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And I found it in this woman.

Call me crazy for believing that this woman was the one who could hand me everything I ever wanted. But it's not about what I knew about her, it's about what I felt.

This wasn't love at first sight, this was so much more.

Emery closed her eyes, exhaling against my face, and parting her lips. The tip of her tongue teased the entrance, softly licking my bottom lip.

That was it, I had lost it. I lost my control, I lost my will to be gentle and kind. All I wanted was to make her mine over and over again.

Because that was what she was going to be.

She was mine to save, mine to protect, mine to enjoy.

Chapter Nine

Emery

His tongue swept insidemy mouth, devouring me like I was the air he needed to survive. And I wanted him to.

What are you doing Emery?

Every ounce of my being needed this man. When he spoke, I felt it. When he touched me, I felt it. I knew who this man was, and he wasn't the bad guy. I didn't need to fear him, he wanted to protect me.

That was all that mattered. Not how we got here, but who he was when he took me. And for all the reasons I should talk myself out of what was happening, there wasn't a damn muscle in my body that would let me.

Kissing me harder, Porter drove his tongue into my mouth, tasting and dancing over the ridges. Swooping his hands around my face, he pulled me in, holding me tight.

I didn't want him to let me go, I wanted to be as close to him as possible. My insides twisted up like rope, afraid of what it would feel like if he suddenly released me and pushed me away.

His hands felt too good, his arms felt too comfortable, this man was filling a void I didn't know existed.

Loneliness.

For that small space in time, I was whole, everything was perfect. I wasn't drowning, I wasn't suffocating with wonder and concern. I couldn't feel any of the pain anymore as our lips sealed and our breathing turned into labored gasps.

With firm fingers, Porter raked his hands through my hair, tugging my head back. For a split second, the slightest of moments, his eyes connected with mine, hesitant and worried that he might have hurt me.