Page 74 of Holden’s Resurrection

Charleigh’s hands slowly slid up his back and he shivered. So long he’d been without her touch. So fucking long he’d gone without her smile, her voice, her humor. She had been his everything, then he’d thrown her away.

Fuck.

“What do you need, Holden?”

Jesus, she was soothing him.

Man up, Stanford, you can’t let her down—again.

“You can’t leave me.” There. He’d said it and it wasn’t lost on him the stupidity of his statement. He’d been the one to desert her. “I can’t lose you, Leigh-Leigh.”

Her hands continued to roam but her touch had become tentative and he hated that. He’d done that to her. There was nothing shy or hesitant about Charleigh. His woman was sure and confident.

“Please, baby, fight with me, fight for this, for us. I can’t live without you. I tried to do the right thing. I tried to let you go. I tried to give you what you wanted. But I can’t do it. I’m selfish, Charleigh. My life is shit without you. There wasn’t a day that went by I didn’t look at your beautiful face and regret what I’d done. There wasn’t a night I went to sleep and didn’t ache to hold you. I’ll do anything, baby, just please don’t leave me.”

Charleigh’s hand cupped his cheek and her thumb stroked his jaw. It had always amazed him how her touch eased him, calmed his racing thoughts, quieted all the noise.

How could I have been so fucking stupid?

“Make love to me,” she whispered.

It felt like he’d waited a lifetime to hear those words, and if her verbal request wasn’t enough, Charleigh wrapped her long legs around his waist, hooked her ankles, and lifted her hips.

“No more talking, honey. Show me.”

Holden slowly withdrew and groaned. He set a leisurely pace, unhurried deep thrusts that had Charleigh mewing. The sweetest sound he’d ever heard. He could make love to her all night long, never wanting to leave the warmth she provided. Everything made sense when she was near. She brightened his world, made it better.

Fuck, he loved this woman. Always had and always would.

“More,” she urged.

“No baby, slow.”

“Holden.”

“Slow, Leigh-Leigh. You feel so damn beautiful I don’t want it to end.” Holden pulled his face out of her neck and looked down at the woman he loved. “I love you so damn much. Only you. It has always been you.”

Charleigh’s head tipped back, her eyes closed, and she moaned as Holden rocked into her harder.

“Open your pretty eyes and look at me.” Holden waited until she complied and gave her another deep thrust. “Do you understand? Only you.”

“Yes,” she groaned and lifted her hips.

Holden kept his slow pace until Charleigh dug her heels into his ass and her nails raked down his back. But it was when she let an impatient whimper, he knew she was close to the edge.

“You want more, Leigh-Leigh?”

“God, yes.”

He hitched her leg up higher, then finally allowed his hand to skim her soft skin on his way to her breast. Heavy, full tits he’d been dying to play with but had refrained in fear once he started, he’d lose control. The moment his thumb grazed her hard nipple, he knew he’d been right. Charleigh gasped and arched into his touch and he snapped.

“Beautiful,” he groaned as he pinched and rolled her nipple. “More?” Her eyes flared in a nonverbal answer and he smiled. “Yeah, my girl wants more.”

Holden pulled back and slammed home, loving the way Charleigh moved with him, accepted him, taking what she wanted, unabashed and demanding.

“Hard…er,” she stammered.

Slick, wet, heat coated his cock. So fucking hot it scalded, burned, set every cell in his body on fire.