Page 121 of One More Chance

Simone doesn’t say anything. She just gently strokes her fingers through my hair, soothing me. Telling me it’s okay. We’ll be okay.

I stay like that for a minute, then straighten to my feet. The love shining back at me from Simone’s tear-damp face gives me a strength I didn’t realize I was missing.

She wipes the tears from my cheeks and rests her head on my chest. Her arms go around my waist. “I love you,” she murmurs. “I love you so very much.”

The words are a life preserver for my heart. I only hope they’re enough to get me through what still lies ahead for me.

What still lies ahead for us.

51

Simone

Lucas’s heart beats strong and steady against my ear.

I loved him before, but seeing him react the way he did when he realized the meaning behind the angel wing elevated the love I feel for him to a new level.

I never expected him to respond that way. Never expected him to feel the grief as strongly as I do.

I was wrong. So heartbreakingly wrong.

I move my head from his chest and peer up at him. “I want to make love to you, Cannon. Here. Now.”

The smile that grows on his face yanks my breath away. “I think that can be arranged.”

He slips his thumbs under the lace of my panties and drags them down my legs. Then he lifts me onto the edge of the bathroom counter and spreads my knees apart. The surface is cool against my butt.

He steps between my legs, and his fingers find the soft wet heat that’s waiting for his touch. I gaze into his eyes as he teases me, strokes me, brings me closer to the stars. My lips part, releasing needy pants.

“Christ, you’re gorgeous, Trouble. So fucking gorgeous.”

Our mouths meld together and our tongues taste, tangle, caress. This…this is heaven. My heaven. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“You don’t have to wear a condom if you don’t want to,” I murmur against his lips. Now that he knows the truth, there’s no need to use protection. The condom was nothing more than protection for my heart, a way to keep him from learning the truth.

I thought his smile was breathtaking before. How naïve of me. His new smile, this smile, lights up his face, warms me to my bones.

He positions his tip at my entrance and slowly enters me. Our gazes remain locked, and the intensity of the moment almost consumes me.

Makes me crave for him to be inside me in a whole other way.

Once he’s fully seated, he continues to watch my face as he circles his hips, the movement controlled, unhurried. The love reflected on his face is unmistakable. Beautiful. Pure.

I hook my legs behind him. He maintains the pace until I’m an inch away from begging him to go faster, harder.

I last a few more thrusts of his hips, and my control shatters with a moan. He picks up the speed until we reach the point of no return. There’s no going back. Not that I want to.

“OhGodOhGod. Oh, Goooooood.” I come apart around him, disintegrating into a million satisfied pieces.

He chuckles at my enthusiasm, then releases inside me with a grunt and my name on his lips.

His head rests on my shoulder. “Wow, that was good.”

I laugh, the sound echoing off the bathroom walls. “Yes, it was. Better than good.”

He lifts his head and grins at me with his panty-dropping smile—or would be panty-dropping if I had panties on. “You’re right. It was so much better than just good.”

His mouth explores mine for another moment, the movement slow. Exquisite. The kiss is the glue to bind us back together after everything we’ve endured.

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