Page 192 of Lost Lyrebird

His sends a flutter through my stomach.

“Well, what do you say we try for a never-ending trilogy?Third time’s a charm and all that.”

“Yeah, but sometimes the sequels aren’t better than the originals.”

His smile widens.“I’m thinking this one just might be.”

He lets go of the chain, and his hands trail down my body.When they get to my thighs, he circles them and says, “Up.”

I lace my fingers behind his neck, and when I jump, he catches me—my legs instantly locking around his waist.The slam of his office door is loud and aggressive, but it’s the best sound I’ve heard all night.Because finally, he’s all mine and I don’t plan to come up for air anytime soon.

He walks me across the room and swipes his hand across the desk, sending everything clattering to the floor.Lying me out on top of it, he follows me down, covering me with his weight.His fingers bury themselves in my hair as he pulls me in—his mouth capturing mine in a kiss that short-circuits my brain.

He teases me with playful nips on my lower lip before pulling back to study my face.

“It was that good, huh?”

“Yes, you bastard.”I slap his arm.

Our breaths mingle as he caresses my cheekbone.“Because I gave you that kind of experience in the first place, or because it was only for a limited time?”

“It’s like being given the most delicious chocolate bar and having it cut out of your diet entirely!You tell me what that could do to a person.”

He chuckles.“Well, no more diets.You can have anything your little heart desires, Lil’ Bird, anything.”I love that he’s playing along, joking about our messed-up past and giving me these lighthearted moments.“I wish I could remember every single second of those moments with you, but some of them I may never get back.”

“I know.It’s okay.”

“I’m not sure how sex with me now is going to compare to the hot stud you had in your bed all those years ago?Hope I don’t fall short of those expectations.”His forehead meets mine.He lifts my hand and laces our fingers together.The gesture and sincerity in his expression warms my heart, and abso-fucking-lutely melts me.

“First of all, there was no bed.It was a new mattress on the floor because you hadn’t bought a bedframe yet.And it wasn’t mine.It was yours.”

He tilts his head, squinting his eyes as if in deep thought.“There’s something.Laughing.Candy and a little box TV on the floor.”

I grin, warmth bubbling in my chest.“Our movie marathons while I was healing.You rented every action flick and bought a shitload of candy.Then lost your mind when I told you I didn’t know who Indiana Jones was.You ran out, rented every one of those movies, and made me watch them.”

“I did?”

“Yes, you were adamant that I be properly educated about those movies in particular.”

His smile softens.“They were my dad’s favorite.”

“Yeah, I know, baby.”

He closes his eyes for a beat, and when they reopen, he says, “I can hear your laugh in my head.”

Which pulls a laugh from me.

He smiles as he gazes down at me.“That one.”

It’s in these moments that I feel something I’ve hardly ever felt before—pure joy and love.God, I fucking love him so much it’s like my heart can’t be contained inside my chest.I can’t escape it.And I don’t want to.But it also scares the shit out of me, because having it—and losing it again—is terrifying.

It might just be my biggest fear.

“So about this first time.Are you going to tell me all about it?”

“Someday,” I tease.I pull his face closer to mine and nip at his lip.

“Not sure I can deliver, Lil’ Bird, if I don’t know the details.”