Page 171 of What Remains

“We’ll cross that bridge if we ever come to it.” Natasha brings her mouth to my ear a beat later and whispers, “Have fun with your man.”

Ohhh I plan on it.

I’m grinning like a fool when I stand tall again, and she winks.

Once the door closes behind them, I spin around to face Easton, who’s standing there staring at me with a knowing glint in his eyes.

There’s no radios. No footsteps en route. No danger breathing down our necks. And for a minute, neither of us moves.

Then Easton lets out a slow breath. “I think he knows what we’re about to do.”

A laugh slips out of me, shaky and soft. “Oh, he definitely knows.”

His gaze lifts to mine. Dark, intense, and almost disbelieving. Like he’s still not convinced this is real. That we made it. That we’re standing here together alive and finally alone.

The air between us changes, and my heart stutters. Not from nerves, from how much this means to us. We’ve been circling around this for over two years.

He tosses his gum and erases the space between us. His hand comes up slowly, his fingers brushing my cheek, and the touch is reverent. Warm and grounding. I lean into it without a second thought. He traces his knuckles along my lower lip, and my pulse goes wild.

“We’re going to make love first. Then we’ll do those other things I promised on the plane,” he says roughly, voice tight with need.

“Shouldn’t you hear me tell you I love you first?” I muse.

He pins me against him and tips my head back with a gentle hand at my jawline, commanding my gaze on his.

My breaths quicken as we stare at one another. As the words climb from my chest up into my throat. “I love you,” I breathe out. “I think I knew as far back as the accident, when I woke up and you were the first person I thought of. The first one I wanted to see.”

His brows tighten.

“I should have told you then. I should have told you how much you mean to me.” Tears fill my eyes. “But I’m not scared anymore.” One tear slips free, and he catches it with his thumb. “I’m ready. For you. For the next chapter in our lives.”

He drags his thumb along the line of my lips. “Good, because I’ve been right there waiting for you for a long damn time.” His palm skates down my throat and around to the nape of my neck. “I love you with all my heart and soul.”

“Forever?” I cry as another tear falls.

He nudges his nose against mine. “Forever. Even when you drive me crazy, which I think will be a lot.” He smirks, and I kiss that handsome smile, sighing as his tongue slips between my lips to find mine.

Once we’re in the bedroom, the world and all the bad in it ceases to exist. It’s just us, and we’re finally allowed to be together.

Easton moves like he’s memorizing me, like every second matters, and it always will.

His hands slip beneath my shirt, and he pushes it up slowly, giving me time to change my mind. Time I don’t need and never intend to take. I lift my arms to help him pull it free, and the look on his face when I’m fully naked, and he sees me bare, steals the air from my lungs. Not hunger. Not conquest. Just awe. Love.

“Gwen . . .” His voice breaks on my name.

He kisses me again, slower this time, deeper. One hand cups the back of my neck while the other traces down my spine, mapping every curve like he’s been dreaming about this for years. Probably because we both have.

His mouth closes over my breast, and heat pours through me, sharp and electric. My fingers tangle in his hair, holding him there. When the sensation is nearly too much, I return the favor and help him strip, my palms gliding softly over his warm skin, charting every scar amidst taut, corded muscle.

When we make it to the bed, we collapse onto it together, limbs tangled, mouths searching, and breaths uneven.

His forehead rests against mine. “Still okay?” he asks softly.

I nod. “More than okay.”

Our next kiss tastes like something permanent. Not forever in a human way, but an eternal one.

His mouth travels downward, patient and worshiping instead of self-seeking pleasure. By the time he settles between my thighs, I’m trembling, already undone.