Kane reached between them and rubbed her aching clit. At the same time, he slammed so deep inside her, there was nowhere to hide, he owned every piece of her body.
The orgasm washed over her, seizing each part in a tsunami of sensation. Her nails dug into his hands and his name ripped from her lips, over and over and over…
“Yes. Just like that. God, I can feel you come all over me. Give me more.”
He didn’t stop, and she fell into a second orgasm, steeped in pleasure so sharp it was almost pain.
Only then did he let himself go, chasing his own release. She gripped him with her thighs and savored the expression on his face, knowing it was all for her.
They collapsed in the tangled sheets. Their breath came in uneven pants. He groaned and lay beside her, heads together, his heavy arm laying over her stomach, chaining her to him.
“Well, that talk went well,” he muttered.
She laughed. “So. Well. I can’t wait to have the conversation again.”
Kane pressed a kiss to her temple. “Give me five. We had a few dialogue points to go over.”
Sierra snuggled against him, sated and stupidly happy. The first time they were together, it was like a roller coaster, falling down the hill and surrendering a piece of herself to a stranger. But he was no longer unfamiliar. He was a part of her life and community and even family. There were no longer any excuses. Now, lying next to him, she could admit it was as if all the years apart were just a blank space where they could make themselves back to one another.
She was no longer afraid of not being chosen. And yes, he had a past they needed to discuss. But in the past month, they’d built trust and a solid foundation.
“I do want to talk,” she said softly. “There are things to share that are important.”
He was quiet for a while. “I love you, Sierra.”
Her heart stopped. She lifted her head from the pillow and stared at him in shock. “What did you say?”
His smile held a touch of sadness she wanted to erase. “I’ve always loved you. There’s never been anyone but you in my heart. I know I made some hard choices. Choices you won’t understand until I give you another part of me—a part I always hid. But I can’t lose you again.”
Her insides lit up with so much emotion, she felt as if she could float away. “You just said it. Right now. In bed. Aren’t you supposed to doubt men who say I love you in bed?”
Humor flickered over his face. “Only you would question the location and circumstances. And no, that’s when you’re having sex. Sex is over and we’re cuddling. Most men clam up at the cuddling part.”
“Yeah, I think you’re right.”
He gently touched her cheek. In his gaze, she found everything she’d ever dreamed of having from a man, yet the words bubbled up from her throat and got caught. The small spark of fear poked out and stirred to life. What was wrong with her? He’d given her what she asked for and more. What was the truth really keeping her from letting go of her final defenses?
“Sierra?”
Her voice came out choked. “Yeah?”
“I’m not looking for a response. I don’t need the words back now. But you deserved to know my feelings are never going to change and that I’m in this for the long-term.” His fingers traced the outline of her swollen lips. “I’m in this forever. If that scares the living hell out of you, I get it. And I don’t care. I’ll wait for as long as it takes.”
It was too much. Raw emotions churned with the insecurities of knowing how easy it was to lose the things and people you loved. It was easier to hold back and be safe from shattering apart with grief and disappointment. But she could give him one thing he deserved to hear. “I’m scared.”
“I know.”
“Not of you. Of me. Of—”
“I know.”
His soft words of assurance almost broke her. In that moment, it was as if Kane stared right into the monster’s gaze and didn’t flinch. “How?”
“Because when bad things happen, it’s easy to believe it will happen again. You lost your parents and your husband. Anything can be taken. What if you allow yourself to love me and I leave?”
The shock of his calm declaration paralyzed her. He’d dragged out the secrets from the dark and shook them out in the light. The part Sierra hated—the weakness she’d been hiding from everyone, even her sister. How she’d wished she could be the strong, fierce woman who put herself out there again and again, taking heartbreak and loss in stride to fight another day. It was the type of characters Aspen wrote about.
“Will you leave?”
