Chapter 31 #2
That’s what he is to me—love and trust, taking and giving, being and feeling everything with him.
We had no slow start, and the finish will be just as dramatic as the race we’ve begun.
I’m madly in love with this man and will happily take what life throws our way because I know we can weather the storm together now.
Kissing my shoulder, the back of my neck, and the top of my head, he lingers there a moment before sliding his hand between my legs and teasing my entrance. “Brace yourself.” It’s just a whisper, a cool breeze against my heated skin, but it brings me back to the here and now unwillingly.
With Cash, I prefer the dark, the stars, the fireworks between us, the blissful abyss, and being lost in him.
And then the command sinks in.
I raise my hands and hold the wall with my palms flat. When his erection is lowered and the tip replaces his fingers, I become a wildfire of nerve endings.
Alive.
Alert.
Anticipating.
Then nothing . . .
I wiggle just enough to overtake him, but he stills my hips and whispers in my ear, “Patience is a virtue.”
“We were never people who honed that trait.”
Surrounding my body and entire being, Cash feels so much bigger than the world I’d built.
My heart pounds, my breath quickening. His hand covers my breast and then goes higher to rest on the mound of it.
Feeling. Stealing my heartbeats like he did the rest of me.
Kissing my shoulder, he asks, “Do you want me, sweet girl?”
Drunk on him, my words come fast, “I want you so—Ah!” I catch myself before my chin hits the tiles. Pressing so deep into me that I feel him in every part of me. He pulls back just as fast but never loses contact.
I brace myself for the onslaught, welcoming it, wanting it, and him so much that I can already taste the delicious completion. “Don’t stop.” A plea embodies the words.
Covering my hands with his, he pushes back in with no reprieve. The onslaught of thrusts and groans, the sounds of our bodies slapping together under the water, and the steam that surrounds us have me dazed. Closing my eyes, I release any tension I was holding on to and give myself to him.
With his arms wrapped around me, I feel . . . I feel . . . I take, and then I press my hands to the wall and push back, take . . . take . . . I take what I need and give him more than I have until the coil unwinds and springs to life inside me. “Oh God, yes. Yes. Yes.”
The sensations are everywhere all at once, dragging me under to where I’ll float freely in the aftermath of my orgasm.
Bringing me back, he slides his hand over my collarbone and neck, higher until his fingers reach my mouth.
Pressing along my lips, he holds me as he penetrates my body, claiming me as his.
I already was, but my soul thrives on the repeated declarations of his heart.
One final hard thrust sends me forward, a sharp breath pushed from my chest as his hand blocks my head from hitting the tile.
The heat of his jagged breath coats my shoulder, and his forehead drops.
We’re lost among the breathless emotions linking us together forever.
Doesn’t matter how much time we were apart.
We were never without each other’s hearts.
Souls. Entire beings. Nothing feels insurmountable when we’re together. The whole universe is ours.
“I missed you,” he says, lifting his head and kissing the side of my neck. “Not this.” He chuckles, turning me around and caressing my cheek. “Definitely this, but also and more of you. I missed you so fucking much. I knew it, but feeling whole again is a damn good reminder.”
My energy has waned, but I reach up to caress his cheek as he is mine. “I love you. I just love you so much, Cash.”
His temple cradles mine, and we take in the overwhelming emotions. I smile, but the best part is when I see him smiling with his eyes closed. I kiss his cheek and whisper, “You missed a spot.”
He leans back. A wry grin crosses his face, and he arches a brow. “Did I now?”
“You did.” I purse my lips to restrain the smile that wants to bloom for this man. I fail. He’s opened my eyes, my heart, my life to unadulterated happiness. This kind of joy just can’t be contained. “Want me to show you?”
He chuckles again. It’s low and growly, and pure sex appeal that speaks right to my core. “I think I know my way around these parts.”
I lean my head back with a wide smile as he finds the spot that needs tending.
When I return the favor, we finish showering and then dry off. With a towel wrapped around his midsection, he reaches for an ointment. I tighten my towel around my chest and take the tube. “May I?”
Somehow, with all we’ve been through, this seems to be what causes his lips to part and another emotion to take over his eyes. Trust shapes his expression, and he nods.
I’m careful, so careful as I start around the edge of his injury, smoothing it over the surface.
He’s still, watching me with rapt affection.
The ripple of his skin, the parts trying to scab over, the burns that will forever leave their mark intimidate me, but I push through, wanting to do anything I can to be a part of his healing as much as his life. “Is this okay?”
“Yes.” His answer doesn’t come easy, so I pause to look up.
“Are you okay?”
“I’ve never had anyone care for me like this.” He looks away. “My mom worked a lot. If I was injured at the track, I had to deal with it myself.”
I finish the final section and stand straight again, in awe of this incredible man opening up to me. “I’m sorry you had to go through that alone.”
He takes a breath, and the smallest of half-hearted grins appears. “It’s okay. It got me here and led me to you.”
I couldn’t have fallen more in love with him, but somehow, I did, all over again and deeper than I ever imagined. “That makes standing on a street corner with a hope and prayer worth the wait.” I lift to my toes and kiss him, and then do it again just because I can. “I love you.”