Page 76 of Forgotten Vows

I kiss lower, between her breasts, feeling her heart racing beneath my lips. "I couldn't stop staring at you all night. Couldn't stop thinking about how I was going to get to touch you later." Her breath hitches as I take her nipple in my mouth, teasing it with my tongue. "I was hard the whole fucking night. All those guys dancing with you, and none of them knew I was going to be the one inside you later. And when I was…"

I move lower, kissing down her stomach, her hips, the inside of her thighs. "Every time I touch you, it's like the first time. Like I'm twenty again, and you're the only thing that matters."

"Lachlan—" She gasps as I spread her legs, settling between them. "Please?—"

"I've got you." I look up at her, holding her gaze. "I've always got you, Adriana. From the moment I met you, you've been mine."

I lower my mouth to her, and she cries out, her hips arching off the bed. She tastes like everything I've ever wanted. I take my time, worshipping her with my tongue, making her come apart beneath me. When she finally shatters, my name on her lips, I'm aching for her, desperate to be as close to her as I can possibly be.

I move back up her body, kissing her deeply, letting her taste herself on my tongue. She moans into my mouth, her hands fumbling with my belt, my zipper. I help her, stripping off my clothes until there's nothing between us. "I love you," I whisper as I push inside her, both of us groaning at the sensation. "I've loved you since before I knew what love was."

"I love you too." She wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper. "God, Lachlan… if it kills me, I'll never stop loving you."

I start to move, slow and deep, savoring every sound she makes,every clench of her body around mine. "Do you remember what we used to talk about?" I ask, my voice rough as I thrust into her. "All those plans we made?"

Her eyes go glossy again. "We wanted a house. Somewhere tucked away, where we'd be safe. A garden, and a porch swing… all the little things."

"And the kids." I lean down, kissing her softly. "You wanted three. I wanted four."

She moans as I hit that spot inside her that makes her see stars. "God, Lachlan—what if you get me pregnant tonight? We keep not being careful… what if…"

"I don't care. Give me another baby, Adri. Give me everything." I thrust into her harder, feeling myself throb at the thought of filling her up, getting her pregnant with my child again. "I can give you everything we dreamed about. The house, the garden, the life. All of it."

Her chin tips up, and a tear rolls down her cheek as I sink into her all the way. "I want it," she whispers. "But?—"

"Then trust me." I capture her mouth in a bruising kiss. "Trust me to come back to you. Trust me to end this."

She comes with a cry, her body clenching around mine, and I follow her over the edge, burying myself deep as I empty inside her. For a moment, we just lie there, tangled together, holding on like we're afraid to let go.

Eventually, I roll onto my side, pulling her with me so we're facing each other. Her face is flushed.

"I've spent ten years with part of me in that garden waiting for you," I whisper. "Now that you're here, I can be him again. As much as I can be, now."

"I know." She presses her hand to my chest, over my heart where her name is inked into my skin. "I can feel him. Sometimes. In moments like this."

"He's going to come back to you." I cover her hand with mine. "After tomorrow night, after this is over, I'm going to be that man again. The one who deserves you."

"How?" she whispers, her eyes meeting mine. "We're so far away from that…"

"Adri."

She swallows hard. "I know. You want me to trust you. But?—"

A moment of silence falls, and I hold her gaze, brushing her damp hair away from her cheek. "Don't go," she whispers, her voice breaking. "Please, Lachlan. Don't do this."

"I have to."

"No, you don't." She sits up, pulling away from me, and I can see the panic rising in her eyes again. "Let someone else kill him. Let another family, let anyone but you?—"

"It has to be me. It has to be me, Adriana. Because he took you from me. Because he hurt you. Because your family is the reason we lost ten years, and he's the only one left besides you."

"This isn't about me." Her voice sharpens. "This is about you. About your need to kill the past. To erase what happened."

"That's not?—"

"Isn't it?" She pulls away from me, wrapping her arms around herself. "You're not doing this to protect me. You're doing this because you can't let go. Because you need to be the one who ends it."

"I'm doing this because I love you."