“Thank God.” As soon as the door shut behind him, he tossed everything on a table and was reaching for her again. “I need you. It feels like it’s been years.”
“Eons,” she said, breathless.
He tugged her shirt over her head and then followed the path with his mouth, kissing her throat, the space between her breasts, her belly. Urgent. Hungry. “You really would’ve waited for me?”
“Yes.” She dug her nails into his biceps, trying to hold herself up while he weakened her with every hot, openmouthed kiss to her bare skin. “Impatiently. Anxiously. But yes.”
He unhooked her bra and tossed it to the floor. His big, warm palm cupped her breast, and he dragged his thumb over its peak, sending sparks to the now-throbbing spot between her thighs. “Damn. I must be really good in bed for you to be willing to wait indefinitely.”
She groaned as he teased her sensitive skin with his stubble and then took her nipple in his mouth. She leaned against the wall and threaded a hand in his hair, her thoughts slowing and her senses taking over. “You’ve ruined me for other men, Dorsey. You suck.”
He lifted his head and gave her a roguish grin. “Your other-men days are over. I would apologize, but I’m not at all sorry.”
“Neither am I.” She shifted her hips to help as he tugged off her shorts and panties. “I’ve heard you’re a great lay.”
A gleam came into his eyes as he took in the sight of her naked against the wall. “Is that right?”
He looked like an avenging angel, all dark looks and darker promises. This was a man who’d seen the stuff of nightmares and faced it down anyway. Strong. Brave. Sexy. The fact that he loved her was frosting on an already irresistible cake. “Yeah.”
He dragged his T-shirt over his head with one hand, his hungry eyes staying on her. “And I’ve heard you have a reputation.”
Her lips curved, heat fluttering low and hot. She cocked a brow. “All true. Better bring your A game.”
He stripped out of his jeans and took himself in hand, giving his erection a leisurely stroke.
“That’s the only game I have.” Without warning, he grabbed her and spun her, pressing her against the wall like he was about to search her for weapons. The wall was cool against her cheek, and the heat of him rubbed against her backside.
He slid his hand over her hip and then downward, clever fingers finding her wet and wanting. She groaned at the touch.
His lips brushed the shell of her ear. “Are you using me for my body again, Arias?”
“God, yes.” She tipped her hips back and brazenly rocked against him. “Get used to it. I’ll be thoroughly using it for the rest of my life.”
His own
groan filled her ear, and he grabbed her hip, tilting her just how he wanted her. “I love you so goddamned much.”
He angled forward, pressing the hard part of him against the softest part of her, and she sighed in pleasure, taking him inside her body and letting him own her heart. Joined. She was his and he hers. In every way. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the moment and to him. They were rutting against a wall like some illicit hookup in an alley. Sweaty and rough and both saying words that would make a hooker blush.
But she’d never had a more romantic moment in her life.
The fractured pieces of her world had finally landed in just the right place, creating a picture she’d never imagined. One that took her breath away.
Broken glass still made art.
Sometimes, the most beautiful kind.
I love you back, Finn Dorsey. I will always love you back.
epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER
The voices echoed off the gym walls, the hushed tones becoming a dull roar because of the number of people who’d shown up. Liv’s stomach rolled with nerves, and she forced herself to take a deep breath. I can do this.
Warm fingers closed around her hand. “You’ve got this, Arias.”
Liv pressed her lips together and glanced over, finding Finn wearing an encouraging smile. “What if it all sucks? What if people are only here because it’s a news story and something to gawk at and not because it’s good? What if they’re here to humor the poor, pitiful survivor? Oh God, are they humoring me?”