Chapter Twenty-Six
REID
I LOWER MYSELF next to her, taking in every inch of her.
The soft rise of her chest, the faint flush along her skin, the way her eyes search mine like she’s still trying to convince herself this is real.
I trail my fingertips up her ribcage, lingering on a pert pink nipple.
Dipping my head, I take it in my mouth, sucking gently.
She lets out a breathy moan, and I move to the other side, desperate to hear it again.
“Reid,” her breath comes out like a whisper, a plea and a question all at once.
I meet her eyes, brushing blond hair off her forehead. “It’s been…a long time for me.” I say, my voice low and unsteady. “Just…tell me what you like, okay?”
I run a palm up her side and a shiver runs through her.
“I like…you. All of it,” she breathes, closing her eyes.
That’s all I need. I move slowly, giving her time to feel, to breathe. The tension between us hums, thick and electric. Every sigh, every touch saying the things we’ve both been too afraid to speak aloud.
I slide a finger through her center and feel just how much she wants this. My name falls from her lips again as I hover over her, kissing down her sides until she’s trembling. I lick across her hipbones, and she hisses.
“Is this okay?” I pause, looking up at her.
“Y-yes. Please.” Her words are barely audible.
It’s been years since I’ve been intimate with someone I care about. When I first returned from active duty, I took women out, but it never lasted more than a couple of weeks. They asked too much of me. I don’t know what Emery wants, but I want to give her everything.
I move lower, planting kisses on her inner thighs before parting her folds and sinking my mouth into her. She cries out with pleasure, and I take it as a sign to keep going.
I flick my tongue over the bud of nerves, alternating between biting and sucking. When her legs begin to tremble, I slide in a finger, then another, feeling her walls swell against my hand.
“Reid,” she moans. “This is…”
“Don’t hold back,” I growl.
“It’s too much,” she cries, and I sink my tongue further into her, dragging my teeth over her swollen nub.
That does it, she comes undone around me. When I look at her again, her cheeks are flushed, lips parted. Her eyes are glassy with emotion, but a content smile spreads across her face.
“That was incredible,” she whispers.
I move over her again, my eyes meeting hers. She traces a hand along my jaw, our gazes locked.
“Do you…want more?” she asks, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.
“I do if you do,” I say, my voice husky.
She brings her arms up around my neck then, a teasing smile playing on her lips. “Oh, I do.”
She tugs at the waistband of my boxers, pushing them down and freeing my rock hard dick.
Her breath hitches but her hand wraps around my length, gently stroking. A growl rumbles through me.
“Baby,” I murmur.
“I’m on the pill,” Emery offers. “I haven’t been with anyone new in five years.”
I swallow, pushing the thought of her with anyone but me from my mind.
I haven’t been with anyone in years, but I don’t say that. She feels like she’s always been mine.
I clear my throat. “I’m good too.”
Emery pulls me to her, kissing me deeply. This kiss is different than our earlier ones. They were urgent, hungry. This is tender, like she’s been yearning for it in the same way I have. I kiss her back, my hands finding her hair, my dick hovering over her slick heat.
She reaches down and rubs the tip between her folds, and I let out a groan.
“I’m ready for you,” she whispers, kissing me again.
Her hands find my hips, and she pulls me to her.
It’s tight at first, I am only halfway in, but Emery shimmies her hips and opens wider and I sink into her.
The rush of emotion overwhelms me. I’ve been without it so long, I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be this close to someone, not just the touch but the trust beneath it.
I move with fervor, driven by the ache, the longing I’ve felt for connection—for her.
My hands find hers above her head and it’s like we’re anchored together.
Her gasp hits my neck, and the sound goes right through me.
My hands tremble where they rest on her skin and my mouth finds hers again. I could live inside her forever.
The years between now and the last time I let myself get this close to someone come rushing back to me.
The walls I built to keep people out, the guilt I carried, the belief that I’m better off numb.
All that comes crashing down with every quiet sigh, with every look she gives me that says she sees me and all my scars.
Emery arches her back, meeting me thrust for thrust. The pressure inside me coils tighter, at the feel of her bare, burning through every nerve until it breaks.
My whole body shudders with it—relief and ache all tangled together.
For a heartbeat, there’s nothing but white noise in my head and the sound of her name on my lips as she finds her release with me.
I collapse on top of her and roll to my side, the whole world fading away except the two of us breathing the same air.
For the first time in weeks, I’m not thinking about danger, or guilt, or keeping her safe.
I’m just here, with her heartbeat against mine, our hands clasped together, the steady rise and fall of her chest under my palm.
It feels like coming home to a place I didn’t know existed.
And suddenly, I’m terrified. Because if anything ever happens to her, I don’t know what would be left of me after that.
I press a kiss to her temple and whisper her name, just to hear it on my tongue.
Then—beep-beep-beep!
We both jolt upright, startled by the piercing sound of the smoke detector. The smell of something burnt hits my nose.
Emery bursts out laughing. “Shit! The potatoes.”
I drop my head to her shoulder, laughing too, the tension dissolving into something warm. “I distracted you.”
“It was worth it.” She sighs.
I swing my legs out of bed, ready to grab the fire extinguisher, then I turn back, kissing her softly. “Definitely worth it.”
SUNLIGHT CUTS THROUGH the blinds, thin gold lines across her skin.
Emery is asleep in my arms, her breathing is soft and peaceful, like the last few weeks never happened.
Her blond hair spills over my bare chest, tickling me, but I don’t dare move.
I let myself feel it. The weight of her leg draped over mine, the sweet scent of her hair, the softness of her bare breasts on my skin. It feels like home.
After some take out, we fell back into bed, exploring each other all night long. It’s the most connected I’ve ever been to anyone. Emery can read me like a book, and it scares the fuck out of me.
And yet, last night was a mistake I’d make a thousand times over. It was her hands on my back, her voice in my ear, the way she says my name like a promise and a prayer. Every wall I’ve worked so hard to build, gone in an instant.
All this time I told myself I was protecting her. Getting tangled up with her puts her at risk. This is about safety. But I was lying to both of us. I was protecting myself. Now that I’ve let her in, she’s the only thing I’m terrified to lose.
She stirs, a soft sound escaping her throat as her palm moves over my chest, finding the scar there. My hand finds hers and my heart twists.
“You okay?” she murmurs, half-asleep.
“Yeah.” I clear my throat. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
She smiles against my skin, her eyes still closed. “It’s okay.”
“Go back to sleep. It’s early.” I brush a strand of hair off her face and press a kiss on her forehead.
“Mmm,” she hums, curling in the crook of my arm. I pull her in closer, savoring the feel of her against me.
But I can’t ignore the familiar feeling of dread, like something is coming. My gut is tight with the old familiar instinct. It never stays quiet for long.
I’ll let her sleep a little while longer, let her think everything’s okay.
Then I’ll get Tate to help me pull the traps she left in the marsh. We’ll check the docks, scope out the cottage. Keep our guards up, see if anything is out of place.
For now though, I let myself breathe her in. Let the world stay still.
Just for a little while longer.