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I dipped down, trailing my lips up the delicate skin of her neck. “My sweet butterfly is getting her colors back,” I whispered in her ear.
My hand slipped underneath that sweater of bright colors, the pads of my fingers skating over the smooth, warm skin of her lower stomach. She shivered, and her legs tightened around me.
Her arms fell back against the bed, raised above her head like she was ready for the sweater to go. I sure as hell was ready, but as much as I wanted this, I also wanted to make sure she wouldn’t regret it.
I lifted her sweater and pulled back from her mouth again, locking eyes with her. “Can I take this off?” I pulled the sweater up another inch.
Lark nodded, her chin bobbing quickly. “Yes. You can take everything off.”
Fire scorched through my veins. I raised a brow. “Everything?”
Lark’s coy smile was incredibly sexy. “I want you, Reid.” Her eyes flashed.
Everything inside me felt like it was on fire. My blood, my skin, the very heart inside my chest felt as if it were engulfed in flames. She had kindled something inside my empty, hollow soul. I felt alive again. I felt like I belonged somewhere again.
I didn’t just want Lark Meadows. I needed her.
And so, I took off that sweater and every other piece of clothing on her body. Every fiber of me wanted to ravage her, but I didn’t want this to go fast. I wanted her to feel every bit of heat she had ignited inside me.
I took my time. Every kiss was slow, every touch a soft caress until she writhed beneath me, begging me to give her a release. We were both sweat-slicked and panting by the time I finally gave her exactly what she wanted, exactly what she needed, and the sound of my name on her lips as she cried out sent me right over the edge.
Lark Meadows was a damn dream. An answer to all my prayers.
I was in love with her. Hopelessly, endlessly in love with the girl who had been right there for all those years.
I’d do anything for her. I’d die for her, because as much as I wanted to save everyone…she was the one who was saving me.
28
Reid
I woke to the sound of a soft whimper.
My eyes opened as the warm body wrapped tight in my arms flinched. I frowned, blinking away the bits of sleepiness and clearing my vision. It had to be in the middle of the day, the room lit by the sunlight filtering in through the drawn curtains. We couldn’t have been asleep for long.
Lark made another distressed sound, and I put a hand against her cheek. Her brows were furrowed as she slept, her mouth open like she was trying to scream, and nothing but a ghost of one came out.
My chest tightened. She was having a nightmare. I was no stranger to them. Her body was rigid in my embrace, and I pressed a kiss to her clammy forehead.
“Lark.” Her name was quiet, but firm on my lips. “Baby, wake up. You’re dreaming.”
She let out another soft cry, and I brushed a few strands of hair from her face, saying her name a few more times until her eyes finally popped open.
She gasped, searching around frantically as if she couldn’t see me.
“It’s okay,” I said immediately, my tone calm and even. I cupped her face. “You’re safe, Lark. It was a dream.”
Her eyes eventually locked on me, and she let out a shaky breath. “My God,” she breathed, and then she rolled closer, burying her face in my bare chest. “I’m sorry.”
I ran my fingertips gently up and down her back. Her breaths were heavy, muscles taut and tense. I shushed her. “Don’t be sorry. It was a dream. A nightmare.”
She nodded against my chest. “Yeah.”
We laid like that for a few silent beats as I stroked her back and held her against me. When her body relaxed, I spoke. “Do you have nightmares often?”
She hesitantly pulled her face back, peeking up at me. “I’ve been having more since I got back to Ember Hollow.”
That made sense, but I wished it wasn’t the case. “I have them too, sometimes. I’m sorry you have to go through that.”
