Chapter 26

26

Grace stole the breath right out of his god-damn lungs.

Caleb sucked in a tremulous breath, taking her in. Her skin glistened with droplets of water that clung to her curves like diamond dust.

Lust was quicksilver in his veins.

But lurking beneath the primal need consuming him was a persistent truth he could no longer deny. This woman had slipped past his defenses, burrowing deep into his soul and taking root in a place far deeper than mere physical longing. She had seen into the darkest shadows within him, the parts he kept hidden from the world, and yet she met his gaze with a steadiness that spoke of understanding and acceptance.

He had found a kindred spirit in her, and the connection between them was a tangible force that crackled in the air and set his nerves ablaze with anticipation. Right now, more than anything, he wanted to lose himself in her and let the rest of the world fade away.

He nudged the shower off with one elbow and carried her out into the bedroom, loving the way her wet skin slid against his own.

She let out a soft squawk of protest as he laid her on the bed. "The sheets. I'm wet?—"

He made a dismissive noise. "I know. Just how I fucking like you."

"Oh." Her mouth popped open, the pink tip of her tongue at the corner.

Fuck. He claimed her lips with a brief, searing kiss.

"Don't fucking move." Reluctantly pulling away from her, he retreated to the bathroom and retrieved a fresh towel, his body humming with anticipation. When he returned to the bedroom, she was exactly where he had left her, perched on the edge of the bed, goosebumps pebbling her skin.

"Good girl." He drank in the sight of her. Gorgeous, full breasts that teased him with their rose pink peaks. The smooth slope of her stomach. Still wet curls at the apex of her thighs. "So fucking beautiful."

Her lips parted at his words, but the only sound that escaped her was a small gasp.

Kneeling before her, he began to dry her skin with the towel, his touch firm but gentle. He started with her feet, running the soft fabric along the delicate arch of her instep before moving up her calves and thighs. His fingers followed in the towel's wake, tracing patterns on her skin that left her shivering.

As he worked his way up her body, he let his lips skim her skin as he pressed feather-light kisses to the sensitive spots he discovered. Slowly he worked his way up until he lingered at the hollow of her throat, feeling her pulse jump beneath his touch.

Her hands fisted the throw beneath her, her knuckles turning white with the force of her grip. She dropped her head back, exposing the pale, vulnerable skin of her throat, and the sight made his gut tighten. The trust she placed in him, the way she opened herself up to him, both emotionally and physically, was a gift. He knew the courage it took for her to let him in, to allow herself to be vulnerable after everything she had been subjected to.

She lifted her head, her eyes dark and needy, then leaned forward until her forehead rested against his, sharing his breath in the scant space between them for several long moments.

"Come here." Her voice was breathy as she reached for him with soft, warm hands. Her fingertips played with the sensitive head of his cock, teasing and stroking until a groan escaped his lips. His control frayed, unraveling like a spool of thread under her glorious touch.

"Condom." He muttered the words through gritted teeth. "I had regular check-ups when I served and there's been no-one…fuck." The bedside table had never seemed so far off.

Grace caught his hand. She shook her head, her eyes filled with sudden sadness. "We don't…" Her breath rushed out on a sigh. "Um. It's okay I can't?—"

He caught her chin, tilting her face up to meet his gaze as her tears welled. He kissed the softness of her eyelids, tasting the salt of her tears.

"We don't need to use anything," she whispered. "Richard insisted on regular check-ups and…" Her breath hitched, the weight of her words thickening the air. "I can't get pregnant. It's okay."

Fuck.

The revelation hit him like a punch to the gut. The thought of what she had been through, the abuse she had suffered, it filled him with incandescent rage. But beneath the anger blazed fierce protection, and a determination to shield her from further harm.

He cupped her face. "No one will ever hurt you again," he vowed, his voice rough with emotion. "I promise." The blood in his veins burned with a potent mix of desire and fury his words couldn't fully express.

Grace stilled. "I won't let it come between us." Warm fingers wrapped around the length of his cock. "I want you, Caleb. Help me forget."

It was the permission he needed.

He lifted her into his arms and positioned her up on the bed, his body covering hers like a protective shield. The softness of her skin was intoxicating, tearing at his tenuous control as he notched himself against her slick opening.

"Grace?" Her name was a question and a prayer all rolled into one.

"Stop talking," she breathed, her eyes locking with his. "Just love me."

She lifted her hips, and his cock slid home for an inch, her wet heat searing his skin with a pleasure so intense it bordered on pain, and he had to grit his teeth to keep from losing control.

But as he looked deep into her eyes, everything he felt for her crashed through him like a tidal wave. His restraint shattered, and he thrust deep. Her pupils dilated with the force of his body claiming hers, and she arched her hips toward him, welcoming him, asking for all that he could give. Pleasure exploded through Caleb as he seated himself deep within her.

Yes.

Her nails scored his back, urging him on as she lifted her legs, locking them against his side, binding them as one.

He knew then there could be no other.

She was so damned gorgeous, so strong. To have endured what she had, to fight against Hudson and still be standing tall—it blew him away. Grace had shown him that even after all the tragedy he had witnessed as a Coast Guard, it was possible to come through the other side. To live again. Above all, she gave him hope and with her by his side, he felt complete for the first time in years, whole in a way he'd never thought possible.

The embrace of her body sent hot sensation shooting through him, knotting at the base of his spine in warning. The tumble into oblivion was coming, his release hovering out of reach, but tantalizingly close.

But he fought against the rising wave of his own pleasure, determined to bring her with him. He wanted to witness her come undone again, to see the ecstasy etched across her beautiful face.

Pleasure was an intense tidal wave building behind a dam, the dam he had built over so many lonely years to protect his wounded heart. But with Grace in his arms, the dam was crumbling, setting him free from the prison he had worked so hard to construct.

Pressure mounted at the base of his spine as his orgasm hooked him, pulling him forward into a surge from which there would be no escape. The noise of the world fell away and there was only Grace, and the sensation of her body meeting his.

Ecstasy ripped through him. An uncontrollable tornado that spiraled outwards cleansing him from head to toe and back again, finally diminishing until he regained control.

Caleb rested against her, every muscle and nerve in his body tingling with aftershocks, as he buried his nose in the soft dampness of her hair, breathing her in. He could lie like this forever. Locked away with Grace, removed from the harsh reality of the world they faced every day.

Hope lit inside him. He had thought his heart was incapable of this, of caring for a woman so intensely, it scared him. There was nothing he would not do for her. Knowledge settled in his heart. Whatever played out between her and her ex in the future, it didn't matter.

Grace was his, and he would risk everything to protect her.