We’ve been a world apart, in different continents, time zones, and still, she became the one person I couldn’t go a day without hearing from. Sometimes it was ten minutes. Sometimes an hour. Sometimes just a text that made me laugh in the middle of a brutal day.
Those calls and texts became the best part of my day. I didn’t realize until just now, hearing those words slip from her lips, how much I’ve come to need them. To need her.
I’m in love with her.
It’s not just affection or loyalty or the protective instinct that kicks in when she’s hurting. It’s all of it. The way she seesthe world, and herself—so damn brave, even when she’s doubting everything.
It’s love, and it’s wrecking me.
The thing about me is, I don’t justsaythose kinds of words. Not unless I know they won’t unravel everything. This is something I don’t want to mess up.
So instead of saying everything that’s climbing up my throat, I just look at her.
She’s not doing anything spectacular. No grand gesture, no big smile. She’s just there, being honest, being her. I want to take her face in my hands and tell her she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. That I’d tear apart the damn planet if it meant keeping her safe.
But I don’t. Instead, I let my hand brush against her cheek, my thumb tracing the line of her jaw. “You don’t have to thank me for that, love,” I whisper, my heart pounding. “I’ll always give you what you need.”
Her lips part slightly, a question hanging in the air, but she doesn’t speak. Instead, she watches me with an unreadable expression. Then, after a beat, she leans down, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to the corner of my mouth.
I tilt my head, not wanting to leave it at that. I catch her lips fully, deepening the kiss just enough to make sure she knows that this isn’t only about tonight or the way she fits against me like she was always meant to be here.
It’s abouther.
Always has been.
eighteen
BREE
I’ve never felt this free. This alive. Hell, at this point, I’m not sure I’ve ever actuallyfeltbefore. I’d let this man ruin me in every way imaginable. He moves, shifting to the edge of the bed, and the loss is immediate. A whimper slips out before I can stop it, because good god, the ache is unbearable, like something vital has been ripped away.
“Easy, Sunshine.” He scoops me up effortlessly, carrying me into the en suite like I weigh nothing. My brain? Nowhere to be found. My body? Fully at his mercy.
He sets me on the counter, his warmth leaving a ghost of itself on my skin, and I can’t do anything but watch, helplessly mesmerized as he adjusts the water. Patient. Unhurried. Like he has all the time in the world. If it were me, I’d be throwing the damn thing to full blast and climbing him like a tree, but he waits, completely in control.
Finally, he comes back to me and slides his hands underneath my thighs. My legs, apparently having a mind of their own, wrap around him instantly. I could probably be madabout that if I wasn’t so damn distracted by how perfectly he fits against me.
As soon as we step into the shower, there’s no doubt that round two is no longer a possibility… It’s inevitable. My body knows it. His body knows it. The universe probably knows it, too.
Steam wraps around us, clinging to me, hot and heavy, as I finally find my feet on the cool tile. The water’s scalding, but it feels like pure heaven. It pours over us in a steady cascade, trailing between us and over every inch of our skin. I’m trying really hard not to get distracted by the way he looks standing there, water running down his torso and the muscles that never seem to quit, but here I am. Completely distracted. Again.
I may or may not be drooling. This man isfine.
I can’t help it. My arms curl around his neck, pulling him closer, because Ineedhim. I need his lips and his body against mine, right now.
He groans into my mouth, the sound vibrating through me and all the way down to my toes. That low, rough noise just might shatter me in the best way. When I think I might lose control, he pulls back, his hands sliding down my spine with a slow, deliberate touch that’s almost too much to handle. They settle on my ass, squeezing gently.
“I brought you in here to take care of you, lass,” he mutters. “Not to fuck you up against a wall.”
I can’t help the grin that pulls at my lips, even though my pulse is thundering in my ears. “I guess I could be cool with either option.”
“You’re insatiable,” he murmurs. Before I can blink, he spins me around.
His hands are sure as they reach for the shampoo, and I swear, I shiver from the mere brush of hisfingers through my hair. It’s so gentle, so tender, as he massages the shampoo into my scalp.
I should be lost in it. Iamlost in it, but then a soft ache creeps in behind my ribs. This is so sweet. Too sweet. My heart can’t quite keep up, and it physically hurts with the thought that this is fleeting.
I’m leaving. This has an expiration date stamped clean across it. Still, his hands are in my hair, and he’s being so careful with me.
