Page 52 of Obsession (Temptation 4)

His lips touched mine, the tenderness in his kiss briefly subduing the heartache. “Let’s get some rest.”

“I’m not sure I can sleep tonight.”

“I didn’t say sleep. But you need to rest.” He ran his hands down my arms. “Agent Curran and Nikko are chasing down every single lead they can right now. I guarantee the second they find anything, they’ll call.”

“Okay.” I gave him a small smile. “Let’s rest.”

Fingers interlocking with mine, he led me through the house that felt devoid of any life. Even when Imogene hid away in what had become her room, earbuds in, music blaring, I still felt her presence.

Now that was gone.

Would I ever have that again?

Once Lachlan and I were locked away in his bedroom, we undressed in the dark, the faint light from the moon streaming through the windows. I grabbed one of Lachlan’s t-shirts from his dresser and pulled it over my head before crawling into bed.

When Lachlan slipped in behind me, I turned to face him, staring at him in the darkness. He pushed a tendril of hair out of my face. Now that the frenzy of spending hours answering questions about Imogene and Nick was done, I was finally able to process it for the first time.

Finally able to allow myself to feel it for the first time.

My throat tightened, my emotions slowly creeping in.

“Show me where it hurts,” Lachlan whispered, just like I did days ago after he learned what Nick had done to Christine Griffin.

How it appeared Nick hoped to do the same thing to me if the opportunity presented itself.

My eyes not leaving his, I covered my stomach where I’d carried Imogene for nine months.

He pushed me onto my back, snaking down my body and lifting my shirt. His lips were warm on my flesh as he peppered kisses along my waistline, starting at the pink scar on one side before slowly and sensually making his way to the opposite side.

He raised his gaze to mine. “Where else?”

Tears slid down my cheeks as I brought my hand to my breast, covering my heart.

He lifted my shirt higher, the warmth of his tongue tracing circles around my nipple briefly chasing away the all-consuming emptiness.

He met my eyes once more. “Where else?”

“Everywhere, Lachlan,” I choked out, allowing my emotions to spill forward.

He hovered over me. “Then let me take it away.”

I grabbed his face, hooking a leg around his waist. “Make it stop hurting. Please.”

He made quick work of pushing his briefs down his legs, my underwear joining them on the floor. When he returned to me, he held me in his arms.

“Give me all of it, love,” Lachlan said, kissing away my tears. “Your bad days. Your heartache. Your pain. Your anger. Your despair. Your nightmares.” He held my face, determination within his eyes as he eased inside of me, a noiseless gasp escaping my throat. “Let me carry the burden.”

I wrapped my arms and legs around him, tears streaming down both our faces, but we didn’t stop. We couldn’t. We needed this connection. Needed this reminder of our love.

As he moved inside of me, doing what he could to take it all away, he dropped his forehead to mine, both of us breathing in the other as we connected alo to alo.

Soul to soul.

Heart to heart.

Pain to pain.

When we got home, sex was the last thing on my mind, especially with my daughter missing. But this wasn’t sex.

This was two people demonstrating the love they had for each other.

Two people giving each other the strength to continue on when they wanted to give up.

Two people promising to stand by each other’s side.

No matter what.