Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Beau had had his share of one-night stands, but this didn’t feel like one. He was in deep trouble the minute he opened that damn door and saw Abbie standing there. He knew he’d probably lied when he’d agreed that this was just a one-night stand and there would be no commitments or expectations after tonight.

But she didn’t have to know that. He knew once he crossed this line, there would be no way back. Was he ready to spend a life pining after a woman who wouldn’t give him a second thought once she’d left Jessup Peak behind?

Abbie’s fingers curled around his towel and pulled him closer. She was a master of kissing and he knew his erection was impossible to contain in this towel very much longer.

Beau stood in the soft glow of his bedroom lamp. This wasn’t how he thought the night would go—not by a long shot. But here she was, in his bedroom, a storm of emotions swirling in her green eyes every time she glanced at him.

“Maybe you should get more comfortable.” He suggested as his hands stroked down her back to cup her luscious backside. He couldn’t help pulling her closer, pressing her against his erection. His pulse pounded in his head matching the synchronized rhythm below his towel.

He reached for the buttons on her blouse, taking his time allowing his knuckles to brush against the tops of her creamy, full breasts as he made his way down to the waistband of her jeans. Inch by inch, creamy flesh appeared and his erection grew harder. If that was even possible.

Soon, he had divested her of her blouse and her bra. Her breasts and toned stomach laid bare to his greedy gaze. Beau’s hands reached out to cup the weight of each breast giving his thumbs a chance to tease each nipple into tight nubs.

His touch elicited a low, seductive moan from her kiss-swollen lips and she melted into him as the sound just about unmanned him. “Now, where are those handcuffs,” she joked and he was doing everything he could to distract himself to slow down his desire enough to last past the first five minutes.

He should say something—do something to break the tension between them. The tension that had been building between them since the first day they met. But for once in his life, Beau Elliott, the man who always had a quick remark or a sharp retort, had found himself utterly speechless.

“You’re quiet,” Abbie said, her voice low and uncertain. She stepped back to look into his eyes. Her vulnerability hit him like a sucker punch. She wasn’t the fiery, headstrong woman who stormed into his office demanding answers or sparred with him at every turn. Right now, she was just Abbie. Guarded. Hesitant. Human.

Beau rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit he thought he’d left behind years ago. “I didn’t know we were supposed to be talking at the moment.”

She tilted her head, her lips curving into a faint, almost teasing smile. “Detective Elliott, at a loss for words? I never thought I’d see the day.”

He chuckled softly, the sound more of a release of tension than anything else. “Don’t get used to it.”

Her smile faded, replaced by something softer, something that tugged at his chest. She took a step closer, her gaze never leaving his. “You’re right, Detective. I don’t want to talk tonight,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want to think tonight. I just…I don’t want to feel alone.”

The vulnerability in her words gutted him. Beau didn’t do emotions—not like this. He kept things simple, straightforward. Feelings complicated things, made people weak. But Abbie wasn’t weak. She was strong, and yet here she was, letting him see a crack in her armor.

He reached out, his fingers brushing against her cheek, and the simple touch sent a jolt of electricity up his arm. She didn’t pull away. If anything, she leaned closer, the distance between them shrinking until he could feel the warmth radiating from her skin.

“Abbie,” he said, his voice rough with something he didn’t want to name. “We don’t have to do anything. We can just be together. Hold each other if that’s what you need.”

Her eyes locked onto his. “Beau, I want this. I want you.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy and filled with a kind of need he was afraid was driving her actions. Maybe he should take the high road and push her away. Maybe he should remind her of all the reasons this was a bad idea—that they were leaving Jessup Peak, each going back to their own world. But maybe that was the very reason why this should happen. Because neither of them had to worry about it ever happening again.

He cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing over her cheekbones as he searched her eyes for any hesitation. All he found was heat and vulnerability, a dangerous combination.

“Abbie,” he murmured, leaning in until their foreheads touched. “What if I told you this isn’t just a one-night thing for me.”

