Page 44 of Secret Sins

Tentatively, I outlined the curves of a skull, following the lines until they blended into the woman he kissed. The bony fingers cupped her jaw, and I swallowed at the sight of a tear dripping down her face. What must he have been thinking when he chose something so telling?

Replacing my fingers with my mouth, I touched every inch of exposed skin I could reach. Wrapping my arms around him until my breasts pressed against him, I saw the way his hands fisted in his lap.

"Touch me," I begged.

Van rose, and I sat with my legs crossed as he shoved his pants off. Answering my request, he pressed me back to the bed and put his hands on me everywhere. The backs of my knees as he spread me wide, my ankles as he propped them on his shoulders. My breasts as he leaned down, molding them into his palms as I squirmed. Pinching my nipples and rolling them between thumb and forefinger, he did exactly as I'd asked. Bucking up into him, urging him to give me more, I met his gaze and grasped his head to bring his mouth to mine.

"Cover me—fill me—please."

I didn't recognize my own voice as I begged him, as he swallowed my cries when he finally entered me. Thrusting to the hilt, burying his full length inside my body and stopping, Van bit my bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth and alternating with the top lip. Fire had broken out, engulfing me in its tender caress as it licked up my spine.

And all I could do was ask for more.

It consumed me, becoming all I knew. Him and me and nothing else, no thoughts or future worries or pets or expectations. Nothing more than the base of our humanity, more than happy to let it take over. Rocking my hips in rhythm with his movements, my back arched and my body slicked with sweat, I rose to meet him time and again. Here, Van took control, no longer shy and uncertain. My blood boiled over, an explosion of exquisite colors shining behind my eyelids. Red and gold, orange and pink, like the sunset creating fire in the water, heat engulfed me until I shattered in his arms.

Though I quaked beneath him, Van didn't stop. Braced above me, moving rapidly now to chase his release, he became sexier than I could ever remember seeing him before. His muscles strained and flexed, driving me further into the bed until he finally snapped his hips one last time and stilled over me.

Reaching for him, I pulled him down so he would cover me and not run away. His weight was welcome on my boneless body, and I crossed my legs around his waist to drive my point home.

"You are so much more than how you see yourself, Van. You're worthy of love and every good thing life can give you."

His breath tickled my ear. "I never meant to fall for you, Bailey, but I was buried beneath your divinity. You are my motherfucking salvation."

Oh, God, my feelings would drown me soon. "Then why did you fight against it so hard?"

It seemed it was easier to say difficult things out loud in the dark. "Because when I first met you, I saw inevitability in your eyes. All I wanted was to save you from me, from my circumstances. Knowing we'd end up together frightened me more than hearing the guilty verdict said out loud at my trial."

My heart squeezed behind my ribcage, and I hugged him closer.

"I love you." Finally rolling off me, Van picked up my hand and kissed the inside of my wrist. "I knew from the first time I saw you framed in the doorway with all those books at your back. I knew I would never have the strength to walk away from you, and that terrifies me."

"Then I'll make sure you never have to." Blinking slowly, I said, "No matter what happens, we'll face it together."

"I can't believe I had to cross the country to find everything I didn't know I needed."

Neither could I, but I knew we would hold onto it now. We would hold onto it forever.

Chapter 17

Van

It would have been really easy to freak out, but I didn't. Instead, I got up and pulled on my clothes, leaving as quietly as possible so I didn't disturb Bailey's sleep. Though she had drifted right off, I’d grown accustomed to being awake extremely early. Downstairs, I found Alex in the bakery's kitchen, creating whatever magic made the entire place smell like fresh-baked heaven.

"Um, hey."

Looking over his shoulder at my greeting, Alex's eyes widened, and his hands froze.

"I wanted to bring breakfast upstairs. What's Bailey's favorite?"

He had to wipe his flour-covered hands on his apron, but then he held one out for me to shake while he spoke. "Blueberry muffins."

"Really?” I would have guessed cinnamon rolls or something similar. “Okay, enough for two, please, plus coffee. How much is that?"

Shaking his head, Alex resumed transferring scones from the butcher block counter to a Silpat-covered baking sheet. "Nah, man, I never make Bailey pay. Just give me a second, and I'll have a bag ready to go."

"I appreciate it. And also that you're not asking me a thousand questions."

"Oh, Ellie will have all the details by the end of the day." With the scones lined up in neat rows, he opened the oven and slid in the tray. "That way, I don't have to be an asshole, but I still get the info."