Page 44 of On Thin Ice (Calgary Mounties #1)
Chapter Forty-Two
IN THIS TOGETHER
Adele
I stare at Lincoln, my brain not quite allowing me to fully comprehend his words.
“I’m sorry… What?” I ask after a moment.
There is no way I could have heard him properly. Lincoln O’Malley doesn’t fall in love.
He takes my hand, holding it between both of his while he searches my face, his beautiful blue eyes pleading with me.
“I’m in love with you,” he says, repeating the words that I’ve been longing to hear but never thought would pass his lips.
I swallow hard, fairly certain my heart has stopped.
“You don’t fall in love,” I say, the words tumbling out before I realize what I’m saying.
He grins. “Well, I didn’t date, either. And yet…”
I narrow my eyes. “And yet, you broke up with me and told me not to fall in love with you.”
He sighs, squeezing my hand gently. “I was an absolute idiot. I was convinced that you were better off without me, and that if I let you say the words out loud, I’d never be able to let you go. ”
“And what changed?” I pull my hand away and cross my arms.
He brings his chair over next to mine, draping his arm along the back of my chair and leaning in towards me. “Kylie and Seth may have talked some sense into me.”
I raise an eyebrow. “And that’s meant to make me feel better? You needed our best friends to tell you that you were an idiot to realize you were in love with me?”
He shakes his head. “No, I needed our best friends to remind me that I’m worthy of love. And that the last few months, even though things at work were stressing me out beyond belief, I was the happiest I’ve ever been. Because I got to call you mine.”
I process his words in silence, and he watches me patiently while I try to form a response.
“You broke my heart, Linc.” His eyes light up for a fraction when I use his shortened name, but I keep talking.
“I broke up with Ben and barely shed a tear. But this last week was pure hell, and I can’t go through that again.
You don’t get to tell me how I should feel about you.
If I decide I’m in love with you, then that’s my choice.
And if I tell you I’ll move if you get traded, then that’s my choice, too. ”
He pulls his arm back to tuck my hair back behind my ear, nodding.
“I know that. And I’m so damn sorry. Of all the people in my life, you were the one person I never wanted to hurt.
And then I went and fucked it all up. Do you think you could give me another chance to prove that I’m in this for the long haul?
” I study his earnest expression, and the armour around my heart starts to crack.
I allow him to take my hand again, watching as he threads his fingers through mine before lifting it to press his lips to the back of it. “I’ll do anything.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Anything, huh? ”
A smile plays across his lips. “Anything,” he says slowly, dragging out the word, his tone seductive.
I lean towards him, resting my hand on his leg as I bring my lips to his ear. “Beg for it,” I whisper.
He cups the back of my head, weaving his fingers through my hair, while his other hand slides up my thigh. “Please, Addie? Let me love you. Let me worship this body and show you I belong to you.” He presses a kiss to the spot right beneath my ear, keeping his lips close to my skin as I shiver.
Damn, he’s good at this.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. He’s good at everything he does.
Determined not to make this easy on him, I raise my chin and cross my arms. “Still not good enough. I think you should be on your knees while you beg.”
Without even a moment of hesitation, he slides off his seat, dropping to his knees before turning my body to face him with ease.
I’m basically putty in this man’s hands, but still, I hold firm.
He cups my cheeks, sliding his thumbs across my skin.
“Let me spend the rest of my life reminding you how perfect you are.” He leans forward to press a featherlight kiss to my cheek.
“Let me peel this dress off and kiss every inch of your body.” He does the same to my other cheek, and I pull in a breath as I hold myself perfectly still.
He slides his hands down my arms, bringing them to a stop at my hips and tugging me to the edge of my seat.
Wrapping his arms around me, he runs his tongue up my neck before capturing my earlobe gently between his teeth.
“Let me show my complete.” He tilts my head slightly to give him better access to my throat.
“Unwavering.” He sucks on the spot he knows drives me crazy, running his tongue over the sensitive skin just below my ear. “Devotion.”
Shivers begin to run through me, and when he stands, I allow him to lift me from my seat, wrapping my legs around him as he carries me to the small couch. He sits down, holding me in his lap and dragging his fingers slowly down the exposed skin on my back while he presses his forehead to mine.
“Let me make love to you, Adele Wilson. Let me spend every night making love to you.”
Pulling in a long, shaky breath, I close my eyes and allow myself to enjoy the feel of his fingers brushing against my skin for a moment. He holds me still, his breaths in perfect sync with mine as we exist together in this perfect moment.
Slowly, I open my eyes and hold his gaze.
“Okay,” I whisper.
His lips curl upwards, his smile so beautiful it almost hurts.
‘Fuck yeah,” he says, surging forward to kiss me, and I allow myself to surrender to him completely.
He follows through on his words, peeling my dress off slowly and dropping it to the floor behind me, before leaning forward to run his tongue over my nipple.
“God, I missed these perfect breasts,” he whispers against my skin.
I whimper when he sucks gently.
“I missed the little noises you make when I do this.” He nips my skin gently, and I gasp.
“And I missed the achingly, beautiful look on your face when I make you come.” He slides his hand between my legs, circling my clit through the lace of my panties with his skillful fingers.
He holds me there, pressing his hand against my lower back to keep me still while he brings me to the edge with his fingers and his tongue, and I moan as I give myself over to him completely.
A few short minutes later, I come apart, the orgasm crashing through me as my vision blurs, and I cling to him while my body shudders.
“Beautiful,” he says, sitting back to watch me.
My chest heaves as I try to bring my breathing back to normal, my eyes locked on his.
“Make love to me, Lincoln O’Malley,” I whisper, and his expression softens.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Rising to his feet once more, he carries me to the bedroom, where he spends the next few hours following through on every promise he just uttered.
“I wish I could stay for the rest of the trip, but they’ve got me back in the starting line up from tomorrow,” he says as we lie in bed, wrapped around each other after our needs are finally met.
“That’s great news,” I reply, and he tells me about the meeting with management, and how Mikayla had all those old men shaking in their boots.
“So, what were your demands?” I ask, lying with my head on his shoulder, trailing my fingers over his abs and smiling at the goosebumps that emerge.
He kisses my forehead while he runs his hand up and down my back.
“That Alistair be fired, effective immediately, and that the team put out a press release stating that they would be supporting me. And that they would donate to a charity that focuses on providing support to those dealing with mental health issues.”
I lift my head to look at him. “You didn’t ask them to resign you?”
He shakes his head. “No. I don’t want to blackmail them into keeping me. If they can’t see how good I am for the team, then I’ll find somewhere else.” He pushes my hair back over my shoulder. “Did you really mean what you said that day? That you’d come with me if I’m traded?”
I nod. “I meant it then, and I mean it now. If you have to leave the Mounties, then I’ll be right beside you. We’re in this together.”
He sits up quickly, holding my face in his hands while he kisses me hard.
“I love you so fucking much.”
Smiling as I bite my lip, I allow my eyelids to lower seductively when his eyes drop to watch the movement, the hunger simmering beneath the surface, and I know we’re seconds away from another tumble beneath the sheets.
“I love you too, Lincoln O’Malley.”