Read Vivian for Free Online Page B

and think you poor man. ”
    “ You needed to run. What else would you have done?”
    “ For a month I drank. Another month I exercised until they nearly hospitalized me. Then I got help.”
    Her head rose and her eyes seared into his. “What does that mean?”
    “ It means I think you need help too. And if there is a God or there is fate, I think this is the path I was meant to be on. A path right to you.”
    Now she let go. “Don’t say you’re here to save me.”
    “ That’s not what I meant.” He raked his numb fingers through his hair. “I’ve had two years to let this eat at me. I asked for help. I got it. I asked for help for the girls. They got it. I felt as though I’d gotten enough help that I could move on—move away. Your wounds are still fresh, Vivian. You haven’t faced it all yet. I want to be here for you.”
    “ You’re talking crazy now.” She wiped her eyes and turned back toward his sink of dishes and soapy water.
    It all burned in him now. Linda’s loss. Adam’s loss. Vivian’s defiance. And that urge to move on.
    He took her arm and spun her toward him until their bodies were pressed together. He expected her to fight him—slug him even. But she didn’t
    Clayton cupped the back of her neck in his hand. Her lips parted as he looked down at her. He had to remind himself it was okay to move on. Both of them could move on.
    Closing his eyes, he lowered his mouth to hers and took control of moving on.
     
    It ached in Vivian’s head, her chest, all the way to her toes—the need. His mouth was on hers and she opened to his kiss—warm and inviting.
    Her back was against the wet counter, but who would care, when a man could make your head spin as Clayton was doing to her.
    The hand at the back of her neck slid up into her hair and his other hand came to her waist.
    It had been a long time since a man held her like this. His body pressed to hers so firmly she could feel the heat from his skin through layers of clothes. The taste of coffee on his lips and the explosion when his tongue pressed to find hers was enough to get drunk on.
    Vivian raised her hands to his chest and his heart hammered against her fingertips. He deepened the kiss even further and her breath was a moan against his mouth.
    She lifted her arms around his neck and hung on for dear life, as her heart began to beat in erratic rhythm with his and then began to tumble, somewhere she never thought it would tumble again—in love.
    When his lips left hers, they skimmed across her jaw line to her ear where she caught the sound of his moan and breath. She pulled him in tighter.
    His lips then traveled down her neck to the crevice of her collarbone and a lightning bolt of nearly orgasmic pleasure ripped through her.
    Her fingers now dug at the collar of his shirt. It was hard to breathe they were pressed so hard together, but every moment had an ending. This one ended when a loud thunder of “Let it go!” came from the living room as all four girls sang with the movie.
    Vivian felt his body jolt in a chuckle as he nuzzled his face into her neck.
    “ Impeccable timing,” he breathed the words into her ear, but he didn’t let go of her.
    “ Is this smart of us?”
    He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m very lousy with giving hints.” He nipped her lips with a kiss. “I’ve been interested in you since the minute I came to the door looking for daycare.”
    “ I’ve never talked so fast in my life,” she laughed remembering the day she’d become some smitten little girl.
    “ You blew me off at the barbecue.”
    “ You wear a wedding ring.”
    And then, as if he’d forgotten all about it, he moved his hand so he could see it. “So I do.”
    “ I wasn’t going to wreck your home.”
    He brushed his fingers through her hair. “I’m fairly sure you just helped me build a new one.
     
    ~*~
     
    Vivian stared at the ceiling of her bedroom. It had been nearly eleven o’clock when they’d left Clayton’s house.