Ready or Not (Aspen Ridge Holiday Novellas)

17. Wes

Chapter Seventeen

WES

I lean forward, kissing her lips gently, peppering her cheek and down the delicate space above her shoulders as lovingly as possible. Showing her with my body how deeply I feel for her.

Tonight went better than I could have hoped for. She was everything I knew she could be. The darkness hidden inside her played so well when coaxed out. I’m so proud of her. The trust it took to let go and experience this with me fills me with a sense of happiness and contentment I’ve never felt in my thirty-eight years.

Standing back, I unbuckle her ankles from the straps, lifting each leg and placing kisses along the reddened area. I repeat the process with her wrists before gathering her up in my arms and holding her naked, satiated body to mine.

“You’re perfect, Lilith.”

“I knew it was you,” she admits through a whisper, her voice hoarse and cracking from her screams. “A part of me did at least. Or, I hoped it was you.”

“I was hoping you would. You never seemed scared of me. Are you now?”

The lack of immediate response has me pulling back from her slightly to peer down on her in my arms, trying to get a read on her facial expression.

“I’m not scared of you, Wes. I feel like you freed me. Did you mean everything you said?”

“Every word, little one.”

“Good. I don’t want to come back from this.”

Her words fill me with satisfaction and relief. I love this woman. I couldn’t bear it if she didn’t want me in return.

“There is no going back from this. You’re mine and I’m yours. Everything else be damned.”