by Lisa Simmons
My head ducked down next to hers, my lips nudging her ear as I whispered to her.
"Shh, baby, it's okay," I murmured. Another shaky breath dragged through her lips as she clung even tighter to my arms. My lips pressed into her cheek, which was wet with tears. I loosened my grip just enough to spin her around and pull her tightly into my chest.
Her arms wound instantly around my neck, clutching herself to me as her wet tears continued to fall against my bare chest. Her waist was encircled in my arms, hugging her as tightly as I could without crushing her. I could practically feel the ache and pain she was feeling as she recovered from our fight.
"I'm so sorry, Reece," she managed to say, her words muffled by her tears and my neck.
"I know, baby, I know," I reassured her. "It's okay."
Her body shook again as she dragged in another breath. She released one more heavy sob before somehow managing to calm herself down. I held her tightly as she came down, my grip never loosening as her tears came slower and slower before stopping all together. All that remained now was silence and the sound of air whooshing between her lips.
One of my hands unwound from her torso to pet through the back of her hair, intuition taking over as I comforted her. I had never held someone so closely, never tried to soothe someone or take away their pain until her. She had, without a doubt, brought out a side in me I didn't even know existed until very recently.
"I love you, Abigail," I whispered, my lips mumbling against her hair as she continued to cling from me. She pulled backward, her tear soaked eyes searching mine intently. The moment she locked eyes with me, the fire that always burned burst back into life, reconnecting us the way we were meant to.
"Can you say it again, please?" she begged, a ghost of a smile, along with shock and disbelief flooding across her face. Her cheeks were wet and blotchy and her eyes were red, but she still looked so incredibly beautiful. My heat thumped heavily in my chest.
"I love you," I repeated softly. My hand that had tended to her hair came around to cup her face, my thumb struggling to collect the wetness from her skin.
"I love you, too, Reece," she breathed, relief immensely obvious as she sagged into me. She had had an extremely emotional night, just as I had.
"I'm sorry," I said earnestly. "I should have said it earlier, Abby, but I was so mad."
"I thought maybe you didn't for a minute," she said nervously. Eye eyebrows were pulled tightly together as she struggled to keep her renewed calm.
"Of course I did," I said, shaking my head slowly. "Just... remember I'm new at this. I'm gonna have to learn how to deal with this stuff."
She nodded understandingly. "I know, Reece. And I don't want you to ever say something if you don't mean it."
I frowned. "It wasn't that I wouldn't have meant it, Abby. That thought never crossed my mind."
I didn't like the idea of her thinking I had, for even a second, doubted that I loved her. Ever since my realization, I hadn't had a single second thought about it. I knew I loved her down to my bones, and I wanted her to know that, too.
"I know this is gonna be hard, but I wanna do it," I said honestly. "I want this to work."
"God, I want it so bad, Reece," she agreed. I dropped my forehead to rest against hers and I felt her melt even more into me.
"Remember what I told you?" I asked quietly, her eyes burning into mine only inches away.
"About what?" she asked softly.
"About my heart."
"You said... that I won it," she answered. Her voice was breathless and heavy with emotion, and I noticed the remnants of tears still clinging to her eyes.
"That's still true, Abby. It's yours," I said.
A shaky smile pulled at her lips and a gasp of air sucked through her lips in a half-laugh.
"I'll take care of it," she promised. "I love you, Reece."
"I love you, Abby."
She sniffed lightly before I leaned down to press my lips against hers, the kiss ghostly soft and feathery light but containing an undeniable spark that radiated down to my toes. Our lips separated but my forehead stayed pressed to hers, our eyes closed and lips parted as we both drew in shuddering breaths. We lingered like that for what could have been hours, reveling in each other's grasp as we felt the familiar burn coursing through our bodies once more.
