Page 94 of Crossroads of Love

My heart feels like it’s going to explode. The air is thick with the weight of everything unsaid, but I don’t need words. I don’t need to think. I lean in, close the distance between us, and press my lips to his.

It’s slow at first, tender as if we’re both savoring the moment we’ve been waiting for. But then it deepens, his lips moving against mine with more urgency, more need, and I’m lost. His hand tangles in my hair, pulling me closer, and I can’t help the soft moan that escapes me as I melt into him.

The world fades away, the food left forgotten on the table. There’s only Gavin, his hands on my skin, his lips on mine, and the undeniable pull between us that’s been there all along.

When we finally pull apart, we’re both breathless, our foreheads still pressed together. His eyes are dark, filled with something raw and unfiltered, and I know mine must look the same.

“I don’t want this to be a one-night stand or friends-with-benefits thing. I’m clarifying right here, right now, that you’re mine.”

Sweet Jesus, why did those words make my knees go weak?

Tears prick at my eyes as I suck in a breath. I’ve wanted to hear those words for so long, and now that I have, it’s like eighteen years of anger and insecurity is just…gone. I mean, I know that it’s not, but I feel so much lighter, so much happier after hearing those words.

I nod, my heart pounding. “I want that, too.”

He smiles, that slow, sexy grin that always undoes me, and I giggle. He joins in, his chuckle low and warm. Suddenly, we’re both laughing, the tension breaking as we hold each other under the fading light of the sunset.

This feels right. It feels like everything I didn’t know I needed, and as his hand slides down to the small of my back, pulling me against him once more, I know that I’m more than ready to see where it takes us.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Gavin

She’s mine.

She’s always been mine in some way or another, but I was too blind to see that.

I need her to see that I’m serious about this. I need her to feel it.

I know she’s fighting demons of all sorts, and I need to make sure she knows we’re stable together.

I will not be responsible for breaking her heart ever again.

I tip Lena’s chin up so she’s looking at me. I brush my lips against hers softly, just as she molds herself to me. Both hands are on the side of her face as I deepen the kiss. Her hands slide up my chest as she pulls me closer, her fingers tangling in my hair.

The chilly wind swirling around us is forgotten as our embrace grows tighter, pulling each other closer. I start to pick her up, but she shakes her head as she pulls away. She reaches down and laces our fingers together before she leads me inside the house, up the stairs, and finally, into her bedroom.

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions,” she breathes as she tugs me back into her.

Noted.

She reaches up and kisses me hungrily, her fingers curling into my shirt. I pick her up, her legs wrap around my waist as I turn and carry her to the bed. I gently lay her down.

I stand at the foot of her bed and peel off my shirt. She sits up, her hands going to my belt as she makes quick work of it and the button and zipper.

I like a hungry girl.

Before I can stop her, her mouth is on my engorged shaft. She licks the length of me hungrily, her eyes never leaving mine. Her tongue swirls around the tip before taking me deeper into her warm, wet mouth. I moan softly, my hands sinking into her hair as I watch her skillful technique.

Her hands stroke my thighs, teasing and tempting me further. I can feel my control slipping away as she takes me deeper, her mouth moving in time with her hand. I run my hands through her soft hair.

With each inch she takes, my body tenses, anticipating the pleasure that's to come. I watch as she adeptly moves her head up and down, manipulating me with an expertise that leaves me breathless. Her tongue darts out to trace the outline of my shaft before swirling around the top, sending shock waves of pleasure coursing through me.

I pull her away gently, but she shakes her head.

“Not yet,” I tell her with a laugh.

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