Page 69 of Since Day One

“But you haven’t been back to town since we came here,” I muttered in disbelief, reaching forward with a trembling hand to touch the exquisite fabric. Gently sliding the coat from his fingers, I held it against my chest and smiled.

“I didn’t need to,” he answered. I froze. That meant…

“Since day one?” I whispered, running the coat through my hands, and he nodded.

“Since day one.”

Chapter 25

Ilet the coat drift gently onto the couch, took my hat off, and stepped into his body, kissing him with all the passion I held. He kissed me equally in return, his hands holding desperately to my cheeks as I felt everything within me tell me that this was it. There was nothing holding us back, or holding me back from giving someone else everything.

I tugged at the towel that was pressed between us. It rippled apart as Gunnar broke the kiss, his lips hovering above mine. The fabric fluttered to the floor, whispering against his bare feet, and he blinked rapidly, his gaze holding desperately onto mine, searching for permission. Despite the roaring fear that bubbled up within me, I smiled at him softly, and slid my fingers across the back of his hands before gently guiding them down toward my waist.

He shuddered as his palms pressed against my bare skin. And that simple touch of his broke the fear that was hot within me. Every inch of me felt so peaceful and breathless as his chest rose faster and faster, his fingers digging into my hips. An inch was all that separated my body and his, which was an inch too much.

I stepped forward, and my skin pressed flush against his torso. He gasped and crashed his lips against mine so aggressively. There was no turning back.

“Have me,” I whispered against his mouth. No matter how much reservation still coiled within me, I wanted him to have all of me.

He sharply inhaled, pausing for half a second, and then slid his hands down the back of my thighs, hoisting me off of the ground. It felt like a dream as he carried me to his bedroom and kicked the door closed.

There was a softness from the sheets against my bare skin unlike I’d ever felt before as he gently laid me down. Everything was exposed. His intense gaze wandered across every inch of my naked frame, and sharp chills of nervous anticipation rushed down my spine. He was seeing me. I was letting another man see me. Feeling the prickle of insecurity, I rounded my shoulders forward.

“Don’t hide, Princess,” he whispered.

Trembling, my heart racing so rapidly behind my ribs, Gunnar crawled on top of me and eased a knee between my thighs. I stiffened against the pressure, and he stopped moving forward.

His fingers slid across my collarbone, leaving a trail of electricity, begging for me to let loose entirely. He leaned forward and captured my mouth in his, gentle and tender and as loving as it always had been.

Closing my eyes, I exhaled against his wet, hot kiss, pushing any bashfulness from my body aside as he cupped my cheek and pressed in tighter. That was it, a kiss.

Don’t hide.

I deserved this, he deserved this. I wanted this.

I relaxed my shoulders, opening my legs to make room for him; he must have felt the tension cease as he smiled against my lips.

And I let myself give in completely.

His hands whispered across every inch of my figure, memorizing the curvature of my body. Sparks snapped beneath his fingers as they brushed across my belly and he pressed his palm against my hip, shoving me harder into the bed.

I gasped and tipped my head back as his other hand tucked beneath my back and slid across my bare backside. Fingers dug into my skin, and a deep growl left his lips as he crawled between my legs and sank his hips against mine. Desire pooled low and wet, his arousal evident as I was met with greedy hunger from his kiss. It brushed across my collarbone. Innocent passion shared between us as his delicate yet demanding nature grew; the roaring flames exploding between us.

Tender vulnerability swept between our two bodies, as he leaned slightly away from me. A smile played on his lips as they met mine again, and this time, I chose to freely roam his steel frame. Dancing my fingers across his skin, feeling each divot and curve of muscle that rippled with his movements as he grabbed both of my hips and guided my movements against him.

Wet heat pulsed between my legs, heightening as his hands led me to an understanding of what true, actual love felt like when shared through passionate intimacy. Each touch that sent shivers down our bodies, each kiss shared between us, each swipe of his tongue wherever he wanted, all predicated the moment where we gave in completely.

Not a thread separating us, skin against skin, warm passion mixing with his hand that brushed over my breast and down my side, trickling his way to where he eventually guided me to an almost painful boiling that released into the most euphoric rush I’d ever experienced in my life.

Panting, my chest rising rapidly against his, my nails dug into his back as he whimpered. A moan released from my own lips as hot breath washed over my face when he finally took me. There was never a moment in history that held so much desire, not another instance where another woman had felt more wanted than I did in that moment in time.

Whispers that I would never repeat to another soul left his lips, driving all deprecating thoughts that I’d once had about myself away forever. He saw me entirely; he felt every part of me, tasted all of me, knew me, and still wanted more. Longing and hunger slipped over his tongue, telling me things that I would cherish and hold as the deepest, sweetest secret of all time. No poet, no writer could ever do justice to the words that forever imprinted on my soul from Gunnar.

His breath deepened, quickening as he clenched the sheets beside me, guiding me through his own release. Waiting for this, for him, was all made worth it. And became that moment. A moment that forever changed my life.

His sweaty frame collapsed onto mine, gripping my hair tightly as we both panted and slowly came down from the high. He pressed a simple kiss against my forehead. Tender and innocent, exhausted and sloppy, but perfect. Like honey, dripping with a soul binding moment. An eternity could pass, and he would never be able to erase himself from my world.

How scary that had once been, now only held simplicity and desired vulnerability with it.

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