Page 27 of Echo’s Secret

"Can't help it." I pull her back against me, skin to skin. "You're beautiful, and I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you."

Her breath hitches, and I kiss her until she's making those desperate sounds again. Until her hands are clawing at my back.

We're moving again. Swirling around the room, knocking into furniture, completely consumed by each other. Her back hits the wall near the window. Afternoon light streams through, catching in her hair.

I pull back slightly, breathing hard. Need to see her. Need to make sure this is real. Her lips are swollen from kissing. Cheeks flushed. Eyes dark with desire and something else, probably need, trust, hope.

"Are you sure?" she asks breathlessly. Her hands are still on my chest, fingers splayed over my heart. "About never leaving. About us being family. About all of it."

I catch her face in my hands, making sure she's looking at me when I answer. "I'm sure. I've never been surer of anything in my life."

"Promise?"

"Promise. You and Theo are my family now. Will always be my family. Nothing changes that."

She searches my face for any hint of a lie. Won't find one. I mean every fucking word. Something changes in her expression. The last bit of fear recedes, replaced by certainty. She smiles, wide and so beautiful it almost hurts to look at.

The prettiest smile I've ever seen.

"Then claim me," she says, voice low and challenging. "Right here. Right now. If you're so sure about it."

Heat shoots straight to my cock at her words. This woman. This brave, broken, beautiful woman who just handed me everything.

I smirk. "You know me well enough to know I love a good challenge."

Before she can respond, I scoop her up. She gasps, wraps her arms around my neck, and I carry her the few steps to the sturdy desk in the corner and set her on the edge.

She's at the perfect height now. Legs dangling. Eyes level with my chest. Completely at my mercy.

"Lean back," I tell her. "Against the wall. Just lean back and enjoy."

She does, tilting her head back against the wall behind the desk. The position makes her back arch slightly, breasts pushed forward. Her chest heaves with each breath, making them bounce slightly.

I drop to my knees in front of her.

Her eyes go wide. "Wesley—"

"Shh. I said enjoy. So enjoy."

I start at her feet. Slip off her shoes one at a time, setting them aside. Then my hands slide up her calves to her knees. She shivers under my touch but doesn't pull away.

I lean forward and press a gentle kiss just above her left knee. Then another slightly higher. Working my way up her thigh slowly.

"Wesley," she breathes. Her hands grip the edge of the desk like she needs something to hold onto.

I switch to her right leg. Start at the knee again. Kiss my way up, inch by inch, while her breathing gets faster and her legs start trembling.

When I reach the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, she whimpers. The sound goes straight to my cock but I ignore it. This isn't about me. This is about showing her exactly what it means to be claimed by me.

I hook my fingers into the waistband of her jeans. "Lift up."

She does, hips rising off the desk. I pull the jeans down slowly, taking her underwear with them. Simple cotton panties that match the bra. They join the pile of clothes on the floor.

Now she's bare before me except for that bra and her socks. Legs spread. Back against the wall. Chest heaving.

Fucking perfect.

"Look at you," I murmur, running my hands up her thighs again. "So goddamn beautiful."