Standing here with her was what felt right. It felt like it was exactly where I was supposed to be despite the devastating fight we'd just had. She was who I was supposed to be with and there was no doubt in my mind that she was what I needed. Those few hours when we'd been so far apart mentally and emotionally had been horrible, and I knew I'd do anything to avoid it again. As long as she knew I loved her, and as long as she loved me, I was content.
"I'll be all yours if you'll be all mine," I whispered quietly. I hadn't really even meant to say it but the words were falling from my lips before I could stop them. My eyes were still closed before I realized what I'd said, my eyelids fluttering open to find her staring at me in awe.
She appeared unable to speak but managed to nod slowly before a tear slipped from her eye again. It trailed down her skin before it landed on my thumb where I wiped it away.
"You already have all of me," she said slowly. A slow smile spread across my lips as I absorbed her words.
"So I have all of you and you have all of me and my heart, where does that leave us?" I asked.
"That leaves us here, Reece. Together."
My eyes burned into hers once more, searching for a response to her incredible words but finding none. At a loss, I leaned forward and reconnected our lips. I held her to me, pouring everything I struggled to say and put into words into the kiss. Tonight had been a rollercoaster, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't worth it.
Ending up at this point after such a long night was worth every agonizing minute, because I knew, without a doubt, that we were here, this was real, and we weren't going anywhere.
"But I gave you all."
Chapter 44
Time held no meaning to me as we stood in the kitchen. Reece's limbs cradled my body as he hugged me to his chest. I had no idea how long we'd been standing there, but the blissful warmth of his body pressed against mine and the re-established emotional connection between us made me content to stay there all night.
One of Reece's arms wound around my lower back while his other looped around my neck, his body resting against the counter while I leaned into him. Every once in a while his lips would press into my neck, spreading light kisses across my skin. I could feel his heart beating in his chest as mine pressed against it. He held me so closely to him that I was completely enveloped in him, and I wanted nothing more than to stay like this forever.
It felt like he was everywhere, physically and mentally. His body pressed against mine nearly every inch possible, his breath washed across my throat, and the words we had exchanged seemed to warm me from the inside out.
I'll be all yours if you'll be all mine.
I was positive I had never heard such beautiful words spoken in my life, much less from Reece. It was nearly impossible to get him to speak about his feelings for me, but recently he'd been more open. For him to say such devastatingly beautiful things to me was like a dream come true. I knew he meant them because I could feel them reverberating down to my bones.
"Let's go to bed, baby," he whispered. I could feel his lips moving against my neck. His grip on me relaxed enough for me to pull back and look at him. My hands rose to his face where I let my thumbs trail along his jaw while he watched me watch him with a soft smile on his face.
"Okay," I replied, content as long as I could stay wrapped up in him. His arm around my neck slid down so his hand rested at the nape, his fingertips pressing lightly into my skin as he pulled me forward to kiss my lips. My heart fluttered at the gentle kiss and the way his lips warmed mine before he broke away. His arms slid from around me before he grabbed my hand and jerked his head toward the hall,
tugging me after him through the silent house.
My feet padded quietly down the hallway, nearly the exact opposite of how I had stumbled blearily down it earlier. Then, I had been too upset to even see straight or control my body, but now I was positively glowing. Reece had, without a doubt, healed every crack and fracture that had settled in my body only hours ago. The fight had drained me in every way possible, but it felt so good now to know that we were past it.
I followed Reece in a comfortable silence as we re-entered his room, which was nearly pitch black except for the tiny glow emitted by his alarm clock. We neared the edge of the bed, and Reece wasted no time in pulling me down to the soft mattress with him, his arms encircling me almost instantly as we hit the bed. He lay on his side, his arm snaking beneath my head before curling around my shoulders while his other looped around my waist, pulling my back to his chest. My hands found his, fingers fitting between the spaces between his as I sighed in content.
This was where I was supposed to be- warm and safe and settled with Reece.
