Everett playfully snaps his teeth in my face. “Take that back.”
“Make me,” I say, grinning.
The smile slowly slips from his face, replaced by something softer. Warmer.
“Thea…” He caresses my cheek with the backs of his fingers. “You said that you never would’ve believed we’d end up here, but I knew we would.”
I lift my brows. “You hated me.”
“I told you I didn’t. I never have.” He swallows, a look of indecision crossing his face before he blurts out, “I love you.”
My heart begins to pound even faster. “I…I love you too.”
And I do. I love them all, even if I haven’t admitted it to anyone other than Zaid. They have somehow permanently imprinted themselves on my soul. It’ll be impossible to untangle myself from them.
I don’t believe in fate or soulmates or anything as ridiculous as that, but if I did, they'd be mine. We found each other in my first life, then again in my next. And I have no doubt we’ll be drawn to each other in death too.
“Thea…” Everett’s gaze flicks to my lips, his eyes heating. Turning molten. But then he grits his teeth together and turns away. “Fuck, I’m sorry, baby.”
“No,” I say quickly, guiding his face back to mine. “Don’t be sorry. I… I want you, Everett.”
He closes his eyes and grimaces, as if in immense pain.
“I want you too, baby, but I don’t want our first time to be because you’ve just been traumatized by god-awful memories.” His fingers flex on my cheek sporadically.
“I promise you, Everett. That’s not why I want to do this.” I allow my gaze to trail over his ruggedly handsome face, noting the scruff on his jawline that has begun to grow out, resembling a beard. “Was what happened to me—to us—awful? Of course. I’ll probably have nightmares for years to come. But that doesn’t change the fact that I love you, that I’m in love with you. And right now, I want nothing more than to know that you’re here with me and that I’m free.”
I crane my neck to plant a chaste, gentle kiss on his jawline, which ripples with tension. “Please, Everett. I need this. I need you.”
He trembles, his arms around me flexing, but his restraint is crumbling. He wants me just as badly.
His hands slide up my waist, pulling me closer. His unique, woodsy scent surrounds me, and I breathe him in, wondering what he would taste like on my lips. I want to kiss him. I’m desperate to.
I twist my neck, and our mouths meet, his lips parting.
I shift on the couch so I’m now straddling him, our tongues tangling in a desperate, sultry dance, his hands roaming my body.
I expected him to be domineering in the bedroom like Rafe, but he’s…gentle. Passionate. I don’t know if he’s always like this or if this is a side of him reserved solely for me, but I appreciate it more than I care to admit.
I want to feel loved and cherished. I need to know that he’s here, that he loves me, that he’ll protect me.
His hands trail down my back and cup my ass, squeezing.
“Everett…” I moan, kissing him again.
“Take those clothes off, baby. Let me see you.”
It takes less than a second for me to stand and rid myself of my clothes and undergarments, tossing them aside. He quickly chucks off his own T-shirt and jeans, but before I can admire him, he grabs my arm and hauls me back onto his lap.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispers, cupping my aching breasts and tweaking my hyper-sensitive nipples.
Heat rushes to my core instantly, and I moan, rocking slightly.
His tongue traces the seam of my lips in a slow, sensual pathway before trailing down my neck. I arch for him, granting him better access, and he uses the opportunity to bite and suck on my skin. A part of me wants him to do it even harder—to leave a mark behind. I want the world to know that I belong to him and he belongs to me.
He arches his hips slightly, and that’s when I feel it—the prominent bulge resting thick and hard against my most sensitive area.
He’s big. Bigger than any of the others, and that’s saying something. Of course, I should’ve expected him to be big, considering his size, but to have the evidence quite literally brushing against me?—
