Page 26 of Wait for You

Mateo

One kiss and he was hard as a rod. He’d wanted Imogen here the moment he’d laid eyes on her again. Cuddling with her in his bed, feeling those luscious curves molded against him, had been the ultimate test of his restraint. But he’d managed to keep his hands respectable, even if his thoughts had run rampant. He’d fallen asleep to memories of the things they’d done together in this bed.

But waking to find Imogen in a heap on the floor had cooled his libido. He felt like an ass for not realizing how the dark would affect her. He thought he’d known everything about this woman, but somehow, she’d hidden her fear from him. He’d noticed how she always kept a slit in the curtains, but he’d just taken it for granted as one of her quirks. The same way he always checked the locks before going to bed.

A part of him was glad she finally told him about her phobia, but he ached for the little girl she’d been. No child should haveto endure what she did. He’d had his own tough situations bouncing from foster home to foster home, but nothing so scarring as what she’d dealt with. If there was a way he could take away her fear, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

Climbing on his lap, she hummed in pleasure and deepened their kiss. Too many years apart and too many regrets left him feeling as parched as a cactus in the desert. She was his last drop of water. Or the cocktail he needed—sweet as sugar with a kick like tequila.

“Imogen,” he murmured her name against their joined lips. Though she kissed him with enthusiasm, she hadn’t given him the green light. A kiss could just be a kiss.

She leaned back, locking her arms around his neck. He couldn’t see her dark eyes clearly enough, even with the light filtering through the crack in the curtains. But humor filled her voice when she asked, “What?”

“Are you sure this is what you want?”

The pause was so pregnant he expected triplets. It put him through hell, not being able to see her expression.

“You love me?” Though soft, her tone didn’t waver on the question.

Mat slid his hands down her arms until they rested around her neck. “Yes.” He stroked the delicate skin at her collarbone with his thumb. “I think I always will.”

He caught her head nod, and then she said, “I love you, too. I always have.” She paused as if she didn’t want to admit what she was about to say, “Even when I hated you for leaving, I still loved you.”

The truth tore his heart open. He bled for the life they could’ve had together. The one he’d thrown away. Regret filled his voice as he begged, “I made a mistake, Gen. Can you forgive me for it?”

The way she only watched him opened a chasm in his gut.

“I was wrong to make the choice for you. We shoulda talked about it.” Tilting her face, he tried to see her eyes more clearly. “Whenever we hit bumps in the road, I promise to talk ’em through with you.” He thought the chocolate in her gaze warmed, so he tried again. “Can you give me another chance?”

Instead of answering, she kissed him. Her admission had triggered his need, and with her mouth on his, desire took over.

Too long.

It had been way too long since he’d had Imogen in his bed. If they were going to do this, it would be fast.

At least this first time.

She was petite but generously curvy. When she raised up on her knees, her hair fell like black rain to tease his bare chest. Drowning in her taste and her touch, he couldn’t get enough. Their kiss was a fever; it overheated his brain until all he could do was get lost in her. He tangled his hands in her lush mane, then raced them over her skin.

God, he’d missed her curves. She was soft here at the swell of her hip. Toned there as he trailed a hand across her stomach. A combination that portrayed her perfectly. Her heart might be too big for her own good, but he knew the strength she hid underneath.

Desperate to see what he had his hands on, Mat pulled his shirt off her body. Imogen’s nipples peaked with the chill, so he warmed them with his mouth. She was firm and full and everything he’d ever dreamed of.

And he’d dreamt plenty, especially in the first year after they parted ways. There’d been many restless nights where he’d woken hard and aching.

But no longer.

Imogen moaned, and he laid her back on the bed, trailing kisses down her body. He stopped at the apex of her thighs, where she wore only the orange bikini bottoms from hercostume. He relished her quick catch of breath when he trailed a finger under the material. He tested her heat with his finger, and she was more than ready for him.

Catching her gaze, he lifted his hand to his mouth and watched her as he tasted her. She made a sexy little sound that had his stomach muscles contracting.

“So sweet.” Mat smiled, and though he couldn’t be sure in the dark, he thought he might’ve made her blush. It graveled out his voice as he commanded, “Lift your hips, beautiful.”

When she complied, he lowered the bottoms down her legs.

Hovering over her, he promised, “First, I’m gonna make you come with my mouth. Then we’re gonna fuck ‘til you scream.” He licked the valley between her breasts, and she shivered underneath him. “That sound good to you, Gen?”

He fondled her nipple, making her squirm. “Yes, please, Mat.”

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