Chapter 20
Chapter twenty
Reunited for Good
Cash
Her fingers found the edge of my shirt, tugging me closer. Our lips met in a kiss that started tentative, hesitant, like we were testing the waters, like we were standing on the edge of something fragile.
A flicker of memory hit me then: the night she'd left, my hand reaching for hers and catching nothing but air. That sting lived in this hesitation, this breath we shared before diving in again. But the second I tasted her, the hunger I’d kept buried surged to the surface.
The kiss deepened, urgency replacing caution. Her mouth moved against mine with a familiarity that lit something deep inside me, a rush of heat and memory so sharp, I had to steady my breath.
The way her lips moved against mine stirred images of late nights on the porch swing, whispered laughter under the stars, and the hollow ache that followed when she disappeared.
It all came rushing back, tangled with need and a desperate, aching hope. Something I thought I’d lost that felt both comforting and exhilarating.
I gripped her waist, my hands firm but careful. I didn’t want to spook her, not after everything. But as she sighed to my mouth, I felt the tension melt from her body. She was here, really here, and it felt like we’d both been holding our breath for years.
Every touch was instinct. My hands slid beneath her shirt, mapping her body, relearning every dip and swell, every freckle I trace like a map to someplace safe. Her nipples hard. She shivered under my fingers, her breath catching as I kissed my way down her neck.
She whispered my name, and damn if it didn’t ground me, a breathy echo that stirred something buried deep.
For a split second, it reminded me of that summer night under the stars, when she’d looked at me like I was her whole world, before everything shattered.
Now, that same look was back, and it nearly brought me to my knees.
We stripped away the layers between us, not rushed, but deliberate. Her shirt slipped off her shoulders, mine followed without a thought. The second our bare skin met, I felt like my tension finally went away.
I kissed her again, deeper, my tongue tangling with hers as if I could rewrite the past with the way I held her now. My hands roamed her back, drawing her in until there was no space left between us.
She pressed closer, fitting against me like she always had, perfectly. My lips found her collarbone, lingered in the hollow of her throat. Her breath came in fast little gasps, her eyes closed like she was riding a high she didn’t want to end.
Her heart thudded against mine. Same rhythm. Same need.
My hands found her sides, sliding down until I brushed the waistband of her jeans. She trembled, her grip tightening on my shoulders.
I looked up at her, searching, needing her to say it. She nodded, gave me that soft, unguarded smile that undid me every time.
I unbuttoned her jeans slowly, my fingers clumsy with reverence. She stepped out of them, flushed and glowing, her eyes never leaving mine. I dropped to my knees, my hands gliding up her thighs, brushing the lace of her panties.
She gasped, her head falling back when I kissed her inner thigh.
Her skin tasted like sun-warmed honey, a hint of salt clinging to her from the day, and something deeper, like childhood summers and the scent of hayfields after rain, like the first time I ever realized she might be the one.
That was home. I hooked my fingers in the elastic and slid them down her legs, watching her every move like she was the last miracle on earth.
We moved slowly as if to make this last forever.
She stood there, bare and breathtaking, and I couldn’t look away.
I rose, pulled her close, my hands roaming, memorizing. I kissed her again, lifting her as her legs wrapped around me. She moaned into my mouth, her nails biting into my shoulders as I carried her to the bed.
I laid her down gently, bracing my weight with my elbows, and kissed a path from her lips to her chest. I traced the curve of her breast with my tongue, took one nipple into my mouth, grazed it with my teeth until she arched beneath me.
She cried out, pressing her hips against mine. I moved lower, trailing kisses down her stomach, my hands spreading her thighs. I kissed the inside of her knees, let my breath ghost over her, made her squirm and whimper.
I looked up. She nodded, lips parted, chest rising and falling fast. I kissed her, tasted her, worshiped her with my mouth and hands. Putting fingers inside of her and feeling the tightness around them with my thumb touching her in a way, she let out a sound that made shivers run through me.
She moaned, gripping the sheets, her body trembling as I brought her closer and closer. Her muscles tightened, her breath caught. I didn’t stop, didn’t slow, not until she cried out, her orgasm crashing through her.
I kissed my way up her body, and when she reached for me, guided me, wrapped her legs around my waist, I followed without question.
I slid inside her slowly, savoring every inch. Her warmth, her tightness, it undid me.
We moved together, a rhythm older than us, deeper than memory. Her hips met mine, her nails dug into my back, her breath mingled with mine.
I whispered her name, felt my body coil tight, release building. She cried out, and that did me in.
We came together, loud and lost in each other. I collapsed beside her, heart racing, skin slick with sweat.
She turned to me, eyes soft, lips smiling. I wrapped my arm around her waist, rested my hand on her hip. We lay there, breath syncing, hearts slowing. "I'm home for good Cash." She said softly but with meaning.
The room was quiet except for us. I kissed her hair, traced circles on her skin.
She curled closer, fitting into me like a missing piece finally found, and for a heartbeat, I let myself imagine a future, one where this wasn’t just a fleeting night, but the start of something I never thought I’d get back.
She was here. With me.
And for the first time in a long time, I let myself believe it wasn’t just a moment. And my heart was finally happy.
My past was now behind me. This was the beginning.