His fingers curled through mine, sealing our connection where the little hearts mirrored each other. His brow lined, and his voice was low.
“I told myself I didn’t need love. I didn’t deserve it. That that part of my life was over—just like so many other parts. I was resigned not to look for it or even expect it. Then out of nowhere you appeared. You needed me, and I helped you.” He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine briefly, his warm breath flowing over my cheeks as he spoke. “The thing that had ended my life, my ability to fight, saved yours. You gave my worthless life meaning, and when you looked at me with those beautiful blue eyes... I might as well have carved out my heart and handed it to you. You owned me from that moment forward.”
Sliding his fingers into the hair behind my neck, he claimed my lips again. Mouths opened, our tongues met as a little noise ached from my throat. His arm went around my waist, and I was off my feet, holding him, chasing his mouth in a hungry, desperate kiss.
We moved together as desire and happiness flooded my body. Nothing could change the fact that I loved him, too. Wholly, entirely, and with everything in me.
Breaking away for air, I lifted my chin to look up at the grey sky overhead. He lowered me to my feet, and our eyes met again as he slid a hand between us, capturing my jaw in his palm. “I’m glad Doc’s here, and I wish he were gone.” Confusion lined my face, and he smiled. “I want to make love to you. Now.”
Glancing around, I noticed a couple walking down the shore and cursed their hideous timing. Looking back, I ran my finger down that line in his chin. “Lane’s with my mom. I need to get back and check on him.” The frustration in his expression mirrored mine. “Come to my place tonight. I’ll ask Mom to keep Lane for me, and I’ll feed you turkey, fresh cranberries, and you can tell me all about life at sea.”
“After we catch up with life on land.” His gaze was so intense, heat flared between my thighs.
“Tonight.” I stepped forward cupping his cheeks in my palms, kissing his warm lips. His elbows bent, and he crushed me to him again as our mouths opened and he kissed me deeper.
His lips traced a line from my cheek to my jaw the up to my ear. “I won’t be late.”
It had been so long, and I wanted him so badly, I couldn’t bear to leave. I stepped forward and held him against me, my arms around his neck, his around my waist. We didn’t move as our hearts beat together, our bodies again melting together. With my eyes closed, it was as if we were suspended in time.
“I can’t wait.”
Chapter 35: “It’s only forever... Not long at all.”
Slayde
Again it was raining as I walked up to Kenny’s door, only this time there was no guard. She had forgiven me. Pain flashed in my chest at the memory of her crying and hitting me with all of her strength. It was a memory I’d do anything to purge from our past, yet at the same time, it was a memory I knew would make us stronger. Our scars would make us stronger.
She opened the door before I knocked, sliding her arms around my neck and meeting my mouth with her small one, parting her lips so our tongues could unite. She still wore the orange tunic, but the leggings were gone. I discovered everything was gone when I slipped my hands down and felt the soft skin of her body. Tracing my fingers up, I lightly touched the curve of her perfect ass and a ravenous hunger ignited in me.
In one swift movement, she was off her feet. Feverish, I carried her to the bedroom. I’d dreamed of this so long, every night, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and when we kissed, we consumed.
I lay her back on the bed and pushed the tunic all the way up, catching a tight nipple with my mouth, giving it hard pull before teasing it with my teeth. Noises came from her throat, and I held her narrow ribcage in both my hands, kissing the base of her sternum, inhaling deeply as I worked my way down.
She moaned and threaded her fingers in my hair as I licked her skin. Sugar and mint. It had haunted my dreams, my waking hours. She was a flavor that energized me, delicious and hypnotic. Lifting her thigh, I kissed my way down to the crease and lightly ran my tongue along that line.
“Slayde, oh god,” she gasped, squirming in anticipation. Covering those lips with mine, my tongue circled her swollen clit before sliding down into her wet opening. I couldn’t get enough of her taste, all of her. She cried out, and I knew I couldn’t wait much longer. It seemed she couldn’t either. Her muscles were clenching, and she pulled my shoulders.
“I need you in me,” she begged, as if I had to be asked twice. Condom out, I opened it with my teeth, and it was on in record time. Slipping deep between her thighs, I closed my eyes and ascended to heaven. We rocked together, rolling so that she was above me. Her dark hair spilled around us in soft, flower-scented curtains, and she placed her hands on the headboard behind me, rocking her hips.
Shoving the tunic all the way up, I leaned forward and pulled a taut nipple into my mouth again. Her entire body convulsed, and I went off.
Breaking free, I leaned back and groaned loudly. “Oh, fuck.” I couldn’t stop the blinding orgasm taking me over the edge. Rolling us over again, I held her hips and pounded it out as she cried beneath me.
“Don’t stop,” she begged, and I didn’t. I couldn’t. She worked me hard, holding me as her body trembled with her climax.
Slowly descending back to this planet, I opened my eyes to my beautiful love. She was panting and lovely. Her dark hair spread over the pillow, and I lay my palm against her cheek tracing my thumb over her lips, her chin. As if waking from a dream, her bright blue eyes fluttered to mine, and my heart melted.
“I’m in love with you, Kendra Woods.” I smoothed her hair back from her face. “Every night on that ship, I swore that if I ever got the chance again, I’d tell you how much I love you. How badly I need you to be mine. Forever.”
She reached up to hold my cheeks, wonder in her eyes. “Every day you were gone I tried to make myself forget you. I did everything in my power to move on.” Her words hurt, but she cancelled out all the pain with what she said next. “It was impossible. You’re like air and water and everything I need to survive.”
Kissing her once more briefly, I held her against my chest. “I wish I could give you some noble reason for what I did. I wish I could tell you it was self-defense or it was to save someone’s life, but it wasn’t. I was just a broken, lost asshole with too much money and too many people telling me I was the shit.”
She touched my face. “You don’t have to tell me anything. You’ve already told me enough. I know what you faced growing up.”
“Still, I wish I could change what I was before I knew you.” My eyes closed, and I felt the bitter pain of regret.
“And if you had, we probably never would have met.” She traced her beautiful fingers over my brow. “I’m going to feed you Thanksgiving dinner, and you’re going to tell me about being at sea.”