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I lean my forehead against hers, grateful when she doesn’t shy away. “I made him hurt for you. He cried. Tried to beg me to stop.And I marked him as what he is so anyone who looks at him will know.”
Her eyes flash with confusion, but she doesn’t ask me to elaborate. It’s the last thing I see before I close my eyes. I’m so goddamntired,but touching her, inhaling her sweet honeysuckle scent—it revives me.
I know I fucked up, my soul, but I need you.
“Wes,” she whispers, and I feel her shift slightly. Her fingers brush against the bare skin of my waist before her hands settle on my hips.
I shudder, completely unable to stop it. I’ve craved her touch for years, but that’s no comparison to how I’ve felt for the past week. Not touching her felt like a part of me was dying and withering away.
When I feel her soft lips against mine, I almost pull back in shock. This is the last thing I was expecting from her, but it awakens something fiery and possessive inside me as she fits her mouth to mine.
The groan that escapes my throat is deep. Guttural. I lean in closer as all thoughts except her drain from my mind. My backpack falls to the steps, but I barely even notice.
This is the first time she’s initiated a kiss since we were both eighteen. It may be obvious by the way she looks at me that she wants me, but this is the first time she’s shown it so openly in years.
Gently, I cradle her head in my hands, tipping it backward. Nothing can compare to the pleasure that pours into me at the tiny whimper that escapes her throat.
Hesitantly, Athelia slides her tongue just past my lips. A rush of heat washes over me, and I plunge my tongue into her mouth. My tongue tangles with hers as we fall deeper and deeper into each other.
Athelia. Athelia, Athelia, Athelia.
She’s my only thought. My only care in the world. I need her—more than I ever realized before.Thisis how things should’ve been for the past three years.
“Wes!”
I break off the kiss to realize that I’m holding Athelia up, my hands gripping her thighs. Her legs are locked tightly around my waist, and she’s gripping my shoulders.
I’m out of breath.
I’ve never been out of breath just from a kiss before.
Athelia’s eyes are wide with surprise, her lips swollen and parted. She’s panting, too. Gently, she slides one of her hands up the back of my neck until her fingers are tangled in my hair. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to get that intense.”
Slowly, I set her down, kicking myself when she winces. Her injuries aren’t fully healed yet.
“Did I hurt you?” I ask, my fingers hovering over her side.
“Only a little.” She’s still holding onto me. Still staring at me with longing and need. “The pain is already gone.”
“I’m sorry.” I press my lips to her forehead. “I got a little carried away.”
Her cheeks turn the lightest shade of pink. “So did I.”
That pulls a smile out of me. Athelia Harper, blushing over a simple kiss when we’ve done so much more.
For a second, it looks like she wants to say something, but then she sighs. Her hands trail down my arms before falling to her sides. “You wanted to shower?”
I nod. I want more—so much more. But I don’t ask.
She’ll come to me when she’s ready.
Upstairs, she stops in the doorway of Kellan’s room, turning to face me. “Goodnight, Wes.”
My heart soars when she meets my gaze and smiles.
“Goodnight, my soul.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
