“I want you,” he said, voice shaking. “I want all of you. Your dreams, your fears, your joys.”
Tears shimmered in Eden’s hazel eyes. A dozen emotions swelled in her chest—hope, fear, longing, and something very much like peace. She was giving him everything and trusting that he would cherish it. “I am yours, Gabriel. Take all of me.”
Gabriel’s fingers glided over the smooth curve of Eden’s shoulder. She shivered involuntarily as the room’s cold air met the searing heat of his touch, creating a tantalizing contrast. His hands moved with firm, practiced precision, delicately unfastening the intricate line of pearl buttons that adorned her gown. His gaze remained locked on hers, filled with an intensity that made her heart race.
* * *
Driven by a similar urgency, she gripped the fabric of his shirt, pulling it free from his broad shoulders. Her fingers, trembling with anticipation, traced the defined contours of his chest and shoulders, each touch filled with desperate reverence. The fire in the grate beside them snapped and crackled, casting a fierce glow that danced across their exposed skin, highlighting every curve and line in golden light.
When at last they stood bare before each other, there was no shame, only awe. Gabriel kissed her anew, his mouth worshipping her with a tenderness that stole her breath. His hands roamed her body with reverence, learning every curve, every secret. Eden arched into his touch, her body alive with sensation, her heart thundering with love.
He guided her down onto the soft cushions, covering her body with his own, every movement slow and deliberate.
She met his gaze with quiet determination, her breath catching as she allowed herself to step fully into the promise of this moment. Love, deep and resolute, held her steady.
With a whispered prayer, he entered her, and Eden gasped at the joining, at the sheer rightness of it.
Gabriel stilled, cradling her face between his hands. “My love.”
Tears slipped from the corners of Eden’s eyes, overwhelming joy spreading through her.
He began to move then, slow and deep, each motion speaking volumes without words, with the reverence of a man who had nearly lost everything and now held salvation in his arms. Eden met him with equal fervor, her body learning his rhythm, her soul absorbing the silent language of his love. In their joining, past wounds softened, regrets quieted, and a new sense of wholeness bloomed between them. Eden clung to him, her fingers curling against his back as the tide of sensation crested within her, her body trembling with the exquisite weight of their union.
When release came, it shattered them both, leaving them trembling in each other’s arms, hearts beating wildly in unison.
Gabriel held her close, resting his brow against her temple for a quiet moment before pressing a lingering kiss to her heated skin, the curve of her cheek, then lingering tenderly on her mouth. In that moment, the weight he had carried for years seemed to lift. Her presence anchored him in a way nothing else ever had. She was the calm after his storm, the future he had scarcely hoped to claim.
“I love you,” he said, his hand stroking her back. “I love you, Eden. With a fierceness I scarcely thought possible.”
* * *
Later, as they lay together beneath a soft quilt before the fire, limbs entwined, bare skin warmed by the glowing embers, Gabriel stroked Eden’s hair, his heart so full he believed it might burst. “I never thought I would find this,” he said quietly. “My life…”
Eden lifted her head to gaze at him. Her heart fluttered with the ache of questions unspoken, but her eyes remained steady. What truths would he share? Would they mirror the man she had come to love, or reveal someone she had not yet met? A log popped in the hearth, sending a gentle spray of sparks upward, while a breeze stirred the curtains with a soft sigh. “Tell me,” she urged. “Tell me everything.”
Gabriel closed his eyes briefly, and Eden’s heart skipped. Was he bracing for pain or summoning courage? She was not certain, but she dared not look away. As she waited, the stillness stretched between them like a drawn string. Her fingers paused in their motion on his chest, and a flicker of uncertainty tugged at her heart.
“When I left England,” he began, “I was running. From my father, from expectations, from a future that felt like a prison. I thought adventure would fill the void inside me, that glory or fortune would make me whole.”
He tightened his hold on her. “But none of it did.”
She listened, her fingers tracing lazy patterns along his chest.
“I made mistakes,” he said, voice rough. “I trusted the wrong men. Gambled away more than I could afford. Spent nights in places no gentleman should set foot. I carried my shame with me, wore it like armor.”
Eden pressed a kiss to his heart. “You survived.”
“I did,” Gabriel agreed. “But I was hollow. Until I came home and saw you.”
Tears filled Eden’s eyes.
“You saved me, Eden,” he said thickly. “Your light, your strength, your kindness... You gave me reason to hope again.”
Eden framed his face with her hands. “And you gave me wings, Gabriel. You made me believe in a love that defies all and gave me the courage to choose for myself.”
He smiled then, a true smile, unguarded and radiant.
“Tell me your hopes,” Eden whispered. “Your dreams.”