I could feel Reece's lips tickling against my neck as he snuggled closer to me, his breath washing lightly over my skin as he tucked his face in behind me. His breathing was slow and even as his chest expanded slowly, but I knew he was awake. His fingers shifted slowly between mine, tightening and loosening their grip repeatedly as we lay there tangled together.
"I should have said it back," he murmured into my neck.
"Shh, it's alright Reece," I said quietly. My emotions were in such a heightened state from what had all happened tonight. I still felt strangely on the verge of tears, his gentle words and sweet actions drawing them further from behind my eyes, but for a different reason than earlier. I was overcome with emotions and love for him; such strong feelings were flooding through me that I had a hard time processing them as they swelled inside me, fighting for space in my heart and overflowing through my veins.
I loved him so much it hurt.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled again, despite my protests. His lips pressed lightly into my neck, the skin beneath his gentle kiss heating under his touch. A quiet hum left my lips as my eyes drifted shut and my head tilted down, allowing him more space. His lips were feathery light as they trailed against my neck, his slow actions personifying his gentle words he'd spoken earlier.
His hands pulled on my fingers, tightening my palms against the backs of his hands as he hugged me tighter. Kisses trailed all the way down my neck until he reached my shoulder, where he pushed them against my skin once more before pausing to speak.
"Abigail," was all he said. The simple statement of my name held so much meaning, however, because I could feel the lingering burn dripping from his lips accompanied by an unspoken, undeniable, love for me. The way he said my name allowed me to feel it to my bones, warming from the inside out just as his words had earlier.
Gingerly, he released his grip on my hands to shift my body, turning me so I was facing him before I was encircled in his arms once more. His eyes were practically glowing in the darkness as he watched me closely, alert and wide awake despite it being the middle of the night. His hand rose to brush my hair back from my face while his eyes stayed locked on my own, and I could feel the soft tickle of his breath across my face as it escaped his slightly parted lips.
My heart thudded heavily in my chest, reacting easily to the loaded tension between us. The tension was so thick it was palpable, and I noticed him reacting the way I was. We had hardly spoken, but such strong emotions were flowing through the both of us that our bodies reacted on their own. I could feel air sucking into my lungs faster than was necessary as I took short, quick breaths between my lips, and he was doing the same.
He held onto the side of my face while he watched me react to him the way he often did, and I took the opportunity to observe him as well.
"I'll always say it back, okay?" he said quietly, eyes shifting between my own.
"Only say it if you mean it," I countered, my voice wispy in the quiet of the room. I was surprised my pounding heart didn't drown out the sound.
"I'll always say it back," he started, "because I'll always mean it."
"But if you ever don't-"
"Shh," he hushed me quietly, running his thumb across my cheek. "I'll always mean it."
My chest sunk heavily as I breathed, his words sinking in and overwhelming me even more. A single tear slipped from my eye, a tear of pure, unadulterated happiness, as he shifted forward to close the tiny space between us. His breath on my lips was the last thing I felt before his pushed against mine. A slow burning fire spread through my body from the gentle kiss he gave me, the searing heat of it lingering in every cell as he pushed me backward gently.
My back leveled flat on the mattress as he shift us slowly, his body ending up on top of mine while he rested his hips between my thighs. He continued to kiss me slowly, every tiny action adding to the lingering burn I felt. My lower lip was captured tenderly by his as they molded around it deliberately slowly. My arms rose to wind around his neck, pulling him down to me while his lips continued to mold against my own.
I breathed him in, our gentle kiss so slow and lingering that it was nearly impossible to draw a full breath around it. My heart thudded against my ribs, and my shaky breathing was soothed only by the gentle way he continued to touch me.
"I love you," he mumbled against my lips. His forehead was pinned to mine as he held himself over me, watching me as closely as ever.
"I love you, too," I said quietly, feeling it with every fiber of my being.
"I wanna show you, Abby," he said softly. I was certain I was going to pass out from how extremely my body was reacting to him, especially now that he'd said that.
