Total pages in book: 195
Estimated words: 185573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 928(@200wpm)___ 742(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 185573 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 928(@200wpm)___ 742(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
I work my way up her body before my lips find hers.
“Don’t ever leave me again,” I growl into her mouth.
“Never,” she promises.
I nudge my cock against her and sink inside with a sigh that’s half agony and half relief. She’s right where she should be, wrapped around me, in my bed. And I’ll never get tired of this.
I clutch her face and maintain eye contact as I rock deep inside her.
“Nobody will ever hurt you again,” I vow.
She nods, silent tears tracking down her cheeks as her fingers dig into my back, dragging me as close as I can get to her.
“I’m so fucking sorry, peaches.” I thrust into her, sorrow spilling from my lips. “I was always going to come back for you. I need you to know that.”
“I know,” she says. “I always knew. And I would have waited for you forever. I’m sorry I got lost for so long.”
“You’re home now.” I breathe the words against her lips. “This is where you belong. No more arguing, no more bullshit. You’re mine to take care of, mine to protect, and if anyone ever so much as makes you cry again, they’ll pay for it in blood.”
She clenches around me, whispering her agreement as I take her to the edge. And when she comes violently around my cock, I swallow every sound of pleasure from her lips before I thrust into her and unleash five years of pent-up agony.
“Fuck, Bianca,” I groan as the orgasm tears through me. “I love you. I love you so goddamn much.”
She stares up at me with glassy eyes and then starts to cry all over again.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I wipe her tears away.
“It’s just… I always knew.” Her voice shakes as she struggles to get the words out. “But to hear you say it… God, I love you, Madden. Promise me this isn’t a dream.”
“I promise you, it’s real.” I roll onto my back and take her with me, tucking her close to my side. “It’s the only thing that’s ever been real.”
She rests her face against my chest, listening to my heartbeat as she reaches up to stroke my hair.
“We’re having a baby.” She looks at me like she still can’t quite believe it.
“I know.” I settle my palm over her belly.
I don’t have the words to convey how much it means to me, so I show her. I kiss her until she’s breathless, and I worship her body the way it was meant to be worshipped. And for the next two hours, we get lost in each other as every terrible thing from our past drifts away.
When I’ve made her come until she can’t anymore, I carry her into the shower and wash her, and then I kiss her until both our lips are raw. Because she’s mine. She’s always been mine, and nobody can tell me otherwise.
“I fucking love you,” I tell her again. “Don’t ever forget that.”
Her eyes shine with emotion as she nods. “Tell me again tomorrow. And the next day. And every day for the rest of our lives, okay?”
She doesn’t have to admit she’s thinking about it, too. This fear is a living, breathing thing between us. There’s always a chance she could forget again, but I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that never happens.
Dr. Woods told me that if Bianca recovered the memories of her life, she might not recall what happened during our time here together over the past months. But she has at least some of those memories because she’s here. That alone gives me hope, but I won’t ever let my guard down again when it comes to protecting her. Our memories are sacred, and if there’s anything I’ve learned from this situation, it’s that I want to make as many as I can with her. So with this in mind, I blurt out the words as elegantly as a guy like me can say them.
“I’m all in, peaches. Until my dying breath.”
She sniffles, and then she offers me a smile I’ll never forget. “Me too.”
And just like that, it’s settled. It’s uncomplicated. I know I won’t be able to relax until I’ve claimed her permanently. But for now, I have her in my arms, and that’s enough.
We stay in the shower until the water runs cold. And when I carry her back to bed and tuck her against my body, I don’t think she’ll be able to keep her eyes open for another second. But as she curls into me, an ugly tendril of dread wraps itself around my heart.
“Hey.” Her palm warms the side of my face. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere, and I won’t forget.”
I nod, but I know this is something that we’ll have to work through. There are still so many unanswered questions. So many things we have to discuss to make sure nobody can ever come between us again. But not tonight. Tonight, we’re putting the past to bed.