Read Second Nature (When Seconds Count) Online
Authors: D.L. Roan
His hand froze, his body going completely still when she shifted in her sleep, her legs tangling in the simple white sheet
, dragging it further down her perfectly toned form.
Her
legs
. Christ, she had the sexiest legs. His favorite spot was showing, peeking just above the hem of the sheet. That supple, tender crease at the top of her hip. His mouth watered at the memory of the purred little moan she made when he’d trace that spot with his tongue. That sound had haunted his dreams for the last six months. He couldn’t wait to hear it again, but first they had to talk.
There were too many things left unresolved between
them. First and foremost, he wanted her to know he loved her, and that she had a choice. He loved her enough to walk away if that’s what she wanted. After coming this far it would kill him, but he would leave. He was prepared to give her anything she wanted, any answer to every question, no matter what it cost him or how long it took. Whatever it took.
In a single
silent step, he hopped from his perch in the trees to the raised platform she had constructed. He had been more than impressed when he’d first snuck onto the beach, the more than ample moonlight and still-glowing embers from her fire showing him the way to her little hut. He had debated waking her, but the moment he saw her peaceful form curled up on the thick mattress she’d made, he’d been too mesmerized to disturb her.
Slowly he sank to his knees and relaxed into the mattress beside her, gently pulling up the sheet
to cover her exposed skin. The morning air had a bit of a nip, but he wasn’t bullshitting himself. It was going to be hard as hell as it was to keep his hands to himself while they talked things out. He didn’t need any more distraction than he already had.
“Grant?”
A tight knot formed in his chest when he glanced up to see her sleepy, silver eyes staring back at him through her long black-as-coal eyelashes. Christ, she was beautiful. A sudden moment of panic blindsided his thoughts, sending him into a complete tailspin. He shouldn’t be here. He was never going to earn her trust and love. How could he? He was just as big a monster as those who had tried to destroy her. He couldn’t fool himself. No matter where he went or what identity he wore, he would never be more than a killer. Even though he’d retired, that part of him still existed. Still lurked just under the surface. How could he expect her to love that? He had no right to even ask it of her.
“Please tell me I’m not dreaming.”
A firestorm of need and hope burned through his veins when her fingers grazed his jaw, that simple touch like no dream he’d ever had. Against his will his eyes closed, his lungs pumping hard to supply enough oxygen to feed the demands of his racing heart. He swallowed against the growing knot in his throat, nearly choking on all the things he’d wanted to say, but could no longer find the words to say them.
When the soft silk of her lips touched his
, the tight-fisted grip he’d thought he had on his control slipped away, sending him over some invisible cliff. Her mouth opened on a sigh, her desperate breaths mingling with his as his tongue stroked deep inside, her familiar taste fueling the blazing fire deep within his bones.
This is where I belong.
An unquenchable thirst raged inside him, forcing him take more. His fists clenched the back of her shirt, the flimsy material offering no resistance as he tore it from her body, exposing her fevered skin to his touch.
“I need you.” He didn’t know if he had said the words aloud or mere
ly in his head, but no words had ever been more true. The last six months without her had been like trying to breathe water. He had been slowly drowning. Only in these last few moments had he taken his first real breath since that horrible night in Navi.
The feel of her in his hands, against his skin
, was like finding a part of himself he never knew existed. He pulled her close, crushing her against him when she slid into his lap, her legs hugging his waist like she, too, couldn’t get close enough. He would never be close enough. He would spend the rest of his days searching for a closer connection to this incredible woman.
“Grant, please make love to me. I’ve missed you so much.”
Is this really happening?
He almost couldn’t bring himself to believe it until she had spoken those words. The familiar emptiness lifted from his soul and his heart filled with all the love he thought he’d lost. “God, I’ve missed you, fossa.” His hands tangled in her hair, pulling her head back to expose her slender neck. The taste of her salty skin enlivened his senses, sending a tidal wave of primal desire dancing along his spine straight to his cock. In a blinding rush, he flipped her to her back, dragging her cotton panties to the floor along with his shorts. She fought to rid him of his shirt, sending buttons snapping and flying.
With only one arm free
, he hovered above her naked body. Her panted, frantic breaths danced along the fine hairs on his neck until she’d freed the other. He breathed her in, clutching her to him with a gentle strength he’d once though was beyond him. Her delicate fingers framed his face and, when he lifted his head, the sight of her tear-filled eyes nearly stopped his heart. A million unspoken words passed between them in that one moment.
“I love you.” Her whispered words echoed the truth in her eyes. He knew. He knew if he died right
then, right there in her arms, he would do so without a single regret.
“I love you.” He wrapped her in his arms, sliding deep inside her with a single thrust. Her aching moan filled his mouth, the heat of her kiss matching the heat of her womb as she welcomed him into her body. Overwhelmed by an onslaught of emotion, his senses scattered. He
reined them in one by one, gathering her taste, her scent, the feel of her in his arms and committed each one to a new memory.
Tender thrusts quickly gave way to ravaging heat as they lost themselves to their remembered passion. It had been so long. So long since he’d held her beneath him. So long since he’d tasted the distinct wildness that lived within her. Grant could feel her inner walls tightening around him, gripping his shaft in a frenzied flutter as she cried out beneath him. He chased his own release, his muscles burning with each powerful, claiming thrust. He would live, right here inside her, if he could only hold out for just…one…more.
His shouts of release filled the trees, sending a flock of birds to flight and a cacophony of island sounds erupting from the surrounding brush. A rush of new blood flooded his brain and he collapsed against her, a sudden dizziness overwhelming his senses. As much as he wanted to stay there, to soak in the feel of her beneath him, he knew he was crushing her. Tremors wracked his arms from the effort it took to push himself up, their sweat-slicked skin slowly peeling apart. Her arms banded around him and pulled him back to her as she tightened her legs around his hips.
“Don’t go.” Her fingers threaded through his sweaty
hair, her lips leaving a trail of tender kisses along his neck.
He
would never need more than those words. As long as she would have him, he would walk by her side. “I’m not going anywhere, fossa.” He rested his forehead against hers and nuzzled her nose, nipping her upper lip as it curled into a perfect smile. “Not without you.”
~*~*~ The End ~*~*~
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