Page 41 of Cheshire

She shook her head and buried her face in the bedding. I started slowly, giving her time to adjust. Even if I wanted to see if she could take me, I also didn’t want to cause her pain. The next time she clenched, I knew I couldn’t hold back.

I slammed into her, claiming her body as my own with frantic thrusts. Her cries of pleasure only fueled my passion, and I slid in and out of her pussy with long, deep strokes. She begged for more as we lost ourselves in the heat of the moment.

I felt my release building inside me. Refusing to come before she did, I eased my hand between her legs and played with her clit. The moment she came, calling out my name, I grabbed her hips tightly and pounded into her. It only took a few strokes before I filled her up with my cum.

And that’s when I realized how badly I’d just fucked up. Shit!

“Fucking hell,” I muttered. “Eliza, I’m so damn sorry.”

She blinked at me as she rolled to her side. “It didn’t hurt. I mean, I’m sore, but…”

I shook my head. “Not that. I didn’t use a condom. I stopped before because I didn’t have one, but just now… I didn’t even think about it. I was going to stop by the store and grab some, but something came up and I never made it.”

She stared at me, her eyes wide. With a shaky hand, she reached for her belly, pressing her palm against it. Yeah. I could have very well knocked her up without meaning to. And I’d already told her if that happened, I’d never let her go. Fucking hell. If she thought about that, it would probably freak her out.

“I’m an idiot. I never would have…” I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Too late now. “Look, I’m only saying this because it should have been your choice. After everything you’ve been through, the last thing I’d want to do is force a pregnancy on you. I seem to lose my head around you.”

“But you aren’t sorry because you regret being with me?” she asked.

“What? Fuck no!” I stretched out beside her, pulling her into my arms. “Eliza, I could never regret claiming you as my own. But we haven’t talked about kids, or what our future might look like. I may have just robbed you of the chance to decide all that for yourself. When I told you before that a baby would change things, I meant it.”

She cupped my cheek. “The fact you’re worried about it is enough. We can always use protection next time. If it turns out later that I’m pregnant, then maybe it was meant to happen. As for me being yours… I thought we already decided I was.”

I wanted to argue the point, but I couldn’t. If we didn’t have a tie like a kid, then I’d never make her stay if she was miserable. Hell, even with a kid, I wasn’t sure I could do that to her. Her happiness meant everything to me, especially after all she’d been through. Then her words really hit me…

“Are you saying you don’t believe in coincidences? That your father was destined to beat the hell out of you? Because you can’t justify this and not that.” The mere thought of it infuriated me.

“If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have run away. And if I hadn’t run, then I wouldn’t have met you. So yeah, I think everything happens for a reason.”

I couldn’t understand her. If we were supposed to be together, then I had to believe fate would have found a way… without her having to endure so much pain all her life.

“I’m yours now, right?” Eliza asked.

“Yeah, doll. You’re mine.” I kissed her temple. “Not ever letting you go.”

“Good.” She snuggled against me.

“If someone had asked me if I’d ever get caught by a woman, fall for her and want to keep her by my side, I’d have said no fucking way. But you caught me, Eliza. From the moment I first saw you, I was yours.”

“You caught me too,” she whispered back, and those simple words slammed into me harder than any fist ever could.

“Love you.” The confession took me by surprise. Even though I may have thought the words, I hadn’t intended to say them. I glanced at her, wondering if she’d heard me.

Her eyes glowed in the dim light.

“Charlie…” I could hear the wonderment in her voice, a softness I had never known I wanted until now.

“Every damn inch, Eliza. Love every damn inch of you.”

“I love you too,” she said, as she reached for me. She pressed her hand to my cheek. For a guy who was always a step ahead, this moment was uncharted territory -- a place where the cunning Cheshire faded into the background, and Charlie Collins, the man who’d found something worth holding onto, had emerged. Until now, I hadn’t realized there were two sides of me.

This woman was more than I deserved, but I’d be damned if I’d let anyone take her from me.

Chapter Fifteen

Cheshire

My phone’s ring broke the silence in the garage. I’d stepped out here to clear my head, and thankfully the place was empty. I snatched up the phone, the screen flashing “Unknown Caller.” My gut clenched. Nothing good ever came from calls like these.

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