Chapter 20

Cade

I opened my eyes, momentarily disoriented. I wasn’t accustomed to waking to the feel of soft curves against me. Through the haze of sleep, I remembered it was Amelia sleeping beside me. The tension that had started to build inside eased instantly. I was on my back with one of her legs thrown across mine and her foot tucked in between my calves. My heart clenched at the familiar feel of her. I eased up on the pillows and glanced down at her. Her amber hair was a tousled mess around her face and shoulders. Emotion rocked me, colliding with the lust setting fire in my veins.

There’d never been any shortage of chemistry between us, yet somehow seven years mixed with a tangle of pain, regret and anger was like pouring octane fuel on the fire burning between us. I sifted my fingers through her hair, idly untangling the silky strands. She shifted slightly in her sleep, the feel of her skin sliding against mine sending blood straight to my groin. I wanted to savor this moment—the simple act of waking up with the one and only woman I’d ever loved on the heels of years of thinking we’d never have this chance again was so good I didn’t want to miss it. Yet, my body wasn’t so interested in taking anything slow. My need for her went from sleepy arousal to burning need so fast, it was hard to keep a grip.

When we’d made our way up here last night, we’d showered, and despite the fact I’d just spent myself inside of her once, one look at the water sluicing over her had me sliding my hands over her bottom and reaching between her thighs to find her hot, wet and ready. In a flash, I sank into her clenching heat.

After that, we’d tumbled into bed in the darkness. I took a slow breath and rolled my head to the side, glancing out the windows. She’d wisely situated the small home such that the windows to the front offered a clear view of the adjacent field and pond. In the early morning light, mist rose off the water. A flock of sandhill cranes was pecking at the grass at the edge of the field. Knowing Amelia, I’d guess she tossed cracked corn out for them all summer long. Sandhill cranes migrated to Alaska every summer and typically returned to the same area year after year. The tall, leggy birds could easily blend into the grass, but for their bright red crowns atop their heads. This flock had likely been coming here long before Amelia built here, yet she’d have gone out of her way to make sure her presence didn’t scare them away.

I took a steadying breath, trying to contain the emotion and need coursing through me. Amelia was a bundle of soft, lush curves against me. She shifted again, and I nearly groaned aloud. I felt her come awake with a subtle thread of tension humming through her body. She lifted her head, her amber eyes catching mine. God, I loved how she looked when she was sleepy. By nature, she was a strong, bold, confident woman. It was rare to see her with her guard down, but when she was sleepy it was. She stared at me, completely quiet for a moment, but I felt her heart starting to thud against me.

“Mornin’,” I said, brushing a few tangled strands of hair away from her eyes.

Her cheeks flushed. “Good morning. Um…”

Her words trailed off, and she glanced away, starting to look like she was thinking way too much.

“Amelia?”

Her eyes whipped back to mine.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Start thinking too much.”

She stiffened, and I couldn’t help but grin. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed getting under her skin, even just a little.

“I’m not…”

I moved fast, lifting her up and over me. She gasped, but she didn’t resist, which might’ve been fun. Her knees landed on either side of my hips. Exactly where I wanted her.

I looked up at her. The early morning sun was falling through the windows at an angle, catching her hair in its light and glinting it with gold. I could feel her slick heat against me. I was tempted, so fucking tempted, to drive into her right now. I couldn’t help it and arched into her. She gasped and closed her eyes.

“Wait. Not yet,” I bit out.

Her eyes flew open, lasering me with a glare.

“Don’t you dare tease like that,” she said, her voice still rough from sleep.

She started to rise up, but I was ready and I knew what I wanted.

In a flash, I rolled us and stretched out over her. There were so many things I wanted—perhaps a full week in bed with her would give me enough time—but right now, I had to taste her. I mapped my way down her body with my hands and lips, pausing to dally over her breasts. Full and round with taut, pink nipples, I could’ve spent all day there.

If she was still annoyed with me, it was lost amidst her rough sighs and occasional moans. I spread her knees apart, trailing my fingers up the insides of her thighs, which earned me a murmured curse. I dragged a finger through her folds. She was so wet, her thighs were damp. I meant to take my time, but the lust pounding through me was so strong, I couldn’t. I sank a finger knuckle-deep, savoring the clenching of her channel. A dip of my head and I set to exploring her with my tongue, while I fucked her with my fingers.

She tasted so good, I settled in—licking, stroking and sucking. I meant to make her come apart, but I’d forgotten how demanding she could be. She gripped my hair and yanked. I lifted my head, still toying inside her with my fingers, stretching and stroking.

“I need you. Now,” she demanded, her voice rough and raspy.

“You have me,” I countered, enjoying her frustration.

With her sex clenching around me, I drew my thumb in a slow circle around her clit.

Her head fell back on a throaty cry, but she was only momentarily deterred. She lifted her head. Damn. She was fucking glorious with her hair a tangle around her face, her skin flushed and damp, and her breasts rising and falling with her heavy pants.

“Inside,” she ordered.

I dragged my fingers out and sank them in deep. “Like this?”

She muttered a curse and yanked at me. Seeing as I wanted the same thing, I stopped teasing. The moment I was stretched atop her, our bodies flush together and the tip of my cock at her entrance, I held still, locking eyes with her. Electricity fairly snapped in the air around us. The intensity of connection I felt with her—so sharp it pierced my heart—hit me with a force so strong, I lost my breath. I stared at her—hard—and slowly sank into her. Again, what I meant to do and what happened weren’t the same. I wanted to go slow, to be able to savor every millisecond of this, but my body was having none of that. The forces driving within us, between us and around us were so powerful, the moment I sank into her creamy clench, raw, primal instinct took over.

Her legs curled around my hips, her nails scored my back, and I drummed into her, every stroke deeper than the last. I felt the shudder roll through her body, her channel pulsing around my cock. She cried out, my name a rough shout, just as my own release thundered through me. I fell against her, annihilated inside and out by the release and what it felt like to be with her. As my breath slowly eased and my heart stopped pounding so hard I could barely hear, I shifted my weight to her side.

We lay in a sweaty tangle. After a moment, I felt her eyes on me and opened mine. Her eyes were clear. After a beat, she reached up and smoothed my brows with her fingertip.