Now, with my confession out of the way and understood, I felt every barrier between us torn apart.
Her understanding and acceptance were something I never expected, after all these years of guilt and regret.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my thumb gently tracing her cheek. “I can’t imagine the hell I put you through.”
Her hazel eyes searched mine, filled with a tenderness that made my heart ache. “I’m just glad you’re here now, Dante. And that we can have a fresh start.”
And then, she inched closer and kissed me.
It was the kind of kiss that felt like home. It took me back in time to when we cushioned against each other like memory foam. The way she kissed me wasn’t hesitant or tentative or impulsive like any of those other kisses we had shared since she came back into my life.
It was a claim—like she was taking back the space she thought belonged to her. It was slow and soft when she sucked on my bottom lip like she owned it, and me. Every flick of her tongue, every teasing pull, was pure confidence. She didn’t rush. She didn’t need to. She already knew I was hers.
I slid my hand down to her lower back and pulled her closer, until our pelvises ground up against one another, fueling the heat between us. I kissed her back as hard as I could so she could understand just how high I was flying in that moment.
She tugged at my shirt, and I slid one hand to cradle the back of her head. She moaned and whimpered, making these little sounds at the back of her throat that left me feeling light and heady.
I could have kissed her forever and never gotten bored.
The day disappeared behind us, along with everything that happened. Fuck her father. Fuck the Pavlovs. None of it existed in the perfect softness of her mouth against mine.
She then slithered to the back of my tongue, gently stroking and curling against mine until it no longer felt cozy andlazy. Like a wire pulled too hard, I snapped. She’d thrown me over the edge, and I was now deprived of all senses except the need to have her.
The dam of current exploded straight between her legs, and like a beast, I groaned against her mouth and slid my hands to her waist, pulling her toward me.
She climbed into my lap, and her knees bracketed my hips, her body pressing into my cock with delicious pressure. I slid my hands up her sides, her thin shirt seductive in its own way, and all I could think was how everything Alisa did felt erotic, sexy.
“I’ve missed you,” I confessed against her lips, unable to hold back the truth. “God, I’ve missed you so much.”
She answered by biting my lower lip, sending a jolt of electricity straight to my cock. Her hands reached for all she could. They slid into my hair and tugged until I jerked up to let her feel what that did to my cock. She moaned and pulled at my shirt with an urgency that made my blood boil.
I slid my hands under hers, running them up her smooth back, feeling her shiver under my touch. I pulled back, just enough to remove her shirt, and stared at her beautiful, half-naked body. Her skin had a glow about it, the kind that made that black bra she wore look sexy as hell.
And I meant,sexy as hell.Her breasts pooled out over the half-cup style she wore, like perfect curves I couldn’t get enough of.
God, I needed to touch her, grip her, squeeze her because if I didn’t, it felt like I’d be haunted by regret until I did.
I traced the curve of her collarbone and cupped her chin with my other hand, forcing her to look into my eyes. “You’re a fucking goddess, you know that?”
“Really?” she teased, biting that juicy lower lip of hers as her eyes flicked down between us. “And is this how you treat a goddess? By making her wait?”
My eyes widened with surprise, and then I let out a low whistle at this naughty side of hers I’d almost forgotten.
“You’re a tease, Alisa,” I chuckled, and she rolled her eyes as she made a move for my shirt. Within seconds, it was off.
She pressed herself against me then, skin to skin, and kissed me again, harder this time, her nails dragging lightly down my chest.
I slid my hands under her ass, and instinctively, she wrapped her legs around my waist, and I shifted until she had her back on the couch. She arched up against my hovering body, her hips grinding against the growing hardness in my jeans, showing me without words what it was she wanted.
“Oh, Alisa,” I moaned against her neck, trailing kisses down her pulse points. “I’m going to take this so fucking slow, because there isn’t a moment I want to skip.”
“Dante,” she moaned back and dug her nails into my back, urging me on. “Stop teasing, or someday, I’m going to have to make you beg.”
“I can’t wait, sweetheart.” I reached behind her to unhook her bra and slid it down until I saw those perfect breasts made for my palms.
“Fuck,” I breathed, running my thumbs over her nipples, watching them harden under my touch. Her soft moan was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard.
I lowered my head, taking one peak into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it before sucking gently. She shifted up, pushing more of her breast into my mouth as her hands threaded through my hair, holding me there.
