Page 45 of Return
“Yeah, I would. But…”
Sophie lay curled against Liam, listening to the steady, reassuring beat of his heart beneath her cheek. He held her like she was something precious, his fingers tracing slow, absentminded patterns over her bare back. He hadn’t pulled away, hadn’t shifted to put distance between them after she panicked. He’d simply been there, solid and warm, as if holding her was enough.
His quiet patience, that unwavering devotion, was what undid her.
Because it was enough.
Because she was enough.
She lifted her head, her breath catching in the soft, dim light as she searched his face. His blue eyes were steady, unwavering, locked on hers with such intensity it felt as though they were the only two people left in the world. There was no tension in him, no trace of impatience despite the quiet storm between them. He was simply waiting, as he always did, with the kind of patience, the compassion she needed, that made her heart ache. He didn’t ask for anything. He just... understood.
Her heart clenched. She could feel the pull of everything she had longed for, everything that had been right in front of her all along.
She reached out, her fingers trembling slightly as they traced the edge of his jaw, the rough scrape of his stubble igniting a spark that shot straight to her core. She swallowed, her pulse drumming in her throat, but this time, it wasn’t fear making her shiver. It was something else—something deeper, more urgent, something that pulled at her very soul.
“I want you,” she whispered, the words raw, stripped of hesitation. Her fingers tightened against his skin. She needed to hold on to him. “I love you, and I want you.”
His breath caught in his throat, his grip on her waist flexing, pulling her closer, but still, he didn’t rush. He didn’t press. He simply waited, the weight of his love wrapped around her like a promise.
“Are you sure?” His voice was low, thick with desire, but edged with tenderness as his thumb traced the curve of her ribs, sending a shiver through her.
She didn’t answer with words. Instead, she kissed him—lush, slow, deep, every part of her pouring into it. She gave him everything she had—her trust, her heart, all the love she had locked away for far too long. This wasn’t about the past. This wasn’t about proving anything to herself. This was about them. About the connection they had never lost, no matter the distance, no matter the years. This was about reclaiming the part of her soul that only he had ever touched.
His hands slid down her sides, reverent yet hungry, rediscovering every inch of her as if she were something he could never get enough of. She arched into him, the heat of him searing her skin, every touch a spark that lit her from the inside out. She was lost, utterly lost in the feel of him, in the pull between them, in the way he made her feel both broken and whole.
He shifted, his mouth trailing along her throat, the scrape of his stubble sending a rush of heat through her. She arched into him, needing more, her skin burning everywhere he touched.
She almost laughed at herself. All the walls she had built… and here she was. So sure. So unafraid. This was what she had been missing? Yesterday, she had been filled with doubt and fear, but now, in this moment, she couldn’t remember why she hadn’t run into his arms the moment she had the chance. Then he pressed a kiss to her breast and all thoughts fled.
He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, his breath uneven, his eyes dark with something fierce and unspoken. “Tell me to stop,” he said, his voice rough, his gaze a promise and a plea all at once. “And I will.”
Her legs tightened around him, her hands threading through his hair, her heart pounding in her chest. “Don’t stop,” she breathed, her voice thick with need, with the certainty that this was what she had been waiting for.
And when he pulled her closer this time, there was no hesitation in her. No second-guessing. No retreat. She just let go.
A curse slipped from his lips, raw and reverent, almost broken, and then he kissed her again, deeper, as if the weight of everything they had been, everything they were becoming, was too much to contain. Need and love collided in a moment that promised forever, that consumed them both with the fire she had long denied.
When they finally came together, when he filled and she surrounded, there was no fear. No hesitation. No past. There was only them. Only the love that had always been waiting for them to claim. And in that moment, they did.
Chapter15
Sophie was loose-limbed,completely at ease, and so blissfully sated she just might float right out Liam’s kitchen window, across the lawn to the outstretched sea.
It had been a long, long time since she’d woken up feeling this way—flushed with warmth, her body humming with the delicious ache of a night well spent. A night spent wrapped around Liam, tangled in sheets, drowning in pleasure until neither of them had strength left to do more than breathe.
A slow, satisfied smile curved her lips as she reached for another strawberry and sliced it neatly in half adding it to the plate beside the jam and honey. That was something they had done as children, dipped their fruit in jam and honey.
Liam was still in bed, no doubt wrecked from her enthusiasm. The thought made her grin. He deserved a little spoiling after the way he had thoroughly, exquisitely, ruined her in return.
Barefoot, dressed in nothing but his shirt from the night before, she balanced the tray carefully and padded back toward the bedroom.
She nudged the door open with her hip and found him sprawled on his stomach with half the sheets kicked off, his skin glowing in the soft morning light.
She set the tray on the bedside table. “Good morning, my love,” she murmured, leaning over to press a kiss to the nape of his neck.
He made a low, pleased sound, shifting slightly but did not open his eyes. “If you’re waking me up, it better be for something good.”
She laughed softly. “Breakfast. Well, the beginning of breakfast. I thought I would make you a full Irish but that will take a while so you can start with this.”
