Page 93 of After the Burn

My fingers instinctively curled around the front of his shirt, holding on tight. Now that I had him, I was never letting go.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathing a little harder.

He rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes. “I’ve imagined this more times than I’d ever admit.”

I reached up and traced a fading bruise along his jaw with my thumb. “Not nearly as much as I have.”

Adrian’s gray eyes met mine again, and for just a second the years between us disappeared.

There was no apocalypse.

There was no Gideon.

There was no farmhouse and the responsibilities waiting there.

It was just Adrian and me, finally finding our way back to each other.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ADRIAN

Ilowered myself onto the mattress beside her, close enough to feel her warmth without touching. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The room was quiet, save for the steady rhythm of our breathing and the faint chorus of crickets outside the window.

She turned her head toward me, those gray eyes searching mine with a vulnerability I’d only ever glimpsed in stolen moments. “Are we really going to make this work?”

I smiled, though it felt unsteady. “I’ll make sure of it.”

When it came to her, I would do nearly anything to ensure she was happy.

My fingers lightly brushed her delicate pink nipples. Then, lowering myself, I took one into my mouth and nibbled it, savoring its softness.

Taryn squirmed restlessly, so I swatted her sharply on the other breast. “Be still, baby.”

She gasped in pleasure and surprise.

My head went up at the sound. “I knew you were perfect for me.”

I enjoyed having control, and so did my baby girl. But I doubted it came naturally to her. It was more out of necessity, an attempt to reclaim the control Ben had stripped from her for most of her life.

That was why I suspected she’d enjoy giving it up to me.

My fingers found her cheek, tracing the line of her jaw before I tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. “You can tell me to stop at any time, baby.”

I wanted her to know that she was always safe with me.

“Do I look like I want you to stop?”

I answered by leaning in for another kiss. This one was slower at first, lingering just long enough to make me forget every mile that had separated us and every apology I’d rehearsed but never spoken. She answered without hesitation, her hand sliding into my hair as if she’d been waiting just as long.

The kiss deepened naturally, neither of us rushing. I smiled against her lips, and she smiled back. The sound she made—half laugh, half sigh—stole what little restraint I had left.

“Why are you smiling?” she whispered.

“Because you’re here.”

Her eyes softened, and she reached for me again before I could close the distance myself.

This time there was nothing tentative about it.