Page 3 of Anything For This Love

A wicked grin tips up one corner of his mouth as he undoes his jeans and steps out of them. My mouth goes dry when he pushes his boxer briefs past his erection and it bobs in response to being set free. He lowers himself back onto the bed, placing a knee between my ankles. I instinctively let my legs fall open as he crawls over my body, stopping with his mouth hovering just above my hips. I lean up on my elbows and watch unblinking as his head lowers and he kisses the space just above my panty line. His lips trail a path downward until I feel his hot breaths on my clit, the thin lace of my panties doing little to block out the rush of heated air.

His hands skim up the outside of my thighs, his fingers dipping under the edge of my panties and tugging. I lift my hips, allowing him to slip the scrap of lace down my legs and toss it to the floor. He’s back in an instant, his tongue meeting my sensitive flesh and circling the tender bundle of nerves. My back bows off the bed, his name leaving my mouth on a shout. He brings me to the edge quickly, pushing first one finger and then a second inside me to send me over the precipice.

He kisses up my stomach and between my breasts, his lips finding mine. “Fuck, you taste good,” he growls. “Even better than I remember.” His mouth seals over mine, his tongue probing inside and swirling around my own.

Reaching across to his nightstand, he pulls the drawer open and digs out a condom, sheathing himself before settling his hips between mine. My palms flatten against his chest and slide over his shoulders, enjoying the feel of his hard muscles under my hands before snaking my arms around his neck. I pull him to me, kissing him fiercely as he pushes inside. Moaning against his mouth, I hook my legs around the backs of his thighs, urging him in deeper.

With one hand planted beside my head, his free hand slides my bra strap down my arm before tugging on the cup and exposing my breast. His lips close around the tight peak and I suck in a breath. My core tightens, my inner muscles gripping him harder and he groans. My nipple pops free of his mouth, pink and glistening, and he looks down at me. He stares into my eyes, the intensity almost too much to bear, but I don’t break eye contact. I let him see me to the depths of my soul. This man that I love, the one who owns every part of me, tells me everything I need to know with just one look.

He will do anything for this love.

And so will I.

Chapter Two

Jacob

Abby stirs nextto me but doesn’t wake. Her breathing is slow and even, an occasional snore breaking the steady rhythm. I push a few strands of chestnut hair from her face to get a better look at her. She seems so peaceful and relaxed, a stark contrast to the anxious, terrified woman I found standing on my doorstep yesterday afternoon. She’d been so convinced I would turn her away, she nearly bolted before I could welcome her inside. Doesn’t she know I would never do that to her? She’s everything to me. I’ve simply been waiting for her to get over the shock of my mother’s betrayal and come back to me. Her phone call a week ago was the first step in mending what’s been broken between us, but I never expected her to drive all the way here and show up unannounced at my house. It caught me off guard. She’s really here, but I couldn't convince my brain that it wasn’t a figment of my imagination. I needed to touch her, to feel her skin against mine to know she was real, and boy did I get my wish.

Our reunion was explosive, a nuclear blast of longing and heartbreak. The moment she revealed she planned on staying the night, all my doubts withered away and I knew she’d come back to make things right between us. She wants me, wantsus. Until that moment, I was unsure of our future. She claimed she wanted to work things out, but I wasn’t sure exactly what that meant for us. She hadn’t told me she loved me or revealed any plans to come for a visit. Part of me wondered if all she wanted was a healthy relationship with the father of her child and not the passionate, white-hot love we shared before. My doubts quickly evaporated the moment she demanded I take her to bed.

We made love frantically at first, our hunger for each other making us desperate and impatient. The second time around we took our time, savoring every moment, every gentle brush of lips, and every tender caress. After dinner, she fell asleep wrapped in my arms, a palpable calm washing over her.

I press a gentle kiss to her hair and quietly extricate myself from the bed and her warm embrace. I make my way to the kitchen and start preparing breakfast. With a bowl of freshly diced strawberries at my elbow, I mix together the ingredients for crepes. As the skillet on my stove begins to heat, I step into the hall bathroom to relieve myself. When I come out and round the corner, fear and disbelief freeze me in my tracks. Abby is fully dressed, the boots I’d tossed haphazardly on the floor last night back on her dainty feet. The breath whooshes out of me as she reaches for the front door.Is she leaving me again?

When she flips the lock, I manage to find my voice. “Where are you going?”

She jumps and lets out a surprised yelp before turning to face me. I want to go to her, grip her by the shoulders, and demand answers, but I force myself to stay where I am. I’m afraid if I get near her, I’ll be tempted to hold her captive and refuse to let her leave.

“I was going to grab my overnight bag,” she replies, clutching her keys to her chest. It hits me that she doesn’t have her jacket on and didn’t grab her purse. She’s not prepared to leave the house. I simply panicked, thinking she’d gotten spooked and was running again. “I really want a shower and some clean clothes,” she adds sheepishly.

I close the distance between us and reach for her. She steps into my embrace and I wrap my arms around her.

“I’m sorry. I just-”

“I know,” she assures me. She saw the look on my face, recognizing the fear and abandonment. “I haven’t given you a reason to have much faith in me lately.”

I pull back and release her, cupping her face with my hands. “Don’t say that. We’re not going to let what happened with my parents stand between us. I understand why you felt the way you did and why you needed a little time to process, but you’re here now. We’re on the same page now, right?” She gives me a little nod in confirmation. “We’re going to make this work.” She nods again before stretching out on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to mine.

“I’ll be right back,” she whispers, stepping away from me and opening the door. Slipping out into the chilly morning, she rushes to her car and pulls her overnight bag out of the back seat. I wonder why she didn’t bring it in with her last night if she planned on staying. If she had, maybe I wouldn’t have felt so uncertain about her intentions. She catches sight of me watching her from the open doorway and smiles at me shyly, ducking her head. My curiosity gets the better of me.

“Why didn’t you bring that in last night?” I ask as I close the door behind her.

She drops her duffle inside the doorway. Her cheeks, flushed with cold, turn even redder and she looks away. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want me to stay last night. I didn’t want to presume.”

I grip her upper arms and gently turn her to face me. “Of course I’d want you to stay. You’re always welcome here. I thought I made that clear when you and Chloe came to visit.”

“You did, but that was before.” She doesn’t elaborate. She doesn’t need to. It was before my mother tore a canyon-sized rift between us with her confession that she was the reason Abby thought I’d abandoned her.

“That will always be the case, no matter what. I want you here. Ineedyou here,” I whisper softly as I wrap my arms around her.

She nuzzles her head beneath my chin and releases a contented sigh. I hold her for a moment, just breathing in her scent and memorizing the feel of her body against mine. With one last kiss on her forehead, I grab her by the hand and lead her back to the kitchen.

“Sit,” I instruct when we reach the island. “I’ll make us breakfast.” That earns me a wide, genuine smile.

“Do you want some help?”

“You just relax and let me take care of it.”

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