Page 92 of Outcast’s Return

I’m shaking my head. I can no longer tell whether it’s the rain or my tears now running down my cheeks, but it doesn’t matter anymore.

The noise of the city falls away.

And Fabien is already reaching for me. His hand cups my chin and tilts my face up to his. I rise onto my toes.

He pauses, mere inches away. I grip his shirt and close the remaining distance.

And in the rain, we kiss.

I’m shocked at first, but that quickly gives way to an ache as I realize how much I’ve truly longed for this.

It’s our kiss. A long overdue kiss. A kiss that sums up a lifetime of longing.

Fabien’s gentle, then desperate, and so am I. It’s like all the years no longer matter, and we’re back to being two lonely souls finding each other in the darkness of the night.

JOLIE

We’re wet. Soaking wet. The rain runs down our clothes, the damp fabric sticking to our bodies, refusing to let go, but we don’t give a damn. We’re back in the penthouse, moments after our declarations on the sidewalk, and we can’t keep our hands off each other.

His scent. His touch. His desire.

It’s like coming home.

He kisses me, and I kiss him. I can’t get enough. He can’t get enough.

In the short time between our words outside in the rain and our entry into the penthouse, any remaining, stupid idea that we hate each other has shattered completely.

All in the space of a few heartbeats.

“This can’t happen,” Fabien growls against my ear as he pulls me against the wall just beyond the penthouse doorway. I let him. My back presses into the surface. The man’s grip is strong and hungry and consuming. A dark part of me flutters in delight.

“Why not?” I ask, breathless.

“Because this is not how this week was meant to go. This was not what I envisioned when you got into my car upstate.”

I smile at him. Our lips are brushing. My skin tingles with anticipation.