24. Selene
Selene
What’s happening?
I must be dreaming or imagining things because there’s no way Darby is here with his arms wrapped around me.
But it feels so real.
I can feel his chest rise and fall against me and his warmth sinking into my skin. I can hear the strong and steady sound of his heartbeat and perceive the unmistakable scent of his cologne.
He’s here. He’s really here.
When he left, I thought I would never see him again. After what he said, I expected to see a court order tomorrow and begin a long custody battle.
I would never in a million years have pictured that he would come back and hug me.
I don’t know how long we stand there, holding onto each other like we’ll fall apart if we let go. My body trembles against his, and I’m still processing, but I hold on to him for as long as I can.
But I can’t completely relax. I still don’t know what is happening. I think of what he said and the anger in his eyes again. I need to know what this means for us and what is going through his mind.
Pulling back just enough to look up at him, “Darby,” I say softly. “What are you doing? Why…why are you back here?”
His green eyes are stormy and gleaming with unshed tears, but he doesn’t let go. I shake my head and sniff. “I thought you were angry.”
He grits his teeth but doesn’t break eye contact with me. “I am.”
My heart clenches. Of course, he’s still angry. He has every right to be. The raw pain I heard in his voice and saw on his face. I don’t think I’d ever forget it.
Do you know what you took from me?
Tears build again, and I don’t bother to fight them. I’m not trying to play the victim, but I can’t help the tears. They spill over, trailing down my cheeks. My lips tremble as I open my mouth, but no words come.
I drop my gaze. “I’m sorry,” I sob. “I’m so so sorry, Darby. I know that no excuse can…nothing can excuse my actions. I was a coward.”
I keep sobbing, but I brace myself for his anger, for his disappointment. But then his hand cups my face. His thumb brushes away the wetness on my cheek, and he’s looking into my eyes like he wants to see my soul.
His voice is quieter when he speaks. “I am angry, Selene,” he says again. “I’m hurt and sad and bitter. But among all those emotions, I’m also sorry.”
I blink up at him.
He exhales, his hand sliding to the back of my neck.
“I wasn’t the kind of man you could trust back then.
I know that.” His fingers tighten slightly in my hair.
“And I did think kids ruined things. I grew up with two brothers and saw how frustrating it got for my parents. I was young and ambitious, and having a child was the last thing on my mind.” His throat bobs.
“I understand that you must have been scared.”
I search his face, unsure if I believe him.
“But in the midst of that fear, you made a brave decision. You sacrificed your education to raise our child, and fuck Selene,” he chuckles. “You did one hell of a job.”
I smile a little as I look at him.
“For the time I lost with him, you put your whole life and dreams on hold. What I said about him lacking the basic things of life was bullshit. I know that’s not true. Leo is the happiest, most loved kid I’ve ever met.”
Another sob breaks out from my chest, and he swipes my tears away again. It’s no use because the tears just keep coming. His other hand comes up, his palm pressing over my racing heart. “If you give me a chance now, I’ll do better. I swear, Selene.”
The way he says my name breaks me and fixes me at the same. It’s a strange feeling, and I don’t think there’s a name for it.
Bittersweet forgiveness?
“We’ve both lost so much,” he says. “I can’t bear to lose anymore. My anger? My bitterness? My pain? Let’s share it together. Let’s talk through it. Let’s…fight through it. It doesn't matter. As long as we do it together.”
I don’t need him to say anymore. I’m done talking. I wrap my hands around his neck and press my lips against his. Darby makes a low sound, one that vibrates through my entire body.
His hands slide down my back, pulling me in closer. I grip the front of his shirt, twisting the fabric in my fists as I pour everything into the kiss: the pain, the guilt, the longing.
Mostly the longing.
It’s messy. Desperate. Years of separation collapse into this one moment, but…it’s absolute perfection.
He backs me up against the doorframe, his body pressing against mine. I gasp, and my fingers dig into his shoulders. All that emotion that transpired between us is channeled into lust and a deep desire for each other.
Darby groans, breaking away long enough to rest his forehead against mine. His breath is uneven. He looks at me for a few seconds, and then the most beautiful smile breaks out of his face. It’s like the first ray of sunshine after a very dark and stormy day. My heart sings.
“Can we take this inside?” he asks as I open the door and pull him into my apartment. The door closes behind us, and he kisses me again with a deepness that touches my soul.
His lips are warm and firm, and when I run my fingers through his hair, he groans softly, pulling me closer. I kiss him like a hungry woman, and he returns the energy.
Our lips, our tongues, and our bodies begin to dance together, and I feel drunk. We stumble to the bedroom, and I’m tugging at his shirt.
I run my arms under his rock-hard abs. I explore south and moan when I feel how hard he is. His hand cups my face, but then he pulls back, breathing heavily.
“I want to apologize again for what I said.”
“Please, Darby. This moment is perfect. Let’s not apologize to each other anymore.”
“Does that mean you’d let me make love to you? Here and now?”
“Yes! Yes, that’s what it means!”
Before I can say anything else, he lifts me from the floor. My legs wrap around his waist instinctively, and again, I’m blown away by his strength and the ease with which he carries me.
My legs are around his hips, and his hard arousal is pressing insistently on my lower stomach, the feeling of him driving me insane. One of his hands roughly pulls my panties aside, and his fingers are cruising all over my pussy, diving between my lower lips and spreading my hot wetness.
