Page 116 of All In
The desire for his kiss consumes me. This building passion is making my breaths come in fast, as if I just ran a marathon. We haven’t felt the touch of each other’s lips for twenty-seven years.
Twenty-sevenreally, really long years.
He pulls back, and I moan in frustration. “You’re killing me.”
His thumb glides against my parted lips, and now I’m unsteady on my feet as if I’m drunk. “I know.” He lets out an evil laugh. “Call it payback.”
I grin, with his thumb still resting on my lower lip. “I hate you.” He lowers his thumb.
The gentle rise and fall of his chest against mine causes heat to rise in my core. My grip tightens around him, as our heads tilt and lips draw closer with each passing second.
“No, you don’t,” he whispers. Faster than my brain can register what is happening, his lips crash into mine. I melt into his embrace with the surge of his mouth. The bristles of his beard scratch against my soft cheeks as he grips my head firmly.
I’m completely breathless.
His hands leave my neck and slide down the side of my body, gripping my waist. He pulls me closer to him, as if he is a man starved but also trying to keep me from escaping.
I’m not goinganywhere.
Our lips fit together in a way our lives never could. With ease. Finally, we are coming together as one with each pass of his lips over mine. Every inch of my body feels like it’s on fire. My arms grip his back tighter because I can’t seem to get close enough to him. Clinging for dear life.
I’m pretty positive this is the kiss to end all kisses. It’s sexy and sweet and rough and loving and toe-curling goodness mixed in one. Twenty-seven years of separation are pouring into this moment. This kiss. This perfect mind-blowing kiss. Our long-awaited dreams are finally coming true, filled with love, passion, hope, and excitement for the future.
The future is ours.
We are all in.
Have we been kissing for five seconds or five hours? No clue. Time is standing still.
Even though we don’t want to part, we do. A soft exhale escapes both of us, our breathing now in sync as we rest our foreheads together, taking in the moment for what it is.
Us coming back together.
Sam’s joyful laugh echoes through the air, filling the surroundings as he pulls me close in a tight embrace. I feel weightless as he effortlessly lifts me off the ground, twirling us around like characters in a movie. My own laughter erupts as he spins me, finally setting me on my feet and sprinkling kisses over my face.
This. Is. Happiness.
“Pinch me. Is this really happening?” he asks rhetorically. But this is the most real my life has felt in a long time. Gently taking hold of both my hands, our fingers intertwining, he keeps his stare fixed on me, intently, the way he always did.
I shake my head. “It feels like a dream.”
Eagerly, he kisses me again, this one softer and more passionate, causing a ripple effect to course through my whole body. I feel it everywhere, and I can’t wait to experience every one of his different kisses again. He pulls back, and his grin borders on evil. He knows what he’s doing to me. “Did that feel like a dream?” He gives me another quick peck.
I try to form words. “Nope. That felt very, very real.” My voice quivers, betraying my emotions. “God, I missed kissing you. Like, really missed kissing you.”
He scans my face, taking in each feature as if he’s seeing me for the first time. “Me too.”
No one’s kisses have ever compared to Sam’s. Definitely not Chad’s, not Nate’s, and not even Geoffrey’s, despite how he looked and how I felt about him. Sam is in a class all by himself.
Neither of us have stopped smiling. Joy is radiating off of Sam. His fingertips trace a gentle path down my neck, then my arm, before trailing back up again. All the while, never tearing his eyes from mine.
Before I overthink it, the words spill from my mouth, eager to be heard after being confined for what feels like an eternity. “I love you, Sam. God, I love you so much. I always have.”
He exhales as his eyes close, and I can see the relief that flows through him at my admission. “I love you, too.” The words are spoken with ease. As if they are the easiest eleven letters he has ever strung together. It feels so good to hear him say it.“And we are never letting each other go again,” he continues. “Do you hear me? Never. Again.”
My arms snake around his neck, feeling the warmth of his skin against my fingertips as he rests his hands on my hips, his touch firm and possessive.
“We are all in, Sam.”
