He chuckles and rubs slow circles over my lower back. “Darlin’, I never know what to say.” His thumb traces the edge of my jaw. Slow and steady. “Except this. I love you, Grace. There ain’t nothin’ I wouldn’t do for you. If you need to stop—any time, for any reason—we stop. You have all the control, Grace. All of it.”
My shoulders loosen at the absolute conviction in his voice. That slow, steady tone that makes him such a good Ranger, my protector, and my best friend. The fear doesn’t fade completely, but desire shoves it aside. I want this. I want him.
I hold his gaze, my voice clear, strong, and sure. “Take off my panties.”
A shudder runs through AJ’s body. In his eyes, I see relief, restraint, and fierce tenderness. After a blink, there’s something more.
A vow.
He’ll never hurt me. Never leave me. Never pity me. He’ll just…love me.
I kiss him. And when I truly let him in, it’s not desire that drives me—it’s trust.
Hooking his fingers in the light blue cotton, AJ slides the panties down my hips with a reverence I think—I know—isn’t new. It’s who he is at his very core.
He doesn’t take. He offers. Every touch is a question, and he waits for my body to answer.
A single kiss grazes the top of my mound, just above the glistening dark blond curls. “Okay?”
“Yes,” I breathe. “Touch me, Aaron.”
Lower. Another press of his lips. This time, over my clit.
I reach down, cup the back of his neck, and guide his mouth where I’m desperate for it to be.
He looks up, a silent question in his eyes.
I’m not afraid. Not with AJ. My husband. My protector. The man I’m falling in love with all over again.
“Taste me.”
AJ settles between my legs, his hands resting lightly on my inner thighs. The first swipe of his tongue through my folds is like coming home. With the second, I come undone. My whimper turns into a moan as he finds a slow, easy rhythm.
My core tightens. Every muscle strains. My heels scrape at the mattress. I curl my fingers in the sheets, desperate to hold on. I want to savor the pleasure AJ’s giving me.
But even after three years, my husband knows my body. And within minutes, I’m hurtling toward the edge.
“Aaron, please…” I beg. “I need…to come.”
AJ sucks hard on my clit, and I fly so high, I may never come down.
I’m shaking. Not from fear. From something bigger. Something I don’t want to name, but think…maybe…could be hope.
Held in AJ’s arms, his face buried in my hair, I’m safe. I’m loved.
His chest heaves with the overwhelming emotions we both feel, as over and over again, he whispers, “You’re here. You came back to me.”
Chapter Forty-Three
AJ
Grace’s voice cuts down the hall. “Dammit!”
I jolt upright in my chair. She’s fine. I know she’s fine. But the frustration in her tone rips through my chest like shrapnel.
“Try again. You unclipped four clothespins Friday. Today, I want six.” Karen—part cheerleader, part drill sergeant—has worked wonders during Grace’s physical therapy sessions.
Another week, and she won’t need me to fasten her bra or tie her shoes anymore.
