Page 38 of Fall Back
He leans forward and rests his forehead against mine. For a moment, we just breathe together, taking each other in and reveling in the fact that I’m safe.
“I knew you’d get here in time,” I whisper.
His shoulders slump and he nods, our foreheads still touching. “I was afraid I’d be too late, and I was afraid of what I’d do when I got here and found him in your home.” He clenches his jaw so tightly that I’m a little concerned about his teeth. “It’s a good thing Walker was with me, and we came together.”
“You would have done the right thing,” I murmur softly.
“Right and legal aren’t always the same thing,” he retorts, his voice hard.
I can only shrug. He’s not wrong, but I still have faith in him. It’s unwavering, just like the way I love him.
“I’ve known that I’ve been in love with you for a while, my little criminal,” he husks. “I just didn’t want to say it too soon and send you running especially before I knew what you were keeping so close to the vest. After you opened up, I definitely didn’t want to scare you by moving too fast.” He huffs out a breath. “I might be telling you because of how close we came tonight, but that doesn’t change the feelings. You need to know, and I should have told you a while ago. I never want you to doubt how I feel about you.”
I let his words wash over me. They’re like a balm to my ragged soul, soothing the last of the fear trying to take me under, andpatching up the broken pieces I didn’t realize were still a part of me. My shoulders relax as I look up at him, hoping he sees something other than fear in my eyes.
“I love you too,” I whisper.
Everything is out in the open. No secrets. No hidden past.
Just us.
And the future we’re going to build together one memory at a time.
He closes the distance between us and our lips brush against each other. The contact is soft but full of meaning. It’s also brief, far too brief. It’s exactly what we both need.
As we pull back and look into each other’s eyes, the air around us changes and charges. Before we can give into the pull, the need, the desire, Jared sets me down next to him. He stands slowly, his blue eyes boring into me as he looks down at me.
“I’m going to check all the locks,” his voice is filled with barely contained fury which I know isn’t directed toward me at all. When I nod, his eyes sweep over my shirt covered body, and he smirks. “I expect you to be naked and waiting for me by the time I get back.”
The moment he disappears through the bedroom door, the sound of his footsteps filling the quiet house, I don’t hesitate to whip his shirt up and off. I send the fabric flying, not caring about where it lands. It’s the only thing I was wearing so I lay back against the pillows and wait, listening to him moving through the house to make sure I’m safe.
This man.
My man.
If someone had told me that I would move back to Wintervale and find love with Jared Taylor, I would have laughed in their face. But look at me now. I couldn’t be happier.
When Jared’s frame fills the doorway, his eyes darken as they sweep over my naked curves. The way he looks at me has me rubbing my thighs together as need pulses in my veins.
“Are you sure?” His voice is guttural, proving that he’s teetering on the edge of his control.
“I want you,” my voice is strong and sure, “but even more than that, I need you.”
Jared nods once, acceptance and understanding written all over his face. He strips carefully and quickly while his eyes never leave mine. I watch as he takes great care in putting his firearm up, another way he makes sure I’m safe. Always.
When he’s just as naked as I am, my eyes move over his body, taking in the hard planes and the sinewy muscles. I know his strength and if anyone were to question it, they would be surprised when faced with it. He uses his strength to love me, to protect me, to give me the world.
And I love him even more for it.
After looking his fill, Jared crawls up my body, starting at my feet. His mouth skims along my skin, touching and tasting whenever he feels the need. It has me wondering where the next contact will be as I writhe underneath him.
My skin feels too tight, and I desperately want him to fill me, stretch me, and claim me. As he positions himself above me, my legs wrap around his hips, my thighs locking us in place. Together. Always together.
“I love you,” he murmurs, his words landing softly against my skin as his lips hover over mine.
“I love you,” I breathe, my soul answering a call which feels so natural that I’m unable to deny it. It’s a damn good thing I don’t want to.
Then the head of his cock slides down between my pussy lips and he’s pushing inside of me. My hips jolt, but he gives me more of his weight, pinning me in place and holding me still. When he’s filling me, we both still and soak in the moment.
