Chapter Eight #2
Her gaze dropped to his lips, full and inviting. Her heart thundered in her chest with longing and trepidation. She knew she should turn away, maintain the walls she’d so carefully constructed. But the magnetic pull between them was undeniable, and she couldn’t hate him for why he walked away.
A ghost of a smile crossed his lips. His gaze searched hers, an ocean of longing and something deeper, a need for acknowledgment. “I’ll give you the kiss your eyes are begging me for,” he whispered, his voice husky with restrained desire. “But I need to hear you say it, Aubrey.”
She swallowed hard, her heart hammering against her ribs. “Say what?”
His hand cupped her cheek, his thumb tracing her lower lip. “I need you to say that night in Atlanta… It was you. What we had, what we felt, it was real.”
Aubrey closed her eyes, memories of that night in Atlanta washing over her. The heat of his touch, the electricity of their connection, it had been undeniable then, just as it was now. She opened her eyes, finding Gunner’s face mere inches from hers, patient and expectant.
“It was me,” she admitted, her words barely audible. “And it was real. God help me, it was real.”
His eyes widened, relief and desire darkening their depths. “Aubrey,” he breathed her name on his lips.
In an instant, the space between them vanished. Gunner’s mouth claimed hers, urgent and tender all at once. She melted into the kiss, her hands grabbing the soft fabric of his shirt. The taste of him—woodsy and something uniquely Gunner—overwhelmed her senses.
Their lips moved in a dance of rediscovery, each stroke of tongue and gentle nip rekindling the fire that had smoldered between them so long ago.
“I’ve dreamed about this,” Gunner murmured against her lips, his hands framing her face. “About you.”
Aubrey pulled back slightly, her breath coming in short gasps. “Gunner, I, we can’t just…”
He silenced her with another kiss, softer this time. “We can be whatever we want to be. No more runnin’.”
She searched his face, finding sincerity etched in every line. “I’m not the same person I was that night,” she whispered, vulnerability lacing her words.
Gunner’s thumb traced her cheekbone. “Neither am I. But this—us—it’s still here. Can’t you feel it?”
Aubrey nodded, unable to deny the electric current humming between them.
She leaned in, initiating the kiss this time, pouring the longing she’d felt into the connection.
As Gunner’s arms encircled her, drawing her closer, she allowed herself to hope that maybe, just maybe, they could heal each other’s wounds.
His fingers trailed down Aubrey’s neck, tracing her collarbone before settling on the top button of her blouse. His eyes, dark with desire, searched hers for permission.
“Are you sure?” he whispered, his voice husky.
Aubrey’s heart raced. “Yes,” she breathed, surprised by the steadiness in her own voice.
With deliberate care, Gunner unfastened the first button, pressing a soft kiss to the newly exposed skin. Aubrey shivered, her nerves singing at his touch.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, his lips brushing against her throat as he worked on the next button.
Her fingers tangled in his hair as each piece of clothing fell away. His kisses mapped a trail of fire across her skin, from the curve of her shoulder to the valley between her breasts.
“Gunner,” she gasped, overwhelmed by the sensations he was evoking.
He looked up, his eyes meeting hers. “Tell me what you want, darlin’.”
The vulnerability in his gaze matched her own, she was sure, and Aubrey felt a surge of courage. “I want you,” she whispered. “All of you.”
Gunner’s response was a low growl as he captured her lips once more, his hands roaming her body with newfound urgency. She arched into his touch, every nerve aflame with desire.
As his lips traced a path down her body, her thoughts scattered. She surrendered to the moment, to the connection that had haunted her too.
Her world narrowed to a pinpoint of exquisite sensation as Gunner slid between her legs and his mouth found her most sensitive spot. Her fingers clutched at the blanket beneath her, a soft moan escaping her lips.
“Oh, God,” she breathed, her head falling back as waves of pleasure coursed through her body.
His touch was both intense and passionate, his tongue moving in rhythmic patterns that left her gasping. Her mind raced, torn between the physical ecstasy and the emotional intensity of the moment.
This is so much more than Atlanta, she thought hazily. So much more than she ever imagined.
“Gunner,” she panted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I—”
He looked up, his eyes dark with desire. “Let it all go,” he murmured.
His words, coupled with the renewed focus of his attention, sent Aubrey spiraling over the edge. Her climax crashed over her like a tidal wave, release flooding every cell of her body.
As the aftershocks subsided, she found herself reaching for him, an urgent need to reciprocate overwhelming her. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt.
“My turn,” she said, her voice husky with emotion.
Gunner’s lips quirked into a smile. “Take your time. We’ve got all night.”
Her hands explored his newly exposed skin, tracing the contours of his chest and abs. She marveled at the familiar yet thrilling sensation of his body under her fingertips.
“You know,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his collarbone, “I’ve dreamed about this more times than I care to admit.”
Gunner’s breath hitched. “Aubrey, I—”
She silenced him with a kiss, pouring all her pent-up longing into the connection.
As she continued to undress him, she felt a sense of coming home, of finally allowing herself to embrace the connection they’d forged that night in Atlanta, and that she’d been running from since she arrived in Timber Falls.
Her heart raced as she watched Gunner reach for his wallet. Her gaze followed his movements, transfixed. She reached out, gently taking the condom from him. “Let me,” she whispered.
As she rolled the protection onto his thick hard cock, his hands settled on her hips, his touch both steadying and electrifying. Aubrey could feel the slight tremor in his fingers, urgency claiming her.
“You’re sure about this?” he asked with emotion heavy in his voice.
Instead of answering with words, she shifted, positioning herself above him. She paused, savoring the moment of connection, before slowly sinking down onto him. The sensation was overwhelming, filling her completely.
“Oh, God,” she breathed, her eyes fluttering closed.
Gunner’s grip on her hips tightened. “You are so damn beautiful,” he said softly.
She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze. The intensity she found there nearly took her breath away. Slowly, she began to move.
Her body responded to the rhythm of his, their movements becoming more urgent and synchronized.
Their skin slick with sweat, they moved harder and faster, lost in the ecstasy of pleasure.
It rose and rose until she was trembling and fighting the scream trying to tear from her lips, and he was bucking and jerking and groaning his release beneath her.
For a moment, they lay entwined, hearts pounding, trying to catch their breath. She raised her head to look at him, and he smiled at her with a tenderness she had never seen before.
He chuckled. “I can hear you thinking from here.”
She slid off him and lay on her side, propping herself up on one elbow, studying his face in the flickering light. “I’m just…processing, I guess,” she admitted softly.
His hand came up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Regrets?” he asked, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
“No,” she said quickly, surprised by how true it felt. “It’s more like…where do we go from here?”
A slow smile spread across his face. “Well, we could start with breakfast. I make a mean stack of pancakes.”
Aubrey couldn’t help but laugh, the tension in her chest easing. “I’m being serious.”
His expression sobered, and he reached out to cup her cheek. “So am I. I know we’ve got a lot to figure out, so let’s just figure it out, okay?”
She sighed, leaning into his touch. “Okay.”