She stopped, trying to catch her breath. She stood in the cold, crying and rambling, while he silently stared at her. The rain splashing against the pavement and Embry’s short inhales were the only sounds as they stood, eyes locked on one another.

Luke’s cobalt gaze gave nothing away, and then slowly, so slowly, one side of his mouth turned up in a smile. “Are you finished?”

“Am I … am I finished?” she asked, bewildered.

“Yes,” he said calmly, giving no hint of his feelings. “Are you finished?”

“I-I guess so. Yes … I’m finished.”

“Good. That’s real good.” He reached out to push the wet hair from her forehead and stepped closer. Framing her face with his hands, he gently brushed his thumbs across her tear-stained cheeks.

Embry was at a loss. She had no idea which way was up. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but Luke’s hands were on her and that was all that mattered.

He stared down at her, his eyes filled with adoration. “I love you, Embry,” he whispered.

Her lips parted and her eyes widened. She gaped at him, completely astonished at the words that had come out of his mouth. Those three words had caused so much pain in her past. But hearing them from Luke, she felt no fear. Pressing up onto her toes, she grabbed his face and got as close to his eye level as she could. “I love you too.”

He bent his head slightly to capture her mouth in a soul-shredding kiss. Their chemistry had always been off the charts, but something about that kiss was different. Nothing stood between them anymore. No more walls, nothing to stop them. Luke dragged his fingers through Embry’s hair. Pulling back, he took in her appearance.

“You’re soaked. Let’s get you out of these clothes,” he said gruffly, the strain evident in his voice.

She nodded and followed him inside. As soon as she entered the foyer, he was on her.

“Nice sweatshirt,” he said, tugging the wet sweater over her head as she kicked off her flats.

His eyes burned with desire, lingering on her torso, naked except for a black lace bra. Lifting her effortlessly, he pushed her back against the door. Embry thrilled at the feel of his skin against hers. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pulled him closer. She couldn’t get close enough. Tunneling her hands through his hair, she deepened the kiss.

Luke groaned into her mouth. “God, I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” She panted as he traced a path down her neck with his tongue. ”Take me upstairs, Luke.”

“Are you sure, baby?” he asked, nipping her bottom lip.

Baby. She’d missed that so much. Suddenly feeling shy, she leaned into him, burying her face against his neck and hugging him closer. “Yes.” She nodded against his shoulder as butterflies swooped and dove in her stomach. She hadn’t been with someone, really been with someone, in a long time. She wanted Luke, needed him. Pulling back, she tried to convey all she was feeling with her eyes. “Make love to me.”

Luke’s mouth came down on hers, hot and hungry, as he carried her toward the stairway. His warm hands ran up her back, stopping when he reached the clasp of her bra. He made short work of it, dragging it down her arms and dropping it to the floor. He started up the stairs, stopping every few steps when he got too distracted with her to move.

Every kiss, every touch, set Embry on fire. She squirmed against Luke, causing him to lose his balance. Catching their bodies against the wall, he ground his hips into her, his hardness connecting deliciously with her core. She couldn’t wait to remove the layers between them. “Luke, please …”

“Please what, baby?” he said, licking and kissing down her neck.

“You know,” she moaned, throwing her head back against the wall.

“No, I don’t. Why don’t you tell me?” He nipped at her collarbone.

“Bedroom, please,” she said, her voice thick and throaty. She tugged on his hair, forcing his eyes to hers. “I need you.”

He sprinted up the few stairs left, pushed into the bedroom, and had Embry on the bed within seconds. “You have me, Embry,” he said as he covered her body with his. “All of me.”

He dropped a delicious kiss on her lips before making his way back down her body. Starting with her neck, he kissed and sucked his way to her collarbone. His hands found her breasts, and Embry’s back arched at the contact. He pinched and rolled the hard bud of her right nipple as his hot mouth came down on her left. He licked and sucked, swirling his tongue around her sensitive flesh before dropping kisses down her flat stomach. He nibbled at her hip bone as he painstakingly unbuttoned her pants and dragged them down her legs. Eyes smoldering, he stood back to take her all in. She was naked save a black, lace thong.

“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” he asked, devouring her with his stare.

“Not lately,” she said shyly, pushing herself up onto her elbows.

“So fucking beautiful.”

He reached for his belt, but she shot to the edge of the bed, her hands moving to his. “No. Let me.”

He watched her as she unbuckled his belt, pulled it from his jeans, and dropped it to the floor. Looking up at him, all green-eyed innocence, Embry worked the button on his jeans. She slid down the zipper, pushed them off his hips and watched them fall. He must have stepped out of them, kicked them to the side, but she didn’t notice. Her eyes were glued to his tight black boxer briefs, his hard cock straining against the soft cotton.

Luke bent toward her, caging her in on the bed. She smoothed her hands up and down his arms, feeling every dip and ripple of his biceps before moving on to his shoulders, and eventually digging her hands into his hair.

“So.” He planted an open-mouthed kiss on her collarbone. “Fucking.” He ran his nose up her neck, nuzzling her. “Beautiful.” Then his mouth was on hers. His arm wrapped around her back, dragging her body up the bed beneath his.

She groaned, loving the weight of his body on hers. “More, Luke,” she pleaded, pushing her hips up into his. “Touch me.”

He clearly didn’t need to be told twice. Snaking his hand between them, he pulled her panties aside and slid his fingers through her slick, wet heat. Embry writhed as he worked her over, his fingers moving in a delicious rhythm against her clit.

“So wet for me,” he groaned as he slipped a finger inside of her. Embry clenched around him, begging for more. “So tight.”

He dragged his finger back out of her, and she nearly cried out at the loss. A sexy smile crossed his lips as he explored her body further. He kissed and licked his way back down her stomach, hooking his thumbs in the tiny scrap of lace and pulling it down her legs. He left a fiery trail of kisses, worshipping her body with his mouth and hands. He grabbed her legs, pulled them apart, and kissed his way to the apex of her thighs. She squirmed closer to his mouth, and he took the hint. Sliding his finger back inside of her, he nipped and kissed the insides of her thighs, teasing her relentlessly.

“Luke …” she sighed impatiently.

“I know, baby.”

His hot breath against her core was almost too much for her. Then he replaced his finger with a long, wet stroke of his tongue, and Embry cried out in pleasure. Gripping his hair, she moved against him as he made love to her with his mouth. She was getting close, her insides coiling and clenching, begging for release. Then suddenly his mouth was gone, moving back up her body.

“Please, Luke,” she pleaded.

She was everything and nothing all at once. Ruled by lust and love, she saw nothing else, felt nothing else. She rolled her hips against him as he brought his mouth back to hers, and she tasted herself on his tongue. Feeling the cotton of his boxer briefs and wanting nothing else between them, Embry pushed impatiently against his shoulders. Luke rose up on his knees, and Embry scrambled onto hers to face him. She slipped her hands into the elastic band of his boxers and dragged them down his hips. His cock jutted forward, thick and long.