“Oh fuck, Selene, how are you already so damn wet,” he mutters, as he places me back on the bed.
Because no one makes me feel like you do, no man has touched me in a way that transcends my body and reaches my soul. Because I know that I was made for you, and you were made for me. Because I never stopped loving you.
Slow down, Selene.
You don’t want to scare him off.
His hands slide down my waist, fingers tracing the curve of my hips. He tugs my jeans off and runs his fingers between my bare legs again. The fire that consumes me cannot be explained with words.
I tug at his shirt again, and he pulls it over his head, revealing the toned muscles beneath. I lean into my desire and lick his chest, tasting his salty skin. I run my tongue over the muscles there, and when I reach his nipples, I bite down a little.
“Oh, Fuck,” he groans.
He finishes pulling my top off, leaving me in my bra and panties. I shiver as he presses kisses along my neck and shoulders down to the edge of my collarbone. My fingers work to undo his belt, and the sound of it dropping to the floor sends more heat rushing through me.
His briefs come off next, and I almost pass out from dizziness when his length bounces out. Now, we’re both naked, devouring each other’s bodies with our eyes. I start to stroke his hardness, but he groans and holds my hands.
“I want to taste you, Selene. You know it’s my favorite thing to do. Do I have your permission?”
I nod eagerly, and he pushes me onto my back on the bed. He spreads my legs and settles between them. Then he starts kissing me from my knees all the way up my thighs.
By the time he gets to my sex, I’m dripping and squirming, and my body is calling for him like he’s the air I need to breathe. He inhales my sex, and I look down to see him smiling.
“You are so perfect.”
I bite my lips, and heat floods my cheeks. He takes one long swipe, and he lets loose to really let me have it, licking and sucking.
My back arches off the bed as he slides two thick fingers deep into my sex: his tongue flickers at just the right place. I let out a deep moan.
“Oh... God.”
His skin has a sheen of perspiration, and with his dark eyes fixed on me, he slides his tongue into my pussy. My arousal hits a fever pitch.
His tongue moves in an out of me, his thumb strokes my clit, and I pinch my nipples so I can push the orgasm that keeps teasing me.
Within seconds I’m coming on his face, and I feel him smile as he licks me through the first round of my orgasm. Gently, he stands and looks down at me. His eyes are so dark, and his cock is so swollen, he is so ready.
He climbs over me, and my legs wrap around him like they have a mind of their own, and I pull him close. He reaches between us and guides his bare cock into me, never breaking our kiss.
I feel the moment he enters me and the way my insides spread to accommodate his length. I look down at where our bodies meet, and a tear slides down my cheeks. It feels so good. So damn good.
We begin to move together in a rhythm we perfected years ago. I lift my hips to meet his, and he thrusts with deep, slow movements. Our tongues slide together in a similar dance, tasting, thrusting, withdrawing.
It’s all friction and heat and hands. I dig my nails into his back and drag them down his skin, making him groan. He returns the favor by putting his mouth to my neck, sucking hard enough to leave a hickey.
Darby fucks me until my body begins to pulse yet again, and then he rolls us over so that I’m on top, putting his hands on my hips and digging his fingers in hard enough to bruise.
“Ride me hard,” he commands, and I do gladly.
My hips rock back and forth in a frantic rhythm as I throw my hair back.
I pinch his nipples as I ride him because I know he likes it.
He reaches up, threading his fingers in my hair and pulling me down.
He kisses me hard, biting my lower lip as I work my body against him, feeling his pulse pick up and his muscles tense.
My body works to pleasure us both, slowly drawing another climax from me. From his movements and grunts, I know he’s close, too.
And then we come at the same time. And when we do, it’s like fireworks go off.
Our bodies spasm together. He pulls me down and kisses me hard while still moving inside me. He doesn’t stop thrusting till all my shaking dies down.
Afterward, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me.
“I think you can give me one more,” he mutters, and before I can ask what that means, his fingers slide between my legs and start rubbing against my clit.
“Holy shit,” I murmur, and then he slides three fingers into my pussy. I don’t think I last a minute before I’m swept away again.
Three orgasms.
He curls me into his arms as he licks his fingers. I fall asleep almost immediately.
***
When I wake up, I’m staring into green eyes.
The room is still dim, with the faintest hint of morning light peeking through the curtains. The sheets are tangled around us, and my body is still warm from the night before. I shift slightly, suddenly aware of how close he is.
Darby is propped up on one elbow, his head resting in his hand as he watches me. So intensely that heat rushes to my face.
I must look like a mess with disheveled hair and swollen eyes. I turn, pulling the blanket over my head.
A deep chuckle rumbles from his chest. “Oh, come on. Let me see you.”
I stay hidden.
The bed dips slightly as he moves. Then the blanket is tugged down, slow and teasing. “Darby,” I mumble, my face still turned away.
His fingers brush my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine. “You look beautiful no matter what. Plus, I've been staring at you for over an hour now. And I even took a few pictures.”
I peek at him through the curtain of my hair. “What?”
He chuckles and tries to turn me again, and I finally budge. “You look like an angel,” he says when I roll onto my back. His hand slides across my stomach, and the spot between my legs immediately reacts. She’s a beast.
Then he sighs, and when I meet his eyes, I can tell he’s about to say something serious.
“I want to tell Leo.”