Page 91 of Reclaiming Adelaide

“Yes, I do.” I bit my lip as my breaths quickened. My heart palpitated in my chest.

I ran my hands up his chest, and he didn’t move.

“Sweets,” he growled. His saddened gaze faltered for a transitory moment, then fell away completely as he looked down at me. “What do you want from me?”

I shook my head. How do I answer that when I don’t know? The guilt ate through me as I contemplated the answer. “You…”for a single night, even if that’s all I’ll ever have again,“to hold me.”

He sighed and wiped his hand down his face, then walked me back toward the bed, stripped off my clothes, and tucked me in like the first night he’d taken me home.

Nostalgia assuaged me as I lived in the past for a fleeting second, only for his bounce on the bed to throw me back like unwanted trash.

He slipped in behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist, his hand resting near my face.

“What would you ask me to promise you?”

I frowned and tucked the side of my face into the plush pillow. “I want you to be there for your child, even if you hate me.”

His warmth heated my back as he squeezed me tight. “That I can promise you.” He kissed the back of my head, prompting a smile I shouldn’t have.

A sob escaped from the painful lump in my throat. My shoulders shook, and agony ripped me open from the inside out.

“Shh, sweets.”

I turned in his arms and rested my forehead against his bare chest, my arms tucked between us. Jake’s warm thighs heated mine as I slipped them between his.

Life wasn’t fair, but I wasn’t even close to being at the bottom of the pits yet. I still had a long way to tumble. The question was, would I be able to climb back out, or would darkness swallow me up?

I tipped my chin towards him and stared at his glacial blue eyes through my blurry tears. Our gazes locked in silent conversation until the urge to touch my lips to his became overbearing.

His soft lips brushed against mine in a gentle caress, reciprocating what I’d hoped wasn’t one-sided emotions. Our lips moved in tandem like a slow dance between old lovers as his hand wound up my spine.

“Make me forget,” I whispered as our lips teased one another.

Jake tucked my hair behind my ear. “You need to remember.”

“Not tonight.” I shook my head. “Please.”

“You’ll regret it in the morning,” he said while studying my no doubt red splotchy face.

Sadness glossed over him, dragging a spiky rake of anguish down my insides.

Don’t reject me. Not when I need this.

I needed him and his comfort like I needed air to survive.

Wrapping my hand around his neck, I pulled his lips to mine and forced his doubt, or chivalrous deeds, away while rubbing my core against the top of his thigh.

A moan rose from my chest, fueling my need for him. “I’ve never regretted a day with you.” My center skimmed over his leg, igniting a fire in my belly and zings of euphoria from between my thighs, right down to my toes.

If I continued, I’d come before he even touched me.

He dipped down and sucked my nipple into his mouth, his tongue swirling around the hardened nub.

My mouth fell open as I tipped my head back, my hips moving harder and faster against him, relishing the pressure building low in my abdomen.

“Come for me, Adelaide. I need you ready.”

He seized my hips and dragged me against his leg. Our open mouths absorbed each other’s breaths as I hung on tight with the ecstasy that flowed through my body. His hand slid down to my lower back as I arched, my toes curling, my eyes pinched tight, and rode my climax. “Jake.”

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