After dinner, Isabelle announced it was time to say goodnight and put Evan to bed. After their goodbyes, Sofia turned to Sabrina.
“I should get Alessandro ready for bed too, then I need to lie down after this long day,” she said. “I’m sorry, I’m not much of a host. But you can watch TV or borrow a book if you want.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “But … do you have any news about Cross and everyone else?”
“Lucas is keeping me updated, yes,” Sofia said. “But nothing significant. They’re still planning. They said it might last through the night, but he’ll let me know when they’re done.”
“Oh.”
Sofia squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “Everything will be all right, you’ll see. I’ll knock on your door if I hear anything else. I’ll remind Lucas that you’re staying with us and to make sure he and Cross come back here as soon as they can.” She leaned closer. “And just so you know … all the rooms in here are soundproofed. His parents thought it was a prudent move since all their kids had sensitive hearing.”
A blush heated her cheeks. “I’ll, uh, keep that in mind.”
“I’ll see you in the morning then,” Sofia said with a wink before she took Alessandro with her to her room.
Not sure what to do with herself, Sabrina headed back to her room. Even though it was early for her, the weight of the entire day pressed on her, and so she lay down on the soft, comfortable bed. Fatigue crept up on her, and she let out a yawn. Maybe a few hours of sleep would help. Besides, there was nothing else to do.
Before sleep took over, though, the words Gunnar whispered in her ear came back to her.
“Sometimes the only way to change the future is to follow its path,” Gunnar had said cryptically.
Sabrina was having a dreamless sleep when she felt the sudden urge to wake up. As her eyes fluttered open, she saw the figure standing by the bathroom door. The light filtering from behind obscured the identity of the figure, but she didn’t need to see his face to know who it was.
“Cross,” she whispered.
“I didn’t want to wake you.” He stepped forward as she sat up and reached for the lamp on the bedside table. “Not that I could ever wake you. You were always a heavy sleeper. You never woke up, all the times I came to visit you.”
When the light came on, she realized that he was only wearing a towel around his waist. Her mouth went dry as light and shadow played over his magnificent torso, showing off the hard muscles and ink covering his bronzed skin. Droplets of water dripped from the ends of his hair and down his shoulders, tracing a tantalizing path down his broad chest. She licked her lips, a move that made his nostrils flare, and she cast her eyes downward in embarrassment.
He continued moving toward her, then sat on the edge of the bed. A finger tipped up her chin, urging her to look up and meet his ocean-colored gaze. “Did you mean it?” he asked in a low, velvety voice. “What you said before we went back to New York.”
Her cheeks burned as she was reminded of that impulsive confession. But it wasn’t impulsive, not the emotion anyway. She had always known it, even though he made her forget. “Y-yes.” Her breath caught in her throat, but she managed to speak. “I love you, Cross. I don’t care if it’s too soon or if you think that it’s the danger or because we’re True Mates. I think … I think I’ve loved you for a long time.”
His eyes shone with emotion as he cupped her cheek.
Shyly, she asked, “Do you feel the same way?”
“Are you asking me if I love you?”
She nodded.
“Sabrina …” He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I never stopped loving you.”
“Cross.”
There were no more words to say after that as he lowered his lips to hers. Electricity awakened every nerve ending in her body, making her feel alive; like she’d been dormant her entire life and was now only existing.
He moved closer, his lips never leaving hers as he pushed her onto her back on the mattress. Her hands clasped at his shoulders, moving lower down his back, feeling the clean damp skin over the hard muscles. Her fingers tugged urgently at the towel around his waist, and he whipped it aside, spreading her knees apart so he could settle between her thighs.
She rocked her hips up against him feeling his hardness press into her. He groaned against her mouth, then moved lower to kiss her jaw and neck before lifting her shirt over her head to bare her body to his sultry, heat-filled gaze. When he popped a nipple into his mouth, she groaned and dug her hands into his hair. His tongue lashed at the bud, biting gently and making her moan out loud. She could feel the dampness between her thighs and pushed up harder against him.
After giving the other nipple the same attention—and driving her insane in the process—he moved his head lower, kissing a path down to the waistband of her sweats. Disposing of the piece of clothing, he dove between her thighs, licking and sucking at her wet lips hungrily.
“Oh. God!”
Her body twisted as pleasure coursed through her. “Too … much …” But Cross didn’t hear her, or maybe he did and didn’t care. His mouth was relentless as it explored and feasted on her. When he moved to suck on her clit, she bucked her hips off the mattress. His tongue speared into her and his thumb replaced it, plucking and teasing the bud until she was shaking with an orgasm.
“Cross, please,” she sighed when feeling returned
