Once again, he felt like life was narrowing down, guiding him to this place, this time. Focusing him on the path to Sabrina’s door.
He couldn’t get there fast enough.
And when the door swung open and he saw her standing there wrapped in a thick white sweater, her lovely eyes red with tears, he ached anew.
All those years, the pain, the distance, the history, it had all brought him to this moment.
It’d brought him back to her.
And this time he wouldn’t fail her. He wouldn’t let her go. She’d said her biggest regret was turning him down after their date.
Not being there for her was one of his biggest regrets.
He stepped forward and she came into his arms willingly. He held her close, felt the tears quaking through her. He closed his eyes as he fought tears of his own.
Then, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and slanted his lips across hers.
15
Sabrina wanted to say something. Ask what he was doing here was the obvious one on the tip of her tongue. But when his tongue speared between her lips and she felt the resounding zing all the way to her womb, she forgot all about forming coherent sentences or even words.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered against her lips.
He walked her backwards and kicked the door closed. She loved that he took the time to reach behind himself and lock it.
Then he was backing her down the hall to her bedroom. His hands slid down her sides to close around her waist. The tender touch washed away all her anxiety.
Gracious he was strong. And big.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention. I’m sorry I didn’t see how mean those girls were to you. I’m sorry for so many things.”
She nodded as his words brought a fresh round of tears. Amazingly, there were tears in his eyes as well.
He was crying for her. With her.
She cupped his cheek with her hand and kissed the wet trails coursing down his cheeks.
Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined this. This handsome, strong man, crying over her.
After brushing the bulky poncho from her shoulders, his fingertips skimmed the skin between her shirt and her pajama pants.
“I’m sorry I let them win,” she said. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
He seemed to know exactly where he was going. It was almost as if he had a schematic of her apartment or a blueprint or a treasure map. He certainly knew his way around her body.
They bumped into the wall.
He grunted and then picked her up. No strain. Just lifted. She tightened her grip on his broad shoulders and locked her ankles behind his back.
Even though they’d done this before, a couple of times actually, she knew she should be nervous. But she wasn’t.
She’d come back to Georgia with an open heart, ready to try again in the romance department only to have bumped into David. Everything seemed so much more important than it had a few short weeks ago. Each look, every question…
He trailed his lips down her jaw, awakening all the nerve endings in his wake. She marveled at how she didn’t feel any awkwardness that usually came with a new partner.
There were always those little moments where you weren’t quite in sync yet.
With David, miraculously, there was none of that.
He stepped into her bedroom and lifted his head long enough to locate the bed. She wasn’t going to think about tomorrow.
He was here.
That meant everything.
A giddy tendril bubbled up inside her and she smiled. How had he gotten her address?
Probably Teo and Jill. It didn’t matter.
He was here, tearing her clothes off. Kissing and crying. How was that for a combination?
Following her down onto the mattress. Only when he shrugged out of his shirt did he stop kissing her. Her tears dried on her cheeks and so did his.
She loved a man with a one-track mind, so she sent him her most wicked smile.
“Fuck. Don’t look at me like that.”
Her brows lifted. “Why not?”
She let her eyes roam over his newly uncovered skin, once again admiring the ink, pausing at the scars. Normally she wasn’t a fan of tattoos, but on him, every design fit. From the thin cuff around his forearm to the wings curling around his shoulders.
The intricate trident design over his heart snagged her attention.
When he leaned over her, she stretched up to kiss him there. Somehow, that one seemed more important that all the others.
“One day,” she murmured against his skin, “you’ll have to tell me about each of these.”
“But not today,” he said, swooping in for a kiss.
Sabrina loved the feel of his big body above her, blotting out the world. He was so strong, so solid, so real. She felt completely safe...more than that.
As he trailed his fingertips from her throat, between her breasts, to her navel, she realized she felt cherished.
There was something new in his gaze. A tenderness that hadn’t been there before. And a reverence. The way he touched her this time was so different; urgent, yes, but also like he was memorizing her.
When he slid his hand between her legs, all other thoughts vanished. She loved how her world shifted to him and her and their pleasure. She adored how he seemed to know just how to touch her. How hard, how fast, which direction to circle his fingers against her clit.
Arms around him, she held on tight as he brought her to the brink. Breasts straining, nipples tight, she pulled him in for a kiss and rubbed her chest against his.
He groaned into her mouth and then shifted so he was between her legs. She locked her ankles around his back and reveled in the feel of him. His heat, the faint scent of barbeque that clung to his skin.
He didn’t have to move. Skin against skin, his deep eyes locked with hers, it was the most intimate moment of her life. And for just a second, she wanted time to stop. To freeze in this moment where everything
