Page 69 of Preacher

A burst of pleasure exploded inside of me, and I shuddered around him as my orgasm took over. Wrapping my legs tighter around him, I could feel the muscles in his abdomen grow taut as he finally found his own release.

We both stilled as we listened to the satisfied sounds of our hearts beating. I felt so close to him, and I never wanted it to end. Eventually, our breathing began to steady, and he slowly lifted his body from mine.

I wanted to wrap my arms around him and keep him close, but he’d already collapsed on the bed next to me. He released a sated breath and said, “You’re incredible, Tabitha Volkov. No other way to put it.”

“You’re the incredible one.” I inched closer and settled into the crook of his arm. “And I mean that. It just keeps getting better.”

“Must mean I’m doing something right.”

“You definitely are.”

“Good to know.”

His chuckle vibrated through his chest and brought a smile to my face. I laid my head down on his shoulder and closed my eyes, letting myself soak in the moment. The dark corners of my heart were quickly fading, and I felt whole in a way I never had before. As scared as I was to admit it, I was falling fast, and I was falling hard. I wasn’t one to have this kind of happy, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it was going to cost me.

17

PREACHER

Icouldn’t remember a night when I’d slept so well, and it had done wonders. I woke up feeling pretty damn good, and to make my morning even better, Tabitha was still curled up next to me. I shifted slightly, careful not to wake her, so I could get a better look at her.

She was still dead to the world and breathing slow and steady. The sheet was tangled loosely around her waist, and she had one hand tucked under her cheek. My God, the woman was beautiful and effortlessly so.

I let my eyes trace the curve of her shoulder, the way her lashes fanned against her cheeks, and the slow rise and fall of her chest. It hadn’t taken long for her to settle under my skin. Faster than I’d expected, and that wasn’t a good thing. Hell, if anything, it was dangerous.

I had a club to run. I couldn’t afford to lose myself in her—no matter how tempting it might be. That thought had me carefully slipping out of bed. I needed a shower and maybe a bucket of cold water.

By the time I got out, the sun was just starting to rise, so it wouldn’t be long before the others were up and moving. I threw on a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt, raked a hand through my wet hair, and made my way down to the kitchen in search of coffee.

I rounded the corner and stopped dead in my tracks when I found Kay sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee. She was already dressed in white slacks and a black tank, and her hair and makeup were done. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she had herself a hot date.

She looked up at me over the rim of her cup, a quiet smirk playing on her lips like she knew she’d caught me off guard. “Good morning.”

I grunted and made a beeline for the coffee pot. “You’re up early.”

“Could say the same to you.” Her back stiffened, and she inhaled a quick breath. “I wouldn’t have expected you to be alone.”

I ignored the bait and poured my coffee. I don’t know what Kay was thinking, but I wasn’t about to sit here and get grilled first thing in the morning, especially about Tabitha. Not when she was still in my bed, and just thinking about being tangled up with her had my cock stirring to life.

I leaned back against the counter, nursing my coffee, and waited. Kay might’ve been trying to play it cool, but I knew her too well. She didn’t just drop by to see Memphis and catch up. There was more to it, so I let out a breath and said, “Alright, Kay. Why are you really here?”

“Actually, I was hoping to talk to you,” she admitted.

“About?”

“Us.” She ran her hand through her hair, glancing away like it physically pained her to say, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I was wondering if we could try and give things with us another go.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I love you, Hudson. I always have, and I always will.”

Damn. I stared at her for a long moment, letting the words settle between us. Part of me wasn’t surprised. She and I had history, and some of it was good. Damn good. But history wasn’t enough. Not for me. Not anymore.

“You’re a good woman, Kay,” I said, keeping my voice even, “but you and me had our time. It was good, but it was never enough for either of us. And if you really think about it, you were really never all that happy with me.”

She flinched like I’d slapped her.

But to her credit, she didn’t argue.

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