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Preparing herself for the end.
But she was completely unprepared for his touch.
So feather-light and yet so powerful, the pads of his fingers traced over her skin, slowly following what she knew to be the dividing line between the scars and her unblemished skin. From one side to the other his fingers swept, following every curve, rounding every dip, setting her skin to tingling and compounding her fears.
Why would he be taking so long?
Because each second longer tortured her more as she waited for his certain rejection. Each second longer made her pain that much more acute.
And yet rejection didn’t come. Instead his fingers continued their circuit up her ribcage, to where the line of the scar disappeared under the lace of her bra.
Suddenly she was aware that he’d dropped to his knees before her, and her eyes snapped open. She looked down to see his fingers deftly releasing the front clasp before gently, almost reverentially, he peeled the fabric away.
She held her breath as his hands skimmed up from her waist to capture a breast in each hand—one milky white, the other stained mottled red—his thumbs lazily stroking over the nipples, peaking them, rendering them firm. She swayed and reached for his shoulders—anything to anchor her against this tidal swell of feeling, this conflicting rush of emotion, of relief, of arousal.
Then he dropped his head, and she gasped when it was his mouth she felt on her nipples, his liquid tongue circling first one and then the other, giving them both equal time, equal attention, as if they were no different, as if they were the same.
And all the while his eyes remained open.
‘You’re beautiful,’ he said, kissing the space between her breasts, setting her skin alight with the unrelenting pressure of his mouth and the intimate caress of his hot breath. ‘All of you. Don’t ever believe you’re not.’
‘You mean that?’ she asked, her voice cracking as his mouth and hands continued their worshipful exploration. ‘You really don’t mind?’
He looked up at her then, studying her face before pushing himself to his feet and taking her face in his hands.
‘I love you, Jade. How could this make a difference? I travelled halfway around the world to tell you I loved you and to see if you would let me back into your life. So how could something this insignificant change how I feel about you, when you are so much a part of me and I’m a part of you?’
And the tears that she’d been holding back, the tears that she’d promised herself she’d only shed alone, sprang forward to flood her eyes and spill down her cheeks. Only now they were tears of joy, tears of happiness, for what she’d found, for the man she’d found, and for the love she had for him—love that she now knew was reciprocated.
‘What’s the matter?’ he asked as she pressed her head into his shoulder to hide her face. ‘Have I said something wrong?’
She shook her head and peeled herself away from him, barely able to form the words but knowing she could finally tell him.
‘No, you said everything totally right.’ She looked up into his beautiful dark eyes, saw past their concern to the love shining down on her. ‘I love you, Loukas.’
And his eyes lit up as if she’d gifted him the very best the world had to offer.
‘You do?’
She smiled through the streaks of her tears. ‘I do. Even though I tried to hate you, even though I told myself I couldn’t trust my feelings, and to forget you, I couldn’t do it. I love you so much, and right now, at this moment, I love you more than ever.’
‘Then you’ll marry me?’
‘Just as soon as you want.’
‘Oh,’ he said, sweeping her up into his arms, ‘I want…’
And then his lips found hers, and they sealed their commitment with a kiss that rocked her soul, leaving her breathless with even more discoveries.
Because how much more did a kiss mean when you loved someone and you’d discovered your love was returned? And how much more did a kiss mean when the past was gone and dealt with, and everything that lay ahead was brand-new and shiny, full of promise and expectation and hope?
And then his kiss deepened and her needs turned more immediate, more carnal. His hands traversed her back, crushing her breasts to his chest, travelling down to cup her close against his hardness.
