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His shoulders sagged as something like relief flitted across his expression. “I don’t even know if that is possible—forgiveness.”
“It is.” I nodded. I didn’t know why I was so confident about it. I haven’t even forgiven myself for a lot of things. But Reid had helped point me on the right path, and I would do the same for him. “It will take time. I’ll be right here the whole time. I’ve got your back.”
That coaxed a half smile from him. “I’m a lucky guy.”
I smiled back. “I’m a lucky girl.”
Our eyes locked as something shifted. His beautiful green eyes flashed. Every drop of devastation was snuffed out by something—smoldering. His gaze darted down to my mouth, and my whole body started to tingle.
Every moment of our kiss from last night flashed through my mind, and I wanted nothing more than to do it again. I leaned closer, and then I stopped, a breath away from his lips. I forced myself to remain still. If he didn’t want this, I wasn’t going to force myself on him again.
When I froze, his gaze shot back up to mine; there was no mistaking the heat in his expression.
“Lark,” he said, my name nothing more than a ragged, husky whisper.
The sound of it sent a wave of longing through me. “Yes?” I answered, breathless.
He held my stare hostage, not letting go for one moment as he seemed to glimpse into my very soul. I was almost panting, every inhale of his scent making my brain and body want him even more. I almost vibrated with anticipation.
His mouth parted as he neared even closer, his lips almost grazing mine as he said, “I think I might be in love with you.”
27
Reid
I didn’t give her a chance to respond before I crashed my mouth against hers. She let out a small moan as our lips devoured each other, making my head spin. Our mouths opened, tongues colliding in a frenzied dance. Our first kiss had been slow and timid, but this was anything but that.
I wanted all of her.
Lark was a light to my darkest places, and I was going to drink in every drop. She was suddenly everything, vital to my very existence, and I wanted nothing but to tangle myself with her and get lost forever.
She was kneeling on my desk, and she pushed into me. My hands dropped to her ass, lifting her slightly. She wrapped her legs around my waist, knocking over the bottle of bourbon. I didn’t give it a second glance. That stuff was nasty, I hadn’t even been able to finish my first glass.
I crushed her against me, tasting every inch of that mouth as her hands fisted in my hair.
There was nothing else that existed in that moment but Lark. Her scent, her taste, the feel of her body wrapped around mine: it was all too much, but not nearly enough.
With more effort than it should’ve taken, I pulled back, breaking our kiss for a brief moment. Her lips were swollen and red, and I immediately wanted them again, but I restrained myself. Catching my breath, I managed one sentence: “Can I take you to my room?”
Her face was already a glorious shade of pink, and her eyes widened. I was scared she would say no. I would immediately do whatever she asked of me, but I desperately hoped she wanted this as badly as I did.
She swallowed hard, nodding. “Yes,” she breathed. “Please.”
My lips were back on hers in the next breath. She clung to me, legs locked around my waist, as I walked us out of that office, kicking aside my stupid chair and whatever other mess was in my way. The primary bedroom was down the hall and I beelined for it, thankful it was much tidier than the office.
I went straight to the bed and lowered her down on the bedspread. Her legs stayed wrapped around me, and our mouths broke apart one more time as I caught my breath. She pressed a hand against my cheek, her thumb gently sliding back and forth over my cheekbone. She looked breathtaking, gazing up at me…her back against my bed with her golden hair splayed out around her. She absolutely glowed.
“You’re so beautiful,” I murmured. She bit her lip, and I almost growled. “It drives me crazy when you do that.” I ran a finger over her bottom lip, and she smiled.
“You drive me a little crazy.” Then she tugged at my shirt, drawing me close and kissing me.
A groan rumbled in the back of my throat. I wanted to take all of her. I’d never felt this feeling before…this desperate need to make a woman mine. It was like this primal instinct reared up from the pit of my soul. I needed her to know that she was taken, that she would always be loved and protected.
Lark kept tugging at my shirt, and I realized she was trying to take it off. I had no objections to that and raised my arms above my head, removing myself from her mouth long enough to toss the piece of fabric to the floor. My hands slid down to the hem of her sweater. It was an array of different colored yarns, one blending seamlessly into the next. My chest tightened as my lips curled into a slow smile against hers. Lark stilled, pulling back a centimeter as her eyes ran over my face.
When she’d first gotten back to Ember Hollow, the colorful wardrobe that was her signature look had faded into neutral gray tones. As if she didn’t want to draw attention to herself.
Lark’s brows puckered. “What?”
