Page 123 of Say You Remember Me
I wasted no time unbuttoning his shirt, my fingers grazing the smooth, warm skin beneath. As each button gave way, I pushed the fabric aside, revealing the hard lines of his torso. My hands explored him, tracing the ridges of muscle with unrestrained curiosity. And as I cupped and squeezed his chest, the heat and feel of his body beneath my palms sent sparks racing through me, making the muscles in my abdomen clench and swirl.
He felt so good. So strong. So perfect.
Ian’s breath hitched as my hands wandered over his shoulders, my fingers combing through the hair at the nape of his neck. And when his jaw clenched and his fingers tightened around my waist, as if to ground himself, I knew he was feeling everything I was in that moment.
“Maddie…” His voice was hoarse, and I could feel the tension thrumming through him, like he was teetering on the edge of control. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”
I swallowed, my heart racing as his words sank in. “I think I have an idea,” I breathed, my voice trembling slightly as I leaned in closer. “And I really don’t want you to stop.”
As if that was all the permission he needed, in a swift, fluid motion, he slid his hands down my thighs and lifted me effortlessly. My legs wrapped around his waist instinctively, and I held onto him as he carried me through the house, every step deliberate and steady. The door to his bedroom opened, but as he crossed the threshold, I barely noticed the beautiful decór—the soft glow of the fireplace, the lush bedding. My entire focus was on him, on the way his body moved with purpose, how he made me feel like the world had narrowed to just the two of us.
He set me down gently on the edge of his bed, his gaze locking with mine. And as he slowly took me in, the intensity in his gaze, every track of his eyes, felt like a heated caress.
I’d never had a man look at me like this before. Like I was special, beautiful—enough.
He leaned down, his lips finding mine in a kiss that was both soft and searing, stealing the breath from my lungs. Then, with an almost aching tenderness, he guided me backward, laying me down against the cool sheets before he climbed in beside me, his arm going behind my back and pulling me against him.
He slowly dipped his head, his lips brushing against my forehead—a fleeting, reverent touch. Then my cheek and my jaw, each soft kiss leaving trails of goosebumps that made me ache in ways I couldn’t name. When his lips returned to mine, the kiss was slower, deeper—an unspoken vow that left me trembling in his arms, every part of me alive and attuned to him.
His hands explored me reverently, sliding along my sides, tracing every inch and curve as if committing me to memory. My skin burned under his touch, my body arching into him as I craved more, needed more.
“I love you so much,” he whispered against my lips, the words so raw, so full of emotion that they made my heart stutter.
“I love you, too,” I breathed, my voice shaky but sure, my fingers threading through his hair as I pulled him closer.
His lips found mine again, our tongues and bodies tangling together as the world around us fell away. Time didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except this moment, this man, and the way he made me feel like I was everything he ever wanted.
Every touch, every caress felt like a crescendo, building and building until I was drifting off into the clouds. His hand slipped beneath the hem of my slip, his touch leaving a trail of fire in its wake as his fingers rose inch by inch, his gaze never leaving mine.
“Are you okay with this?” he asked, his voice a low rasp as his fingers paused on my ribs, his eyes searching mine.
“Yes,” I whispered, sliding my fingertips along his jaw, my thumb brushing against the stubble there. “I’ve never been more sure.”
He smiled then, a slow, tender smile that made my heart swell. And as his weight settled over me, pressing me into the soft mattress, I knew I was his completely—and he was mine.
As the night unfolded and we became one, every touch, every kiss, every whispered name carried us closer, binding us together in a way that felt permanent, unshakable. The passion, the connection, the love—it was all-consuming, leaving no room for doubt or hesitation.
And when the world finally stilled, and I lay in his arms, his heartbeat steady against my ear, I knew I’d found my forever. Ian Hastings wasn’t just the man I loved—he was the man I was meant to spend my life with.
EPILOGUE
IAN
I layon my side on Thanksgiving morning, watching Maddie sleep, her features soft and peaceful in the morning light that filtered through the curtains. Her hair spilled across the pillow in messy waves, and her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm that matched the calm I felt just being near her.
And I couldn’t help but smile.
The fact that she and Grant were here, living with me now, still felt surreal. They’d moved in just after Grant’s birthday in October and it had been amazing. There were no more nightly goodbyes at the door, no waiting until the next day at work to see Maddie again.
Now, I just got to say goodnight and wake up to this—the woman of my dreams, right here beside me.
It was everything I could have hoped for.
She stirred, her hand twitching slightly before she shifted on the bed, her eyes fluttering open. A soft, sleepy smile curved her lips when her gaze landed on me. And man, I’d never get tired of seeing her smile at me like that first thing in the morning.
“Morning,” I said warmly, my voice low.
“Morning,” she murmured back, her voice still thick with sleep.