Her breath hitched, and he felt her hands come to rest on his chest, her fingers splaying over his heart. “It’s all I can give,” she admitted, her voice trembling. “I don’t know how to do more.”

His chest tightened, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he tilted her chin up and kissed her, slow and deliberate as if he could show her everything he couldn’t say. She melted against him, her arms wrapping around his neck as the kiss deepened.

Beau guided her toward the bed, his hands skimming over her back, her waist, memorizing every curve. She pulled at his towel, her fingers brushing against his bare skin, and the contact sent a fire roaring through him.

When they reached the edge of the bed, she paused, her lips slightly swollen from their kiss, her breathing uneven. “Beau,” she said, her voice breaking on his name. “This feels like we might be playing with fire.”

He smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “We are,” he admitted. “But it’ll be worth it.”

She laughed softly, a sound that made his heart twist. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.” He kissed her again, this time with more urgency, more need. She responded in kind, her hands slipping to his erection, her nails raking lightly against his skin. It was his undoing.

He pulled her down onto the bed, their bodies tangling together as the world outside his bedroom faded into nothingness. Every touch, every kiss, every whispered word was a revelation, a reminder of how easy it was to lose himself in her.

She was fire and chaos, strength and vulnerability all wrapped into one. And God help him, he wanted every part of her.

As their bodies moved together, he removed the barrier of her jeans. Her panties. Beau felt a fear he hadn’t anticipated creeping into his chest. This wasn’t just about desire or attraction. It was about connection, about the terrifying realization that she mattered more than he wanted to admit.

Refusing to think about the aftermath, he pushed against his emotions

In one fluid motion, he pulled her down to his chest and rolled over on top of her, their connection still intact. Abbie pulled him down, her arms wrapped around his neck so her lips, eager and talented, could attack his adding more fuel to the growing inferno between them.

Her breasts pressed against him leaving him no room to work. He pulled away and let his hands take over. They obliged and found her nipples and he teased them first with his fingers, then with his tongue. Her breath puffed between parted lips as her head rolled back with pleasure. It was a sight that nearly sent him over the edge.

"I want to kiss every inch of your body," he whispered.

"Can it wait until we've enjoyed this part to our mutual satisfaction?"

Her words sent another surge of hot desire pumping through his erection. "So, you're saying you can't wait any longer?" He reached for her sex and found the spot he'd been searching for. Her hips pressed harder against his hand. When he denied her, she cursed him.

"Damn it, Beau." She placed her hand on his forcing him to honor her demands.

He chuckled. "You're greedy tonight."

His lips crashed down on hers and his heated kiss followed. He thrust deep with each stroke as the strength of his muscled thighs provided the power.

He slid in and out with deliberate purpose. Her body hurried to catch up where she'd left off a few moments ago and it didn't take long to bring her to that precipice under his efforts. She moaned at the sensation while he continued his sensual assault.

Sweat beaded on his brow as he sank into her again and again while holding her gaze. She clenched him tighter with her body, dragging each stroke from him until neither of them had anything left to give. Their shared cries of release fused with the damp and tangled sheets. He felt the warm rush of his release mingle with her body milking his for more.

His lips possessed her mouth in a soft, sensual, slow kiss that had him hardening again. When it was over, arms shaking, he held himself off her and lay on his back beside her. "Come here," he commanded and raised his arm. She obliged and snuggled deep against his side, resting her head on his arm. He had to admit he could get used to this.

He held her close, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on her bare stomach as her breathing evened out.

“Beau,” she said softly, her voice muffled against his chest.

“Yeah?”

“This doesn’t change anything,” she whispered, her words stabbing at him in a way he hadn’t expected. “I’m still leaving.”

He closed his eyes, tightening his hold on her. “I know.”

And he did. But that didn’t make it any easier.

As she drifted off to sleep in his arms, Beau stared up at the ceiling, his mind racing with thoughts he couldn’t silence. He didn’t know what tomorrow would bring or how they’d navigate the fallout of tonight. But for now, he’d hold onto this moment, this piece of her she’d given him, and hope it was enough.

Because when she left—and he knew she would—it would take everything in him not to follow.