Page 38 of Monsters, Vows, and Growls
I gave in like I hadn’t spent the last decade learning how to say no to that exact mouth. I stared up at the ceiling. Watched steam curl toward the wood beams.
“I’m in so much trouble,” I muttered.
Because the more I thought about it—the kiss, the dinner, the damn lavender bubble bath he remembered I loved—the more I realized something I wasn’t ready to say out loud. I wanted to give this another shot. Not because of the kiss. Not because of the cabin or the dinner or even his stupid, perfect memory that made me feel more seen than I had in years. I wanted to try again because… he came back.
He chased me—not just through the woods like a feral bear with an emotional support complex—but with everything else. His eyes. His effort. His awkward, hopeful silence when I didn’t know what to say. He could’ve walked away again. It would’ve been easier. And let's face it, much, much safer.
But he didn’t. He stayed and he tried.
And somehow, even though the hurt was still there, I was ready to try, too. I sat up slowly, water dripping from my skin as I reached for the towel beside the tub. Absentmindedly, I toweled the water off my skin, still deep in thought, because what I’d realized during the bath was that neither the kiss, nor spendingthis weekend here with him, nor opening that third restaurant, had anything to do with finishing what we started.
This was about deciding if we had anew beginning.Although I already knew the answer to that, too. Had, from the moment he walked into that bistro.
I wanted it.
I wantedhim.
I'd always wanted him.
I wrapped the towel around myself, padded to the mirror, and caught sight of my own reflection—flushed cheeks, soft eyes, hair pinned up messily. I was a nervous wreck, and it showed.What are you doing? I wondered. What was I doing? Was I about to go out into the living room like this? Was I about to seduce my ex?
My nerves fluttered in my tummy, but I also felt a delicious ache spread through my pussy. What would sex be like with Patrick? Pats had been sweet and careful. We had both been the other’s first, and we’d explored all sides of sex, equally curious. This new version of him was a wildcard. One I was more than enthused to get to know better.
"Are you okay in there?" Patrick called from the other side of the door. I must have taken a long time standing here, debating.
"Actually… " Was I really going to do this? "I need your help for a second." I guess I was.
The door opened. Patrick stared at me. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you said…"
His whiskey eyes moved up and down my towel-clad body. He was about to close the door when I dropped the towel. I wasn't the adventurous type, or the seducing type, but standing there, naked in front of him, while his pupils dilated gave me a never-before-experienced thrill.
"Have I changed?" Who was this woman?
"I'd say so," he rasped hoarsely, clearing his throat.
I cocked my head to the side, "For better, or worse?"
He stepped forward, holding his hands out, "Better. Always for the better." His voice was deep, laced with emotions. "Ells?"
I nodded, and he closed the distance between us in record time, one hand buried in my wet hair, the other slung around my waist. His lips hovered barely an inch from mine. "Are you sure about this?"
I answered truthfully, "Yes." Because I wanted this. I wanted to give us another shot, and I prayed I wouldn't end up regretting it.
She looked like a goddess reincarnated.I had never seen a more beautiful woman in my life. Her hair clung wetly to her head and shoulders, her eyes were wide with insecurity, but her entire demeanor screamed that she was in charge. The contradictory nature of this woman got to me like no other. I didn’t think I would ever forget the moment she dropped that towel to let me look my fill. No, not my fill. I would never get enough of staring at her.
My cock was instantly hard; I had to make sure though, before I kissed her. "Are you sure?"
Her voice was just as sweet as her simple answer. She barely got theyesout before I pressed my lips down on hers, unable to wait another second. I reveled in the softness of her lips, the warmth of her skin beneath my palm, and the silky slide of herhair tangled in my other hand. The kiss moved from sweet to desperate in the span of a heartbeat.
It was like both our bodies needed to make up for lost time, like if we pressed hard enough, deep enough, close enough—we could erase ten years of silence and regret. Her fingers clutched at my shirt, pulling me closer with a rawness that undid me. She kissed me like she was starved for it. Like her body had waited, frozen in time, and was only now waking back up.
I backed her gently against the bedroom wall, one hand still tangled in her hair, the other sliding down to her waist—drawing her against me, feeling the unmistakable arch of her hips press into mine. My blood roared. My cock throbbed, hard and eager, straining with the kind of need I hadn’t felt since I was eighteen and utterly wrecked by her.
“God, Ells,” I murmured against her mouth. “You’re killing me.”
Her laugh was breathless as her hands slipped under my shirt. "Ditto."
Thorne was growling low and steady inside me, a sound of satisfaction and possession.She wants us. She’s ours. She said yes. She said yes!
