Page 107 of The Last One You Loved
Maddox put one hand behind my head, supporting me as he deepened the kiss with a nip of his teeth and a flick of his tongue. His other hand was at my waist, moving below the T-shirt, slowly tracing small circles up my rib cage, reaching higher and higher.
“As much as I hated the thought of her sleeping in her own bed, I’ve also been dying to do this again. To lose myself in you,” he said, voice low and deep with desire.
I grabbed the hem of his T-shirt just as he lifted mine over my head. Our bare chests collided again. He massaged and thumbed my breasts as my hands explored his chest, his abs, the V-like indentation at his waist that led to the glorious things hidden beneath his sweats. We danced our way across each other’s bodies with fingers and tongues, marking our souls with silent promises until we were quivering and shaking with anticipation and need. He lifted me on top of the dresser, spreading my legs and stepping in between them.
“I don’t think I can wait even the two steps it would take to reach the bed,” he grunted, mouth descending on a nipple as he plunged inside me. I let out a breathy whimper of pleasure, needing him just as much as he needed me.
We moved in uncontrolled movements, bodies slapping, breath becoming uneven. His hand slid between us, the rhythm of his fingers joining the push and pull of us in and out, and I let go, clenching and shaking, shuddering around him.
He lifted me again, denying his words by taking the two steps to the bed and sitting on the edge so I was straddling him. “I need you to take over,” he said.
I rubbed my palms over his jaw, the beard having turned softer in the last couple of days as it filled out. His gaze met mine, a hungry need in it I would gladly sate. I moved my hips, using his shoulders as leverage, controlling the movements, increasing the pace, until he finally bit my shoulder and groaned while raising his hips to fiercely slam into me one last time.
He rolled us back onto the mattress so we were facing each other, bodies still aligned but no longer embedded in each other. I missed it already. Missed it and hated having to say things that might cause the distance between us to be more than physical.
“I heard from the hospital.”
His hand that had been slowly running from my hip to the side of my breast and back down stopped. His gaze was no longer hungry. It was wary instead.
“Yeah? Was it good news?” he asked as he searched my face for my emotions.
“It was very good news. They’ve cleared me, fired Gregory, and filed charges with the medical board against him.”
His throat bobbed. “That’s amazing, McK. I’m really happy for you. Truly.”
“Me too,” I said.
His lips twitched a little. “You don’t sound excited or happy.”
“You know why,” I told him.
“Because it means you’re leaving,” he finished for me.
He started to back away, and I reached out, grasping his cheeks in my hands and refusing to let him move or even look away. “It’ll only be for a little while.”
Then, I told him about the research I’d done on getting licensed in Tennessee and about finishing my residency somewhere in state.
His eyes closed, relief washing over his face like when he’d looked at Mila all weekend. Then, he kissed me again fiercely, possessively.
“I have to be honest,” he said, voice deep and guttural. “I had images of using my cuffs to tie you to the bed.”
I laughed, and he smiled, but then I turned serious again. “I don’t know how long it will take. Dr. Gomez said she’s willing to help me in any way she can, and I hate the thought of having to finish up where I’m at all the way through June, but—”
He put his fingers on my lips, halting my words. “I can do it, McK. I can do six or seven months if it means I’ll get to keep you forever after that.”
I wasn’t sure I’d even be able to leave them, let alone stay away for months. “Just the thought of it kind of feels like someone is slicing off my skin.”
“Skin grows back. It’s hearts that don’t.”
I rested my forehead on his chest. “I’m just… Thank you for so many things. For being my hero, for being my sister’s hero…and for giving me a second chance.”
He slid his arms around my waist, tugging me tight up against him again. “Soul sisters, right?”
I laughed, and he swallowed it with his mouth.
I let myself revel in it. The feeling of completeness. The feeling of finally being home. The knowledge that, somehow, we’d put ourselves back together again.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
