Chapter 32

32

Every inch of Freya’s body tingled with anticipation. The warmth of Abe’s skin against hers fired shivers down the length of her spine and fueled the fire he’d lit within her.

There was nothing more that she wanted than to be with this man. Nothing had felt more right since forever. She’d spent so long guarding her heart, terrified of ending up like her mother—broken and a shell of her former self. But in this moment, with Abe’s muscular arms encircling her, those fears seemed distant, as if they had belonged to someone else—the woman she had been before.

Time with Abe had shown her that her mother’s story did not have to be hers. Instead, there were couples like Abbie and Fox, their relationship one of easy laughter and open adoration. They were happy.

Longing pierced her chest. That could be me. That could be us.

For years, she had hidden behind spreadsheets and logic, clinging to the safety of numbers. But now, with Abe’s warmth soaking into her bones, that life felt hollow. The world of sensation and emotion she’d denied herself beckoned. She craved a life of passion and connection, vibrant and real, not the gray emptiness of statistical tables. She yearned to unleash this hidden side of herself, to let it fly and break free from the shackles that had held her down for so long.

Leaning down, she pressed her lips to Abe’s, savoring his taste—bourbon, desire, and midnight promises. A moan escaped her as she deepened the kiss, revealing in the slide of his tongue against hers. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer.

This is worth the risk. He is worth the risk.

His grip tightened, his breathing heavy as the kiss intensified. With him everything felt different, electric.

Breaking away, she rested her forehead against his. “When I’m with you, you fill up the dark places inside me.”

Abe’s eyes opened, his lashes grazing her cheek. His silence encouraged her.

“For so long, I thought if I didn’t fight, I’d end up like my mother.”

He cupped her jaw. “You’re your own person.”

She gave a wry laugh. “It’s taken me a long time to realize that.”

“You are so fucking beautiful.” His fingers tracked the swell of her breast, along her collarbone, igniting fire wherever he touched.

She leaned into his palm. “The things you say to get me naked.”

He caught her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I’m not kidding. I see you, Freya, and you are beautiful.”

Warmth bloomed in her chest as Abe’s hands skimmed down her arms, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. He took her hands, pressing his thumbs into her palms in tiny, massaging circles before smoothing his palms over her thighs and cupping her knees.

“Just so damn beautiful and all mine,” he murmured.

She shifted, feeling his hard cock beneath her. The sensation was thrilling. Wild. She moved against him again, savoring the delicious friction.

Her hair fell loose around them as she kissed him again, fingers threading through his hair and trailing down his back. His muscles flexed under her touch, and he groaned softly.

His hands found her breasts, thumbs flicking over the erect nubs. Fire spread from her breasts to between her legs. Freya gasped, the sensation intense. It was as if her body was making up for lost time, hypersensitive after being locked down for so long, only thinking, not feeling. Wherever he touched, she went up in flames, her control evaporating like smoke.

She shifted in his lap and unbuckled his pants, releasing the hard thickness of his cock. Circling it with her hands, she stroked him, relishing the smooth skin and the groans falling from his lips as she pleasured him.

The next few days promised danger. She didn’t know how things would work out, or if there was a future for two people so different. But didn’t she deserve a chance at oblivion, even if just for a while? A chance to block out the world and all its heartache?

Without warning, Abe gripped her bottom and lifted her, carrying her to the bed. He laid her down, the sheets cool against her heated skin, before shucking off his clothes.

She bit down on her lower lip, drinking him in.

Firelight gilded the planes of his chest, highlighting the raw strength in his shoulders, the lean muscles of his abdomen. But it was the way he looked at her, like she was something precious and wild, that stole her breath.

God, she wanted his hands on her skin. On every inch of me.

With care, he parted her legs, pressing between them. His arms bracketed her body, caging her in.

She was his.

He leaned down, scattering kisses over her breasts. She arched into him, needing more as his tongue traced her skin. He sucked one nipple, letting her feel the edge of his teeth.

Pleasure erupted down every nerve, pulsing between her legs.

“Yes.” The word escaped her lips, raw and wanton, her own voice as she’d never heard it before. Abe had unlocked the woman deep within her. “Don’t stop.”

His mouth traveled to her belly, then to the waistband of her panties. He hooked his thumbs inside. No one had ever?—

With a growl, he yanked them and tossed them aside. She lay naked before him, exposed in a way she’d never allowed before. Previous encounters had always been in darkness, where men could touch but not see.

Abe saw everything.

His eyes raked over her, absorbing every detail. He grinned, bending to kiss her bellybutton. “I’ve wanted to taste you since the first moment I saw you.”

His hand slid up her thigh, dipping into her soft folds, moving gently against her slickness.

Her hips lifted, offering herself to him, hungry for more.

He stroked her, sliding one thick finger inside. Her hips tilted, memories of the night before flooding her mind—how he had worked her body like a fine instrument, completely under his control.

“You like that?”

She nodded, her gaze locking with his. Need glittered in his eyes, dark as coal.

He withdrew his hand and lifted his fingers to his lips, licking them.

Oh my.

Every muscle in her body tightened at the sight.

“You taste like sin,” he said, teeth flashing in the dim light. “The best kind.”

He bent his head, his warm breath skimming her belly. She closed her eyes, clutching at the softness beneath her, anchoring herself against the sensations threatening to tear her apart.

He scattered kisses across her lower abdomen, alternating with soft pinches of his teeth. The shift from pleasure to pain and back again left her reeling. His stubble grazed her belly then her inner thigh.

His hand gripped her hip, pinning her in place. Not that he needed to—she was putty in his hands, any resistance long gone.

The bed dipped under his weight as he shifted.

He licked her, a firm stroke against her clit, then without pause, along the length of her folds.

A cry escaped her as her body bucked with unfamiliar pleasure. She glanced down, seeing his dark head focused solely on her.

She slid her hands lower, finding the flex of his shoulder, then his head. “Don’t stop.” She arched, surrendering, her skin damp.

He looked up, his breath kissing her inner thigh. “I have no intention of stopping.”

His thumb moved in a slow, deliberate circle over her clit, the pressure teasing yet unrelenting. His eyes locked onto hers, a searing intensity in his gaze that left her breathless.

The world outside dissolved into nothingness. The two of us . Had there ever been anything but this connection and fire?

Heat bloomed low in her belly, molten and demanding, spreading through her limbs and pooling deep inside her. Every stroke of his thumb sent a wave of need rippling outward, each one more intense until it gathered into a tempest within her. She fisted her hands in his hair, anchoring herself against the pleasure threatening to tear her apart.

His lips curved a wicked smile against her skin, just before his mouth descended again. The warm, slick heat of his tongue slid over her, a tantalizing rhythm that left her trembling, caught between desperation and bliss. He was relentless, his movements purposeful, driving her closer to the precipice.

She arched, closing her eyes, surrendering to the relentless tide building inside her, his clever touch winding her shockingly tight.

Abe.

She shattered, coming apart in a blindingly violent release.

The world drifted back—her breath, his warmth pressing into her side.

She’d thought she knew the limits of her heart, the boundaries she’d set long ago to keep herself safe. But Abe had unraveled them all, claiming her, piece by piece.

She turned her face into his neck, inhaling the comforting scent of him. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t afraid of what came next.