Page 20

This time, when she kissed him, it was a kiss of reclamation--not just of him, but of herself.

It was slow, deliberate, and full of the ache of what they had lost and what they could still find together.

And as the world dissolved around them, there was no past, no future--only the infinite now, where love was not a question but an answer.

With their mouths still fused together, he rose, his arms wrapped securely around her.

He wanted her on a bed. He needed the space for what he had in mind.

His steps sure, he left the room and headed up the stairs, his mouth devouring hers.

He could feel her curves pressing against him and the familiar moment of madness beating a path through his body.

Kicking the door open, he took her into the room and laid her down.

When she started to take off her clothes, he stopped her.

"Let me." His voice was hoarse with emotion, his hands trembling from it.

They would talk, of course. But for now, he wanted to show her that he was here, that he loved her, that there was nothing more important than what they shared.

She had not said the words to him, but he knew.

Right now was not the time to demand a declaration.

It was his responsibility to make things right.

She was not wearing a stitch of underwear.

That gave him pause and unsettled him even more.

Her slender curves were all revealed for him to look his fill, and he did.

Her skin was so beautiful, the coffee-and-cream complexion flawless.

He trailed a finger over her flat stomach and felt a violent reaction when a scenario flashed through his mind of her carrying his child.

He wanted a family with her, he realized dazedly.

That had never entered his mind before. Not with any of the women he had been with.

"Kai." She stirred restlessly beneath his fingers as he danced them over her taut skin like a pianist playing a very complicated concerto.

"Just let me look. You never got the tattoo," he noted, circling the cute indentation that was her navel.

"No. I thought about it and got queasy at the idea of having a needle sticking into my flesh." She bit down on her lip as he continued to draw circles on her stomach. There was an intense look on his handsome face that had her vibrating.

"It would have looked damn cute." His head lifted to meet her eyes. "You wanted a butterfly."

"They always fascinated me. Are you going to continue doing that?"

"No." A smile ghosted his lips. She watched as he rose and made quick work of getting rid of his clothing.

It still gave her a jolt to her nervous system to look at him.

His skin was smooth, except where the tattoo started.

And the muscles clenched and quivered with each movement.

When he climbed in next to her, she reached for him, wanting to feel his body against hers.

"Not yet, baby." Capturing her hands, he drew them above her head as he shifted on top of her. But he was inches away from touching her and she was getting impatient.

"Kai--"

"I know." He gave her something. Lowering his head, he brushed his lips against hers, back and forth.

It was gentle--the movement nothing more than a breath whispering against her lips.

She wanted more, but he was not allowing her to touch him; she could not participate.

When she opened her mouth, he simply nibbled at her lush bottom lip, sending a charge straight to her heart.

"Please," she was quivering and on the verge of begging. How could her body feel so alive and on the verge of imploding?

"You're mine." His tone was fierce, a complete contradiction to the gentle ministrations of his mouth. He soothed where he nibbled, tongue laving the flesh slowly, sending tingles of awareness winging through her.

Her heart was pounding. His possessive statement was not answered. She did not protest when he continued to nibble his way down her neck. He found the sensitive part of her flesh and feasted on it, until she was vibrating.

When he started on her nipples, he took his time. He loved the shape, size, and texture. And he made it known as he suckled slowly at first and then greedily, like a man who had not eaten for weeks and suddenly had a sumptuous banquet spread out before him.

Her whimpers spurred him on and when she called out his name, her voice pleading and clogged with tears, he simply fell apart. She undid him. What was a man supposed to do, he wondered hazily, but take what was being offered?

He slid into her, the tightness wrapping around him and taking his breath.

He had to take a few seconds to get his galloping heart under some sort of control.

His body was coated with sweat, his loins throbbing madly.

He was as hard as steel and getting harder still.

Emotions washed through him, flooding him and he felt himself drowning.

