Read Online Autumn Wish by Stacey Joy Netzel - Free Book Online

through her. Her brain registered movement, and then she found herself sandwiched between the small section of wall near the kitchen doorway and his equally unyielding body. His warm, calloused fingers eased under her sweater at the waist. When they inched upward, her pulse leapt and her nipples tightened at the thought of the rough pads rasping across her sensitive skin. Intense longing throbbed deep in her core.
    He uttered a low groan. Fisted his hands on the hem of her sweater, and pulled it down in a frustrating show of restraint. He trailed kisses across her cheek until his labored breathing tickled her ear when he murmured, “Nothing pathetic about that.”
    She struggled to get enough air into her lungs so she could think straight. “I guess not.”
    A husky chuckle filled her ear. “You guess? Oh, hell no.”
    He turned his head and captured her lips once more. Those large hands rose to bracket her face, angling her head to allow him maximum access.
    Damn, the man could kiss.
    She welcomed his possession, and gave into the overwhelming need to touch him. Feel the heat of his skin. Explore all those muscles her eyes had feasted on the night before.
    A couple determined tugs dragged his shirt from the waistband of his jeans, and then she set to work on the buttons of the soft flannel. Her fingers wouldn’t cooperate, or the buttons were conspiring against her, so she gave up and slid her hands under his shirt and T-shirt at the waist. Another groan rumbled from deep in his throat as her fingers made skin to skin contact. His warm, firm flesh made her want more.
    So much more .
    Without breaking the kiss, he lowered his hands to start unbuttoning his shirt from the bottom up. Once the last button was free, she pushed the material off his shoulders, down past the bulk of his arms.
    Musical chimes pierced her consciousness. Her hands clenched on his shirt as the unexpected noise forced her back to reality. Ella began crying from the other room and Sam stilled.
    He dragged in a ragged breath as she pulled his shirt back over his shoulders by the collar. Then he braced his hands against the wall above her shoulders, and leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.
    “You know, I’d have put money on the baby interrupting us, not the damn doorbell.”
    She palmed his face with one hand and pressed a quick kiss to his frowning mouth. “You get the door, I’ll get Ella.”
    Pushing away from the wall, he muttered, “Better not be more pie.”
    Lips still tingling from his kiss, Nikki grinned at his back. She smoothed her hair, checked to make sure her sweater was in order, and then followed him from the kitchen. He also straightened his clothes, and though he didn’t have time to button up the flannel, he ran both hands through his hair before reaching for the door.
    As she turned and bent to pick up Ella, she heard Sam greet his visitor. “Hello.”
    “Hi, Sam, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I’m Eric Riley. Nikki’s brother-in-law.”
    She glanced over her shoulder to see Sam extend his hand.
    “Nice to meet you. Come on in.”
    She straightened and turned as Eric stepped inside and Sam closed the door. She soothed Ella with the pacifier while crossing the living room floor. “Hey, Eric.”
    “Hey.” His gray gaze shifted from giving Sam’s unbuttoned shirt the once-over to accessing her with an equally keen eye. She resisted the urge to check her hair again and cursed the heat that rose in her face when she noticed the slight lift of his eyebrows.
    “I brought the crib over,” he explained, though she’d already figured that out.
    “You didn’t have to do that,” Sam protested.
    Eric gave a wry smile. “My wife insisted.”
    Yeah. Because her sister was nosey. “I’m surprised Marissa didn’t come with you.”
    Eric’s laugh told Nikki he had no trouble reading between the lines. “Oh, she wanted to, but it’s a school night.”
    “I bet it’s killing her.”
    “Yep.” He reached out to