It’s fire licking at every raw edge I’ve been carrying since the day she left. It’s silence burning off our tongues. Desperation. Hunger.
She fists my shirt, and I grip her hips like a man who’s done being careful. There’s nothing but heat and heartache and a kiss that saysyou’re mine and I’m not letting go again.
It feels like home. Like maybe we were never really apart. Like maybe we never will be again.
The past, the mistakes, the misunderstandings, the distance… It all fades away. All that’s left is us, standing here, with the promise of a second chance.
I drag my thumb across her cheek, chasing away the last of her tears. “I love you, too. More than I ever thought possible. I’ve been losing my damn mind without you.”
Her lips part on a shaky breath, her eyes shining with relief and hope. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen.”
I shake my head, tilting her chin up so she has no choice but to see just how serious I am. “You have nothing to apologize for. But I swear to god, I’m never letting you go again.”
A slow smile spreads across her face, and it hits me straight in the chest. “Take me inside, Captain.”
Fuck, I missed hearing her say that.
I grab her bags in a rush, my fingers instinctively finding hers as we head for the door. The moment we step inside, I drop the bags.
She looks perfect here. She’s finallyhome.
A low groan rumbles in my chest, because fuck, I’ve gone too long without her. My hands skim the curve of her waist, greedy for contact. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”
She tilts her head, her lips grazing my throat. My hands flex against her, torn between holding her steady and losing all restraint. Then she drags her hand down the center of my chest until it hovers just an inch above the waistband of my jeans.
“Juliette…”
“I need you,” she whispers, her words like fire against my skin.
I fight to keep my head on straight, but the grip I have on my control is slipping fast. “What happened to my shy lass?”
I can feel her grin against my neck. “Being shy isn’t going to get me what I want.”
“And this is what you want?”
She pulls back to meet my eyes. Then, in a voice so quiet I almost miss it, she breathes, “Desperately.”
That’s it. That’s all I need.
Fuck it.
I don’t need a second invitation.
I don’t think. I just move. Scoop her into my arms like I’ve been longing to do since the second she left. Her breath catches, then spills into a stunned little laugh that shoots straight through me like lightning.
She wraps herself around me, arms around my neck, herlips brushing kisses across my jaw as I take the stairs two at a time. I don’t slow down. I can’t. Not when she’s here and whispering everything I’ve been dying to hear into my skin.
By the time we reach the bedroom, my heart’s damn near punching its way out of my ribs. Adrenaline crashes into need, and still, I somehow manage to set her down with a reverence I didn’t know I was capable of.
It’s hard to believe this is real, but the flush in her cheeks, the rise and fall of her chest, the trust in her eyes—none of it lies. She’s here. She’s mine. And this time, I’m not letting her go.
I lean in, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that steals my breath and sets my blood on fire. I can’t get enough of her, can’t touch her enough, taste her enough.
My hands slide under her shirt, skimming along the warm, silky skin of her back. She arches into me with a soft moan as her fingers work at the buttons of my shirt, her movements growing more frantic with each one.
I break the kiss long enough to pull her shirt over her head, revealing the delicate lace of her bra. My mouth goes dry at the sight of her. I want to map every inch of her with my hands, my lips, my tongue.
The rest of our clothes fall away in a rush, discarded in a heap on the floor, crumpled at our feet. I lay her down on the bed, taking a second to just look at her.Reallylook at her.
