Page 45 of Release You

“Right now it is.” I took another swig.

“You’re nervous.” He sat on the barstool and placed his hands on my hips.

I shook my head once and stepped closer to find my place between his thighs. He surveyed my face as his long fingers slid up to my waist, the curve of my breast, and finally landed on my clavicle, where he pressed against the beat of my heart.

“I’ve spent the last fifteen years trying to replace this thing I feel when I’m with you. But every girl, every woman I ever met always fell short.” He pulled at the lock of hair brushing my arm. “After a while, I convinced myself that whatever I felt back then wasn’t real. That I imagined it, made it up.” His thumb slid across my mouth. “Now that you’re here with me, I know what we had was real. I missed you. All of you. Your stubbornness, the way you see the world like anything is possible, the way you fill a room with energy every time you walk in, and how you’re incapable of telling a proper lie.” He chuckled. An electric charge unfurled near my core. He cradled my neck and kissed me. His mouth was demanding, as if trying to make up for all the years when all we had was a chaste kiss in a dark tunnel. “I never stopped loving you, Nikki. Please tell me you want to try.”

I sighed, a deep moan that let out feelings I’d buried deep inside my soul the day I woke up under the mesquite tree and realized Henry wasn’t coming. I pushed his tuxedo jacket off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor while my fingersswiftly unhooked the studs of his shirt. I wanted this man more than I ever let myself want anything in this life. I wanted Henry Cavalier, the man who could not only see me for who I was, but he also loved me. Just me.

“I want to try.”

He stood. The barstool scraped the marble floor before it fell on its side. He pulled away from me long enough to take his shirt off and undo his pants. The hair dusting his broad chest did things to me, and I couldn’t wait any longer.

“Now, Henry.”

With his lips on that soft spot behind my ear, he pushed the folds of my dress up. His erection rubbed against me. Even through the wet fabric of my thong, I could feel the length of him. He slid his hands up the side of my thighs and lifted me onto a barstool. A part of me said we should slow down, but a bigger part wanted to be with Henry now.

As my ass teetered on the edge of my seat, I reached behind me and took a condom out of my purse. Never in a million years would I have guessed that my return to Paradise Creek would include me rolling on a condom over Henry’s steel-hard cock while he watched me with eyes full of want.

He didn’t bother moving my thong out of the way. Instead, he pinned me against the counter, ripped the delicate lace, and entered me. I gasped and met his gaze while the moment sank in.

We were finally together.

He groaned and moved in deeper, pressing his open mouth against my neck. I ran my hands over his shoulders, followed the line of muscle to his bulging biceps, down to the ridges on his belly. God, he felt incredible as he thrusted into me. Somehow between the condemned hotel, this town, and tonight’s gala, I’d learned to trust Henry. The time we’d lost didn’t matter anymore. We belonged together…always had. With my legs wrapped around his waist, I leaned back to give him full access. His response was to hold me tighter to him.

“You are so beautiful.” He paused to inhale before he cupped my breasts and bent down to suck them through the fabric.

I let my head fall back. Heat and pure raw ecstasy built at my core and slowly scattered out in waves. He released the strap from my shoulder and pulled the top of my dress down to my waist.

A smile touched his lips as he drew soft circles with his index finger over my nipple. “I kicked myself earlier for starting things back at the manor. It was so dark in the room I didn’t get to see you.” He palmed my breast.

“Oh my God, Henry.” I gripped his biceps.

“I’m right here.” He kissed my mouth while he continued his relentless torture of that spot inside me. “They stole so much time from us. How are we ever going to get it back?”

I ran a finger over the creases of his forehead, wishing I could wipe all the pain away with my hands. “We steal it back.”

He wrapped his arms around my waist. A small quiver sprang from my center, and I couldn’t hold it anymore. I squeezed tight around him until sweet release found me, hard and hot, branding every inch of my skin. I scratched the length of his back when a second wave exploded inside me. Kneading my hip, he thrust into me again. His lips brushed my nipple as he found his own release.

“Jesus, Nikki.” He braced his free hand on the edge of the counter, taking ragged breaths.

I leaned back on the bar and kissed his hand. He tasted so good. We stayed in the same position—my face on his palm, his lips on my shoulder, and his cock inside me—until our heartbeats returned to their normal rhythm.

“I can’t move my legs.”

“I should’ve waited until we were upstairs.” He chuckled, slid both hands behind my knees, and picked me off the barstool.

“I’m glad you didn’t. Where are you taking me?” I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head on his shoulder.

“Where you should’ve slept since day one.” He climbed the stairs.

For the life of me, I couldn’t think of a single reason why I shouldn’t spend the rest of the night in his room. Or the rest of my life, for that matter.

He shoved the door open and dropped me on the bed. “Take off your dress.”

“Wow, you get bossy when you’re naked.” I propped myself on my elbows.

He placed a knee on the edge of the bed, looking down at me, making my skin turn red hot. “That dress looks amazing on you. But I want to see you. Take it off.”

---