Page 108 of Searching for Valor

She tugged on her lower lip with her teeth. “Mm, when you call me darling that in the slow Southern drawl, even in public, I get so wet.”

“I can feel that,” he growled, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her hip as she rode him harder, faster. “You’re so damn wet for me. So tight and perfect.”

Izzy whimpered, her nails raking down his chest, leaving red marks in their wake. Rylan reveled in the sharp sting and surged up, wrapping his arm around her waist and capturing her lips in a heated kiss. She moaned into his mouth, the sound vibrating through him. She clenched tighter around his length, drawing him deeper into her silken heat. She was trembling.

He tore his mouth from hers and trailed kisses along her jaw to the sensitive spot below her ear. “You like it when I talk dirty to you, darlin’?” he murmured, his voice a low rumble. “When I tell you how good you feel wrapped around my cock, so hot and tight and perfect?”

She shuddered in his arms, her nails digging into his shoulders. “Rylan, please...”

“Please what, darlin’? Tell me what you need.”

“You,” she gasped. “I need you. I’ve always needed you. I’ve always wanted you.“

Something deep inside him cracked open at her raw, honest confession. The last vestiges of his anger and hurt dissolved, replaced by an overwhelming surge of love and desire.

“I need you too, Izzy. I never stopped needing you, even when I tried to hate you.”

Rylan crushed his mouth to hers in a bruising kiss, pouring every ounce of pent-up emotion into the slide of his lips andtongue against hers. She met him with equal fervor, her fingers threading through his hair to hold him close.

He thrust up into her, hard and deep, swallowing her cry of pleasure. Picking up the pace, he drove into her again and again as she rocked against him, their bodies moving in perfect sync.

Then she stiffened and her inner muscles tightened around him like a fist. She broke the kiss with a sharp cry, her head falling back, her body shuddering as her orgasm crashed. Rylan groaned at the exquisite sensation of her climax rippling along his length, gritting his teeth against the urge to come.

The sight of her lost in passion, knowing he was the cause, sent a primal surge of satisfaction through him. He wanted to brand himself on her body and soul, to claim her in a way that went beyond the physical.

He held her close while she rode out the aftershocks, whispering words of praise and devotion against her damp skin. “That’s it, darlin’. I’ve got you. You’re so beautiful when you come for me.”

Izzy collapsed against his chest, her breath coming in ragged pants. He smoothed his hand down her back in long, soothing strokes, savoring the feel of her soft curves molded to his harder planes. He was still achingly hard inside her, but he forced himself to remain still, giving her time to recover. When her breathing steadied, she lifted her head and met his gaze, her eyes soft and sated. She lifted a hand to cup his bearded cheek, dragging her nails lightly through the short hair.

“I love you, Rylan,” she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. “I never stopped loving you, even when I thought I’d lost you forever. I’m so sorry for what I did, for how much I hurt you. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you’ll let me.”

His heart clenched at her heartfelt apology. He cupped her face in his hand, his thumb brushing away the single tear thatescaped down her cheek. “I forgive you. Honestly, I forgave you the moment you walked back into my life. I was just too damn stubborn and proud and… lost, I guess, to admit it. I love you, Isabella. All of you. The good, the messy, the parts you think you need to hide. I love your fierce heart and your wicked sense of humor and your dedication to your family. I love the way you fight for what’s right, even when it costs you everything. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, and I was a fool for denying my attraction to you. But I’m done with that. I don’t deserve you, but I’m not letting you go ever again. I’ve never wanted anything more than I want us.”

Izzy’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she searched his face. “You mean that? You really forgive me?”

“With all my heart,” Rylan said, his voice rough with emotion. He pulled her down for a tender kiss, pouring all his love and longing into it. His hand slid down her back to cup her ass, pulling her tighter against him. She gasped as the movement shifted him inside her, reminding them both that he was still hard and aching.

“Rylan,” she breathed, rocking her hips. “You didn’t...”

He groaned at the exquisite friction. “Wanted to make sure you were taken care of first, darlin’.”

“Then let me take care of you now.” She pushed him back to the mattress and lifted herself up only to sink back down on him in one smooth motion. She set a punishing pace, her hips rolling and grinding against him with desperate intensity. Rylan met her thrust for thrust, his hand gripping her hip hard enough to bruise. The room filled with the sounds of their ragged breathing and the slap of flesh on flesh.

Rylan’s head fell back against the pillow with a guttural moan. “Fuck, Izzy…” He wanted to watch her come undone again, to see the pleasure flush her face as she shattered in hisarms, but his own climax was building fast, unstoppable. “I’m close.”

She leaned down, her breasts brushing against his chest as she nipped at his earlobe. “Let go,” she whispered, her hot breath sending shivers across his skin. “I’ve got you.”

With a guttural moan, he surrendered, arching off the bed, burying himself deep inside her. Pleasure exploded through his body as he spilled himself inside her, his vision going white at the edges. He vaguely felt her inner muscles flutter with another, softer orgasm and heard her breathy gasp as she trembled through it, but he was too lost in sensation to enjoy the sight of her coming undone again.

Rylan came back to himself slowly, his heart pounding and his breath ragged. Izzy was draped over him, her face tucked into the crook of his neck. He could feel her rapid pulse against his skin, her body still trembling with aftershocks. He wrapped his arm around her, holding her close as they both caught their breath.

“Holy shit,” Izzy mumbled against his throat.

Rylan chuckled. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

“That second one caught me off guard.”

“Caught me off guard, too,” he murmured and gave her ass a gentle smack. “You about sucked me dry. Not that I’m complaining.”

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