“Aw, kitten.” He pulled her to him, his arms tightening around her. “I’m so sorry.”
His hand cupped her head, holding it tight against his solid chest. She could hear his heartbeat against her ear. Regular. Soothing.
His hand stroked up and down her back. She was a bundle of tight muscles nestled against him. Barely able to catch her breath.
He rocked her back and forth. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.”
Oh, God, she needed this.
She’d needed it even more in that long, terrible time after she’d lost the baby.
She wrapped her arms around him tightly and held on. Clinging to him. Soaking in the comfort he was offering her.
His lips brushed the top of her head and he rested his cheek against it. The warmth of him … all around her … was so sweet … so deeply moving …
She turned her head and gazed up at him.
His deep, penetrating gaze locked with hers. She could see her pain reflected there. See his struggle to stay strong for her.
* * *
Liam’s heart ached at the pain tearing at Abi right now. Which dragged forth the pain he’d buried away deep inside.
He should have been there for her like this when it happened … and the long months after when instead he’d thrown himself into his work to hide from his own pain.
As he stared into her desolate blue eyes, reeling from their shared emotions, she tipped up her face, her lips parting in invitation.
An invitation he couldn’t ignore.
He swooped down and captured her lips. The sweet comfort of her mouth on his filled him with a need so deep he thought he’d lose himself. He pulled her tighter to him, deepening the kiss. His tongue swept inside her mouth, tasting her sweetness. Her delightful womanly comfort curled around him, seeping through to his very bones. Her tongue glided along his and stroked. He groaned and suckled on it.
He tucked his arm under her knees and lifted her in his arms, then carried her toward the house. He pulled open the outside door to his bedroom and carried her inside. Her arms clung to his neck like he was a lifeline.
He laid her on the bed and snuggled in next to her, finding her lips again.
His heart pounded. He wanted her. He needed her. She was his everything, and right now she seemed to need him just as much.
Liam grasped the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head. She wore only panties under the shirt. He leaned back and gazed at her body in the moonlight, blown away by how incredible she looked. Her breasts were firm and fuller than he remembered. Her skin smooth and creamy.
His gaze shifted back to her face. And despite her puffy eyes, she almost seemed to glow.
“God, you are more beautiful than ever.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Abi lay there, mesmerized by the frank admiration in Liam’s eyes. His gentle fingers stroked her cheek, then glided down her neck to her chest.
Then he cupped her breast. She arched against his big, warm hand. Her nipple peaked, pressing into his palm.
Oh, God, she wanted more. She wanted to be close to him. So close there was nothing between them. Their bodies naked and touching from head to toe.
She wanted him inside her. Filling her so deep he became a part of her. The two of them becoming one.
“Liam,” she whispered, stroking his raspy cheek.
Seeing the deep need in her eyes, he leaned forward and brushed his lips to hers in a tender kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. She pressed her tongue to his lips and pushed inside, then stroked, tasting sweet spearmint.
She wanted him to take her. Slowly. Penetrating deeply. Her body was ready for him. Wet with need. Aching for him inside her.
He stroked her face, cupping it between his hands.
“Abi,” he murmured softly, then kissed her again.
Then he kissed down her neck to her chest. When his lips found her breast, then wrapped around her hard nipple, she moaned, pulling him tighter to her. He suckled and she moaned. Her fingers coiled in his hair, the thick waves wrapping around them.
He continued downward, his lips brushing against her belly, then lightly past her hips.
When she felt the first stroke of his tongue against her dampness, seeking her hidden button, she arched. It was heaven being with him. Here in his arms, he would help her find release. She would forget her fear … her pain … for a little while.
His fingers opened her folds and he licked. Pleasure jolted through her and she moaned again.
But a tiny thought nudged through the delightful sensations like a seedling pushing through the soil … She’d promised herself … A lightning flash of realization careened through her. She’d promised Del … that she wouldn’t succumb to Liam.
His tongue glided over her and he suckled.
She moaned at the intense pleasure.
“Liam,” she cried, then grasped his head and tugged, urging him upward.
His tongue slipped away and he prowled upward until he was facing her again. His lips turned up in a smile.
“I thought you were enjoying that.”
“I was but … I can’t.”
The light of amusement seeped from his eyes and he surged forward, covering her mouth with his and consuming it with passion. His insistent tongue found hers and curled around it, urging it into an ardent dance.
When he released her lips, she was breathless. He continued his onslaught, brushing his lips against the base of her neck, sending tingles dancing through her as he found that special spot that weakened her knees and drove her wild.
She clung to him, her heart pounding against his. He slid his hand down her back, drawing her tighter to him as it moved. When his hand reached her ass, she could feel his thick erection against her. She squirmed. Her damp folds were pressed tight against his hard shaft and the movement sent dizzying need through her.
Oh, God, she wanted that big cock inside her. Deep. Thrusting hard and fast.
But she had to