Letting go of her hands, he bent his forehead to hers and simply breathed her in. His control was in tatters, his composure long gone. He could feel the heavy beating of his heart and knew that he was on the verge of erupting.

Maxie clasped him to her body, wrapping her hands around his neck. Her lips sought and found his, a cry escaping her as he moved slowly inside her. She came then, the climax an exploding force that seemed to knock her back. He swallowed her cries and was certain some of the sounds came from him.

The pace increased, until the only thing that was left was complete madness.

She came again, body shivering, and he fell with her.

And how mighty was the fall! He poured into her until his body was drained and completely empty.

He gave her everything and even as he did, he continued to devour her mouth.

Their breathing filled the quiet room, the rhythm of their hearts slowly finding its way back to a steadier cadence. Kai's arms tightened around Maxie, as though anchoring her to him, as though afraid she might vanish if he let go.

The world outside seemed to fade, leaving only the silence that spoke of togetherness, of a bond forged and sealed in both body and spirit. He pressed a kiss to her temple, his lips lingering there as though drawing strength and solace from her presence.

"You undo me," he murmured, his voice low and rough, a confession he had not intended to voice.

Maxie turned her head slightly, her eyes searching his.

She reached up, her fingertips brushing against the curve of his jaw, her expression unreadable yet filled with something that made his chest tighten.

"And you," she whispered, her voice soft yet firm, "put me back together."

It was a simple statement, but within it lay layers of meaning, more profound than Kai could have anticipated. He held her gaze, the intensity of their connection making words unnecessary. For the first time in a long while, he felt wholly seen, wholly known.

As the night stretched on, they stayed entwined, not just physically but in a way that transcended the mere mechanics of touch.

The vulnerability they had shared remained between them like a fragile yet unbreakable thread, weaving them together in a tapestry of emotion neither could fully comprehend--but both embraced.

After the tumult, he held her against him, arms banded around her possessively as if he had no intention of letting go.

"I want things out in the open," he began quietly.

Her face was buried in his chest, one leg thrown over his.

"I want to hear--" He eased out a breath.

He would rather be drawn and quartered than bring up the past, but the air needed to be cleared.

He had spent hours wondering how best to approach the subject and decided that facing it head-on would be best. Tucking his hand under her chin, he forced her to meet his eyes.

"I want to know what you went through when I left. "

Immediately the hazy afterglow of the lovemaking vanished, leaving her cold and depressed.

"No. It's the past."

"In order for us to face the present and the future, we have to get behind it. Please." His fingers tightened on her chin when she jerked it away. "I hurt you so damn much and I cannot erase that. I just want to know."

"Why?" she challenged. "What possible good is that going to do?

Will hearing how I cried every night for a month make things right?

Or the fact that I called and you did not pick up soothe your conscience?

Oh, that I spent two months out of college because I was too much of a wreck?

Or that I thought and hoped I was pregnant--prayed that I was when I went for two months without having my periods?

I told myself that surely if you knew I was carrying your baby, you would have no choice but to come back for me.

" Her breath hitched and her throat burned. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Grief swamped him until he could do nothing but stare at her.

His face was tight with regret, his heart unsteady.

The extent of what he had caused her was weighing heavy and if he was any kind of man, he would leave her the hell alone.

But he couldn't. He needed her. He was inexplicably tied to her--the bond was unbreakable.

He knew that now. Even after the separation, he had simply fallen into place.

That first sight of her at the store had slapped everything back to where it should be.

He could no more stay away from her than stop breathing.

From the very beginning, there was this magnet, drawing them together.

Letting go of her chin, he pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

Her anger diffused. That simple gesture was more eloquent than mere words.

She could feel the pain shimmering through him.

He was suffering even more than she was.

She was not ready for them to go public yet and there were so many details to iron out between them, but she could no longer deny herself or him.

Wrapping her hands around his neck, she hugged him to her. Her submission tore at his heart and made him weak. Lifting his head, he did the only thing he could--he seized her lips in a kiss that rocked their very foundations.