Page 117 of Forever By Morning

The chair rattled.

My bones shuddered.

And something unlocked inside of me. The loneliness and the responsibilities that kept everyone at arm's length dissolved under the onslaught of bliss that I found between us.

I caught her mouth with mine and trapped every part of her inside of me. It was mine now.

Every cry and shudder transferred into my skin.

Every breath and sigh shifted and rearranged me until I was simply hers.

Chapter25

Helena

To Be Wooed

Beckett’s idea of wooing was far more than I’d expected.

I’d been expecting dinner and wine, but not all the trouble he’d gone to make the night special. From the soft glow of twinkle lights on the deck, to the flickering battery-operated candles scattered on every surface imaginable, and then there was the big tree across from us decked out in even more lights. Simple touches, but oh, so thoughtful.

For all the millions Clay and Reid had, they’d never made me feel so wanted or special.

So much so that I’d hopped into his lap to say thank you in ways I’d never have done before that day.

I leaned back, and there was something in his eyes. Warmth and…affection?

More?

He cupped my face and pressed a light kiss on my mouth. “You leave me so damn unbalanced.”

I covered his hand on my cheek. “Handy, because you do the same to me.”

His eyes skimmed down my naked top half to where we’d hurriedly shifted clothes to get him inside me. “I was supposed to be doing the wooing, remember?”

“Oh, you did. Very well, actually. I couldn’t resist you.”

“And you know this wasn’t…”

I pressed a finger to his lips. “I just wanted you. Wanted this. I never felt free enough to be the one to ask for what I needed. Being close to you without having to worry about how it looks or if I am being too needy. None of that even occurred to me.”

“It damn well shouldn’t.” His eyes flashed with outrage. “I don’t want you to ever question yourself like that. I never want feelings like that between us.”

I leaned forward to kiss his firm lips. “I don’t. It’s kind of a revelation. I think I might want to continue said revelations upstairs. This chair is pretty hard.” He was still frowning as I linked my arms around his neck. “Beckett, everything between us is a good thing. It’s just different.”

“I don’t like that anyone made you feel like that.Ever.”

I brushed my nose against his before I teased his top lip. “Upstairs.”

Suddenly, he stood. I yelped, hanging onto his shoulders. “This time, you’ll be at my mercy.”

I shivered. That sounded like a very good plan.

The trip up the spiral staircase that linked the second-floor deck and his bedroom balcony was a bit fraught, but he didn’t take his gaze off me. The normally serene blue-sky color of his eyes was more intense. As if he was afraid to break the connection between us.

On the balcony, there were even more candles than I’d noticed from downstairs. They flickered and flashed in every spare corner, on every table, and along the railings leading us into his bedroom. The door was open, letting in the cool breeze of the night.

The fireplace was lit with an abundance of tiny tea-lights scattered over the mantle and on the small bedside tables, creating a soft, dreamy space.

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