it around him. “Feel that, baby. You’ve got me hard as a rock. Once I get inside you, I don’t know how long I’m gonna last.”
“Please, Cole.”
“Okay, baby doll. Okay. I want inside just as bad.” He slid his hand to her inside thigh, and spread her wide. His hips came down between them, and it felt like coming home. He slid into her with one deep stroke. “God, Angel. This is where I belong. This is where I’ve always belonged.”
She clutched at his shoulders, wanting to be closer, still.
He lifted off her slightly, and looked down to where their bodies were joined. He watched as he slid slowly out of her, and back into her.
It was the most erotic thing she’d ever seen. Watching him, as he watched them join.
He looked up, and caught her watching him. “It’s sexy as fuck, baby, watching your body take me.”
She just nodded, rocking with the movement of his body.
He settled more solidly against her, up on his elbows, his biceps surrounding her. He looked down into her face, and brushed the hair back from her face as he rocked against her. “How’s my baby?”
“So good. So, so, good.”
His mouth came down on hers, and he slid his forearm under her knee, and spread her wider, changing the angle, increasing the depth.
Her mouth tore from his. “Oh, God, Cole. Yes.”
His thrusts became harder. Faster.
She met him, stroke for stroke, taking what he gave her.
“I know I said I’d be gentle, baby doll, but all I want to do right now is pound into you, as hard as I can, as hard as you’ll let me.”
“Yes, Cole. Do it.”
“Is that how you want it, baby? Really want it?”
“Yes. Yes.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
“I’ll give you everything I’ve got, if you’ll take it. Can you take it, baby?”
“Yes.”
He slammed into her, again and again and again. Over and over until his body was slick with sweat. “Fuck, baby. You feel so Goddamn good.”
Her orgasm exploded, and she clutched at him, groaning.
He felt her body clench around him, and he drove into her, once, twice more, and went rock solid against her as he, too, went off. He collapsed on top of her, his breathing fast and hard.
Her arms wrapped around him, holding him tight, loving the feel of his weight on her. She stroked his back as his breathing settled.
“Nine days,” he whispered, his head still buried against the side of hers.
“What?” she whispered back, confused.
He raised his head, and looked at her, repeating, “Nine days.”
She frowned, searching his eyes, knowing that was how long they’d been together when they’d first met. Still, she asked, “Nine days?”
“That’s how long it took for you to get your hooks in me, babe.” He searched her eyes. “And they were in deep. So deep I couldn’t get free if I tried. And I tried. I did try.” His fingers slid into the hair at her temple, his thumb stroked her brow, his eyes moving over her face. “Tried to walk away from you that night.”
“Why?” she asked softly.
His eyes returned to hers. “How could I be what you needed?”
“Cole.”
“Couldn’t do it, babe.”
“You came back that night.”
“I came back, because I had to. I had to, babe. Do you understand?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“You were mine, Angel. But I was yours, too.”
She sucked in a breath.
He stroked her head. “I remember the exact moment it happened.”
“Tell me.”
“It was after the tattoo. That next morning, when I’d thought I’d lost you. Thought you’d never get past it. Thought all we had was gone. I woke up, and you were stroking my head softly. Gently. Lovingly. You were giving me that. You had it in you to give me that, after everything. After I’d let you down so completely, failed you so totally. You still had it in you to give me that. No one has ever shown me that, the love that was in that simple gesture.”
“Cole, please. Stop talking,” she whispered, tears seeping from her eyes, across her temple, into her hair.
His thumb brushed at them. “Can’t, babe. Gotta say it. You gotta know. You had me, in that one moment, in that one gesture. I was yours, completely.”
Her hands slid up to cup his face, and pulled him down until his mouth settled over hers.
Chapter Fourteen
Angel walked into Cole’s hospital room.
He looked over at her, and smiled. “How’s Melissa?”
“She’s good. They just finished the infusion.” She walked over to the bed, and laid her hand over