"Then show me," I managed to reply, my voice breathless and shaky. He stared at me intently for a few seconds, the burning edges to his green eyes searing into me and shooting straight to my toes. Slowly, painfully slowly, he dropped his head to me, reconnecting our lips in a gentle kiss. My heart was positively racing with what was about to come, and I was positive I had never loved him more than right now.
He deepened our kiss easily, his tongue sliding tantalizingly across my lower lip before gently pushing into my mouth. His hips shifted gently as he rolled his body slowly against mine as he rested between my legs. One of his hands trailed down my side, his fingers molding into my skin as it moved down my body before coming to rest on my hip. My skin seared as his thumb slipped beneath my shirt to rub circles on my hip, his hand inching higher up my skin in reverse of its previous pattern. When he reached my breast, he paused and let his thumb tickle lightly across the soft skin there before retracting it once more. The thin fabric of his t-shirt was gripped in his hand as he pulled it effortlessly over my head.
I hadn't put my bra back on after our shower, so I was already half naked, as he was in just his shorts. His skin on his chest was hot against mine as he rested on top of me, his lips never ceasing their slow, burning kiss against my own. A quiet groan escaped my lips, muffled by our kiss as he shifted his hips again to grind against me slowly, his tedious action drawing the sound out of me easily.
My arms unwound from his neck to glide down his sides, the soft skin passing easily beneath my palms as they trailed down his body. The pressure between my legs was already building as I yearned for him to touch me, the gentle rocking of his body against me already driving me insane. My fingers tickled against his skin as I reached the waistband of his shorts before dipping my fingers beneath the band. I pushed down on them slowly as his lips finally released mine, the contact missing for only a second before he dropped his head to my neck where he pushed his lips against my skin once more.
More and more of his soft skin was revealed to me as I removed his shorts, freeing him as he helped me push them down his thighs before he kicked them off. I could feel the weight of him resting against me, the slow pace of our actions clearly getting to him just as it was me. I raked my fingers gingerly up his sides,
starting at his hips where the bones protruded sharply up to where the muscles on the sides of his ribs rippled beneath his skin. Despite every inch of him being searing hot, goose bumps rose under the pads of my fingers wherever I touched him.
His lips continued to press against my neck, his tongue snaking out here and there to wet my skin as his hand slid down my body once more. A breath struggled to release from my lungs as he pulled down the shorts I was wearing, bearing me to him completely. My legs bent as my thighs tightened around Reece, the pressure of him there already causing my body to react to him. He rolled his hips against me once again, the tantalizingly slow movement earning a gasp from me. He pulled his lips from my neck, planting one last one under my ear before he leaned over me to reach into his drawer.
Before I knew what I was doing, my hand shot out to grab his wrist, my fingers encircling it lightly as I stopped him. My action drew his attention to my face, where he looked at me in awe. I shook my head slowly, holding his intense eye contact.
"I want to really feel you, Reece," I said quietly, meaning every word. I was on birth control, after all, why deny ourselves the pleasure of fully feeling each other?
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice deep in the quiet room.
"Absolutely sure," I reassured him. He stared at me for a few seconds, his lips parted as he panted slightly above me.
"Are you on the pill?" he asked suddenly, his brain catching up to his body's urges.
"Yes," I said honestly. At the word, a small smile pulled at his lips and he shifted back to where he had been. He ducked his head to kiss me once again, his lips parting mine lightly. I could feel him pressing against my entrance, and I wanted nothing more than for him to shift forward into me.
"I love you," he murmured one last time, breaking our kiss to look me in the eye once more.
"I love you, Reece," I returned, my hands petting his hair off his forehead as he hovered over me. Mere inches separated our faces as he shifted his hips forward, pushing into me slowly and deliciously without any barrier between us for the first time. His pupils dilated as he did so, his gaze locked on mine as he took in my reaction. My back arched involuntarily against him as he pushed fully into me, his considerable size stretching me beautifully.
