I remove my hands from my eyes at the same time as he settles on top of me, and I make room for his wide body to move between my legs.
Controlled as always, he takes his time exploring my mouth, his gentle movements unrushed as his lips slowly and tenderly slant over mine. I moan when our tongues meet for the first time in what feels like forever, licking and tasting, twisting and turning around each other lazily, like long-lost lovers greeting again. Because that’s what we are, and I don’t understand why we’ve denied this connection for so long.
If I get to kiss Leon for the rest of my life, it still won’t be enough, and I sigh as sheer bliss runs through my veins.
His touch, his lips, everything feels so different yet so familiar—his kiss filled with promises and things we’veleft unsaid for years, bringing an end to the self-inflicted punishment we’ve endured.
It’s monumental, as everything is about to change between us; a shift in the tide or the world tipping on its axis. I want to cherish every second, every millisecond of it all.
I thread my fingers into his wavy hair, pulling him closer and pressing his face against mine, feeling the need to devour him.
Every nerve ending in my body wakes up because his kisses make me feel like my whole body is on fire; my skin is about to burst into flames.
I let out a long moan when he presses his hard, naked body against mine, his fully erect cock resting between us. I lift my leg and wrap it around his waist, pulling him closer, wanting every part of him to touch me.
Our kiss goes on endlessly, as we relish the moment because we have all the time in the world. We’re going on vacation together; we have hours, days, to relearn everything we thought we knew about each other. Hopefully more, but it’s a start.
In contrast to the way he kisses, his hips thrust with urgency, with the desperate need to chase his release. This promotes a deep growl to rumble through his chest, and I gasp when he rubs my pantie-covered pussy with his cock, flooding my body with euphoria and an ache so deep in my core I could come from just another few thrusts of dry humping. “Leon.” I lowly moan his name between our tongue tangles.
He pushes my T-shirt upward and pulls it off my body, only breaking our mouths for a few seconds.
I arch my back when he cups my breast, then rolls my nipple between his fingertips, making it pebble. I try not to freak out because we are taking a huge leap, and I don’t think there’s a way back for us—only forward.
The way he moves his hand from my nipple and brushes his fingertips across the outer edge of my breast sends shiversdown my spine because his touch is much softer than I ever imagined. He slowly glides his hand up my chest, tickling my skin before wrapping his hand around my neck and giving it a gentle squeeze, causing a buzz of excitement to radiate through my body, with every hair standing on end, craving his attention.
He unexpectedly pulls back, and I search his eyes through the darkness. More intense than I have ever seen him, he stares at me, his look full of meaning. “I hate hearing you cry, baby. I never meant to upset you.” Using the pad of his thumb, he brushes away my tears from under my eyes that I had long forgotten.
“You didn’t. It’s just, this, us, it’s a lot, Leon. And I don’t want to play games anymore or sidestep around the truth.”
“I’m not playing any games. You’reitfor me.” Then he says, “Soft lights on.”
With his gentle command, the sidelamps turn on, and as if I’m seeing him for the first time again, he looks even more handsome as he stares at me, passion and intensity shimmering in his eyes.
He pauses for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully, confidently, looking down at me. “Look at me when I say this, because I mean it, Erika.” His face is unsmiling, his eyes flicker between mine in the gentle light. “My heart is yours.”
I inhale a sharp breath. He’s already told me this, but it’s like I’m hearing him loud and clear for the first time.
He adds, “It destroyed me the day you told me you were engaged. It messed me up so fucking bad.”
Everything falls into place. “Is that why you ghosted me for weeks afterwards?”
“Yeah.” He rests his forehead against mine, then shakes his head slightly. “I would have died inside if you’d married him.”
His raw proclamation of love has me inhaling a sharp gasp of astonishment, leaving me totally entranced by his confession.
I wish he had told me sooner. Hell, I wish I had spoken up earlier, and we could have saved each other so much pain and hurt over the years.
Sadness clouds his eyes, and my stomach clenches when he admits, “I was physically sick before I left for the church. For months, I’ve tried to come up with a million different ways to stop the wedding without appearing like a complete bastard. I thought you loved him, so I wouldn’t have done that to you, and as much as it hurt, I knew I had to let you go.” The weight of his heartfelt words makes all the shadows across my heart disappear, and peace, unlike anything I’ve ever felt before, wraps around me like a warm blanket as if an invisible thread connects me to him. I can’t believe he would have let me marry Huck, even if it made him unhappy.
His next question reveals his insecurities: “Swear to me that you don’t love him?”
“I don’t love him. There has only ever been space for one person inside my heart too.” My hand cups his face. “It’s only ever been you, Leon.”
A smirk then gives way to a full-on smile, shaping his lips. “Tell me again. Say the words you said earlier.”
He presses me to repeat my words that slipped out before our kiss. “I love you.” That’s scary to finally admit, and saying it out loud makes happiness fill my body from my toes up to every follicle of hair on my head. My body relaxes, and for the first time in years, I’m being honest about how I feel about Leon, making me feel lighter and freer.
“I love you, Erika.” It’s the words I’ve longed to hear.
