed their dates for weeks," she reminded him.

"Yes, but they deserved it," he insisted. "And besides, they're in an established relationship. I was probably the most exciting thing that had happened to them in months," he joked.

"Eric..."

The tone of her voice drew his eyes away from the window, and the tentative look on her face made his heart stop.

"You just got back after being away for two weeks," she pointed out.

"And?"

"We're finally alone. Do you really want to talk about Kate and Elliot?"

He studied her face for a moment before his hand shot out and circled her wrist. She came hurling toward him and he caught her by the waist, settling her on his lap so she was straddling him. "Hi," he said softly as his hands moved up and down the denim fabric of her thighs.

"Hi," she returned as she lowered her forehead to his.

"You never did say whether you missed me or not," he said, reaching up to unzip her jacket and push it down over her shoulders.

"I did. I told you at Kate's that I missed you, and I told you in my email," she reminded him.

"The words must have been muffled by my jacket," he said as he toyed with one of the buttons on her shirt. "I want to hear you say it out loud."

She leaned forward and nuzzled his neck. "I fuckin' missed you," she said, repeating his words from earlier.

The vibrations from his answering laugh tickled her nose and she pulled back until her gaze locked with his.

"You know...I think we may have sidestepped the awkward part," she whispered.

"I think you're right," he conceded.

Ana gave him a sexy grin. "Should we move right onto hot and heavy?"

Eric's eyes fell to her mouth; it parted as her breathing increased. When she absently ran her tongue over her lower lip, Eric growled. "Fuck, Ana."

He moved sideways until she was sitting on the seat beside him, then lowered his upper body until she was lying beneath him. Thighs parted to cradle his lower body, and his hand tangled in her hair until he was cupping the back of her head.

He leaned down until his mouth hovered just over hers. "Just one kiss, Ana," he promised, his voice ragged. "I can't be fucking things up on my first night back."

And then his mouth was on hers.

By the time their lips met, she'd already opened for him; her tongue surged forth in search of his. "Mmm..." she groaned. The taste of wine on his tongue mingled with the familiar spicy flavor that always assaulted her when they kissed.

Reaching between them she unzipped his jacket, then pushed it aside and reached for the hem of his t-shirt. She pushed the cotton up and ran her hands over the taut muscles of his belly. As her fingers traced the ridges in his abdomen, she couldn't stop her hips from rocking back and forth.

"Holy hell, Ana," Eric said, breaking their kiss. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"You didn't like that?" she asked in surprise.

"I fucking loved it," he said in a strained voice. "Its a wonder I didn't come in my jeans."

"Then I don't see what the problem is," she returned with a laugh. She lifted her lips to his neck and sucked softly.

Eric groaned and rolled himself off her until he'd landed in a heap on the floor of the limo.

"What are you doing?" she asked in amusement.

Eric closed his eyes and let his head drop against the floor. "The hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life, Ana. Not fucking you."

"Well...don't I get a say in this? What if I want you to fuck me?"

His eyes snapped open and their eyes met. "I thought you were going to help me to not fuck things up," he said accusingly.

She grinned at him. "I am helping you not fuck things up. If you don't fuck me right now..."

He reached for her hand and laced his fingers through hers. "If I don't fuck you right now...then what?" he pressed.

Ana flopped back down on the seat and threw her arm over her eyes with a heavy sigh. "Then I'll wait until you will," she said miserably.

"No matter how long it takes to make sure we're where we need to be?" he asked doubtfully.

She nodded fervently. "No matter how long it takes," she confirmed. And then, after a short silence, "Up to two weeks."