I shut my eyes. Her thumbs sweep along my cheekbones in soft, grounding strokes.
“She wasn’t alone, Wyatt,” she continues, her voice steady and strong. “She had you. In every memory. In every lesson. In every moment she felt safe. Love doesn’t disappear just because you’re not in the room.”
Her words shatter something in me.
I let out a breath that feels like an exorcism as a tear eases down my cheek.
Sadie leans in, kissing away the tear, the corner of my mouth, the tip of my nose. Each kiss is slow and devoted. Each one tells me she’s not going anywhere.
“I’m sorry you lost her,” she whispers against my skin. “But I’m here now. I’m here, Wyatt. And I’m not afraid of your ghosts.”
I wrap my arms around her, hauling her to my chest, and burying my face in her neck. Her hands stroke through my hair in slow, soothing passes as if she knows exactly how to quiet the parts of me that have been too loud for too many years. I breathe her in, letting her warmth melt the last of the ice gripping my ribs. For a long moment, we don’t move. We just hold each other while the world steadies around us.
When I finally pull back, she’s still watching me with those soft, impossible eyes, like she’s memorizing every fracture I showed her and decided none of them scare her off.
“You’re going to ruin me,” I murmur.
“Only fair, since you’ve ruined me.” Her smile is tender as she asks softly, “How can I help? What do you need?”
I brush her hair back from her face, tracing her cheekbone with my thumb. “Just this. You,” I say, echoing her words from last night.
Leaning in, I kiss her slowly, trying to convey all the things I don’t have words for.
Her fingers curl at the back of my neck, pulling me closer?—
—and her stomach lets out a growl.
I pull back an inch, blink, then huff a laugh against her mouth. “Jesus, Dove. Was that your stomach or a bear trying to break into my cabin?”
Her mortified groan is immediate. “Oh, my god. Stop. Ignore it. My digestive system has terrible timing.”
“Hush.” I tap her hip. “I’m feeding you before you pass out on me. Again.”
Her affronted gasp is adorable. “I did not pass out?—”
I smirk. “You definitely did. Orgasm overload.” I sit up, scooping her with me because I’m not ready to let go of her warmth. “Good news is, we have some biscuits left over from the batch you made. Emotional support carbs.”
She lifts her head, still blushing, still beautiful. “You’re impossible.”
“And you,” I say, kissing the tip of her nose, “are starving. C’mon, Dove. Let me take care of you.”
The soft, glowing smile she gives me is brighter than the sunrise hitting the snow outside.
Chapter 14
Wyatt
Sadie insists on showering first, so I get the water running hot and leave her to it. I pull on my boots and run a quick perimeter sweep. When I return, I make tea for her, coffee for me, and warm yesterday’s biscuits in a towel so they don’t dry out.
I nearly spill the tea I’m pouring when she walks into the living room.
She’s wearing another one of my shirts, her legs bare, damp hair curling around her flushed cheeks.
Jesus.
She’s the most glorious thing I’ve ever seen.
I want to spread her out on the kitchen table and feast on her for hours. Make her beg for my fingers, my mouth, my cock.
