Pulled(52)
Author: A.L. Jackson

Tears continued to stream down my cheeks as I offered him my own smal , sad smile.

He wiped my tears away, my hand never leaving his. His smile grew, true joy finally shining in his eyes, but his words still filled with sadness. “I missed this face.” He dropped my fingers to hold my face with his hands. His touch was so soothing and filled with love that it stirred every nerve in my body. “And this mouth.” His thumb ran over my bottom lip before his mouth captured mine in a kiss filled with adoration.

I clung to his biceps for support. My legs felt weak as I stared into his eyes. His love was so intense, yet his soul held so much sorrow. I wondered if his hurt went so deep that he could never heal.

“And these eyes,” he choked out the last words as he gently moved in and kissed each of my eyelids. He pulled back, his hands gripping my shoulders. “I missed nine years.” His hands trembled against my skin as he held me, his anguish apparent, and I could hold back no longer.

I took his face in my hands and pulled his mouth down firmly against mine, crushing my body to his, demanding that he never let me go. He reacted instantly.

One hand found my lower back while the other dove into my hair, pulling me even closer. His lips were fervent but gentle and sweet—always, always sweet. My body was on fire, desire coursing through me as I fully gave myself over to him. This time I wouldn’t hold back.

My hands traveled from Daniel’s face to his hair, tugging slightly, and he finally opened his mouth. I sucked in his bottom lip and ran my tongue against it, holding it firmly in my mouth. He growled from somewhere deep in his chest.

“Melanie,” he murmured as his mouth took over mine. His hand traveled from my head, down my neck, and over my spine to join the other at the smal of my back. His warmth surged through my body. The heels of his hands pressed into my ribs as he caressed up and down, thumbs grazing the sides of my br**sts.

I pulled back, panting, gasping for air. His eyes searched mine, scorching, filled with need. He must have found his answer in the flush of my face because his hands abruptly moved to my thighs lifting, and instinctively I wrapped my legs around his waist.

I whimpered as he pressed into me. I longed to feel all of him. He crashed his lips back to mine and began to walk, whispering against my lips, “Where?” I nodded to the guest room. “There.”

His eyes darted behind me, and he carried me to the room, never breaking our kiss. Kicking the door shut behind us, he carried me across the floor to the end of the bed. The sheets were still twisted and tangled from my night of sleep.

Carefully, he laid me on the sheets, taking a step back to stare down at me with intense eyes. I’d never felt more loved, or more cherished, his reverence evident as he looked at me in adoration. He slowly licked his lips, swal owing, his words thick in his throat as he said, “I love you, Melanie.”

“I love you, more than anything,” I answered.

He stood above me, his body visibly trembling.

“This is forever.”

I lay propped on my elbows, looking up at the beautiful man standing before me, his statement simple as he promised we’d never be apart again.

I whispered back, “Forever.” I would take nothing less.

The room was dim, the windows covered, the sun a faint glow through the slats of the shutters. His face softened, and he slowly crawled up the mattress to me, kneeling between my legs. His hands rested on the bed on either side of my head, his body hovering above. Dipping down, he lightly grazed his lips over mine. My lips parted, anticipation building.

My hands traveled up his arms to rest on his neck.

His skin was hot, and his pulse throbbed under my touch.

My hands pressed against him, desperate to feel his love and desire with every beat. Reaching out, he caressed my cheeks, my lips, and my eyes. The same hand ran down my neck and onto my chest, his fingers splayed out while my heart slammed against his hand.

“How did I ever stay away from you? I heard this cal ing out for me every day.” I could feel his breath across my face, his words so sad, filled with so much regret. “Did you hear mine?”

“Yes.” I breathed out as my whole body began to shake under his. His presence was overwhelming. His eyes swal owed me, drawing me deeper into his soul, his beautiful soul that held so much sorrow and so much loss.

Covering his hand with my own, I held his hand firmer against my chest. “My heart only beat because I could still feellyour love. It was the only thing I had.” His hand slowly moved, pressing into my skin through my shirt. He brought his mouth back to mine, his lips smooth as they moved, his tongue sweet.

Exploring the body they’d missed so badly, my hands ran slowly over his chest and his arms. His muscles twitched when my fingers trailed over them. I moved my hands to his back, pulling him to me, silently begging to feel him—al of him.

His hand snaked under my back, drawing me closer, his body pressing firmly into mine. “Daniel,” I said with a moan in the back of my throat.

My whole body ignited as he began to slowly move against me. He wet my neck with open-mouthed kisses, and tingles shot down my spine when he traveled across the sensitive skin to the back of my ear, licking and sucking the whole way. He moved further down my neck, over my shoulder, and kissed a trail over my col arbone.

I found the hem of his shirt and tugged. He sat back, and I ripped the fabric over his head, tossing it to the floor and leaving his heaving chest exposed. He threw himself back at me, this time his mouth urgent. His hands were everywhere as he ran them up and down my body.

“I wish I could tellyou what I’m feeling right now,” he whispered against my lips, his voice hoarse with desire.

“How many times I fantasized about this.”

“Yes…,” I whispered back, unable to voice my own emotions—too many, too strong.

He gathered both of my hands in one of his, and the other skimmed the exposed flesh of my arm. His hand grazed my jaw and my neck before massaging my breast.

He released a heavy breath when he found the band of my pants, his fingers trembling as he tugged the drawstring loose.

He pulled back, looking me in the eye as if to ask permission. I raised my hips, and his hand slid between the fabric and my skin, pushing my pants down inch by inch until they fel to the floor. His fingers caressed my bare skin, awakening the desire I’d always held for him but never thought would find release.

His face was so close, his forehead against mine, his shaky breath mixing with mine. His gentle hands pushed up my shirt and lifted it over my head, his eyes watching mine.