“I kept my mouth shut and I left town soon after. I did it to protect you. From the town, from yourself. But if I had known that you’d be okay, if I had known that Jensen was just using you, I would have come back. I just didn’t want to be the reason why you hated yourself, telling you stories about what I saw when you couldn’t remember them yourself. I knew you needed to reclaim them on your own.”
“And you knew how to help,” I say quietly. “You brought me back.”
Trace swipes at a tendril of loose hair on my face, tucking it gently behind my ear.
“I’ll always bring you back, Livie. I’ll always find you.” My chest fills with the reassurance of safety and my heart fills with the essence of his promise as he leans down to me. But before he kisses me, he whispers, “And none of this was your fault.”
Our mouths crash in a scorching tangle of lust and eagerness and need. I moan into his mouth as tearsspring to my eyes and stream down my face. Our touches are fevered, desperate, we both chase the passion that burns between us. So many emotions flood me when I think about how we ended up here. How after all this time, I’m still where I always wanted to be. Ever since that first night…
And then I break the kiss once more.
“The cabin?” I ask, curiosity coming to the forefront of my mind.
Trace grins as he presses a kiss to my chin. My fingers tangle in his hair as I savor this moment, reveling in how nice it feels to be in his arms again.
“I’ve been working on it for years, baby. I bought it after I moved out of Indigo and I’ve been waiting for the day to bring you home.” He strokes my cheek, catching the tears that fall, a fleeting gesture that sends butterflies to my core.
Adoration fills my heart as I fall into his chest. We wrap each other up once more, melting together as we cherish this moment.
I wrap my legs around him, pulling me into me as he reaches for my breast. I moan against him, feeling my body already greedy for him to touch me.
“I need you, Trace,” I whine. Not wanting to waste another second of not being completely consumed by him.
I need to be claimed by him over and over. Reminding me of who was there for me all along, even in the shadows. He quelled my nightmares, he saw the truth behind it all, and still, he wants me.
He vindicated me.
Saved me.
“Fuck, baby. I need you too,” he admits and my whole body racks with chills.
“How much have you missed me?” I ask him, my words feathering into his neck as I dig my nails into his back.
“So fucking much,” he grumbles, feeling my body writhe against him as he presses open mouth kisses across my throat.
“Fuck me,” I beg and he chuckles, feeling my belly tighten with need.
He looks up at me, his eyes laced with passion and heat and lust. With adoration and love and fear and desire.
He turns his head behind him, looking out into the sea of trees that make up the land around us, covered in a layer of snow.
“You have twenty-seven acres, baby. And you know that I would love to ruin that pretty little cunt of yours, chasing you through these woods,” he starts. His tone is deep and dark and sexy. “But right now, I need to take it slow with you. I want to make love to you, Olivia. I want to show you just how fucking badly I have always needed you. How much I crave to make you mine for the rest of our lives. We might struggle, baby, we might go through some hard shit. But I’ll never leave you again, Olivia.”
I gasp, my heart . . . is healing? I can feel it piece back together one by one in my chest. Hope and passion and longing sewing me back up. Trace putting me back together.
“Let’s go inside baby, let me make love to you.”
I nod my head, pulling his hand up to my lips. I keep my eyes on his as I press a kiss to his burns, so fucking eager to feel his slow and passionate parts.
He leads us inside, the warmth from his hand wraps around me and closes me in. I’m safe with him and all I can focus on is this feeling, this moment. I don’t even have time to look around at the beauty he’s crafted into the cabin, giving it a new meaning and a fresh start. just like us, as he pulls me over to the fireplace, and eagerly starts stripping my clothes.
His hands are everywhere. First pulling my sweater over my head, touching my breasts once he gets my bra free. Goosebumps caress me but cure once his mouth presses over my nipple and the heat from the fire permeates. He kisses my body down as he further undresses me. Hot, open mouth kisses greet my belly, my thighs, the top of my pussy once he gets my leggings and panties down. He helps me kick off my boots, still kissing my core and I nearly crumble when he darts his tongue out, pressing his tongue piercing against my clit. I hold onto him, my fingers embedded in his hair. He groans against me and I can’t help it, I need him badly.
He gets back to his feet and immediately, I pull him into me, needing to taste myself on him. He slides his fingers into my pussy while my hands wrap around his neck for purchase and he pushes inside.
“Goddamn, Reckless. You’re so fucking ready for me aren’t you?” I moan, whining with need as I grind into his hand. But then he leans back to remove his shirt and I decide to take over, wanting to undress him the way he just undressed me.
I slide my tongue against the lines of his tattoos, and press a gentle kiss against the burn on his upper arm. He shifts, his body shivering. I reach for his sweats and pull them down, dropping to my knees as I do. I linger a little too long on his cock, pressing sweet, warm kisses against his hard length and sliding my tongue against his piercing. Trace groans, gripping the back of my head. But he doesn't let me do much more before he yanks me up and pulls me into his mouth.
