Page 94

With the perfect view from my bed to the bathroom mirror, her reflection danced before my eyes. Water cascaded down her body, washing away a day’s worth of sex. Each drop that trickled down her tits, I craved being able to catch them on my tongue.

I was stuck in a quicksand of sorts, wanting to watch her and appreciate the perfection that was her body from afar. But when her eyes caught on to mine through the mirror, the little smirk that formed on her lips drew me in.

Lifting her finger and hooking it in a come-hither motion was all it took. Without any clothes to take off, in ten seconds flat I was out of bed and stepping into the warm water to join her.

“You know what?” I reached my hands around her from behind, peppering kisses along her shoulder.

“Mm?” She hummed.

“You’re trouble.” My lips traveled along her neck.

“So I’ve heard.”

Spinning her body around so it now faced mine, our slick chests pressed together when I backed her into the dark tiled corner.

“You’re chaos in every way.” My nose traveled along the column of her neck. “You came into my perfectly comfortable, lonely, bachelor life, and tore through it in the best way possible. I don’t know how you did it, Andi, but you changed me for the better. You did what years of therapy never could.” Snaking my hands up and over each ample curve, I cupped her face in my hands, compelling her striking green eyes to look into mine.

“You taught me how to love again after a life filled with loss. You’ve helped me accept the fact that it’s okay to move on. That this is just how life works sometimes. Never in my life did I think I’d be standing here today, so lucky to have found two great loves in one lifetime.”

Pressing my lips to hers, I quickly tore them apart, depriving myself of getting lost in her spell.

“Thank you,” I added. “For opening your heart to me. For being patient through the obstacles that were thrown our way. And most of all, for forgiving me when I got it all wrong.” Resting my forehead against hers, I whispered just centimeters from her mouth, “I love you, Andi, so fucking much.”

I didn’t know what had me so emotional. Maybe it was that fear sitting deep inside me that would never fully go away. That I’d fallen madly in love for the second time in my life, and at any point, this same life of mine could choose to be just as cruel as it was good. The possibility would always be there for something tragic to happen, and maybe that’s why just for now, for a little while longer after getting my girl back, that I refused to take my eyes off of her.

There would always be room for improvement. Hurdles to get over. But with Andi in my life, I felt invincible, and for the first time in a damn long time, I was allowing myself to have what I’d deprived myself of for so long.

“I’m not going anywhere, Hunter.” Andi lowered her voice, matching mine, her ability to read my emotions with just a single look sent a shiver up my spine. “You’re the only person that’s been able to break down my walls and steal my caged-up heart. And I love you for that, always will.”

When she laced her fingers through my wet hair, I melted into her touch.

The only way to stop my choked-up emotions from spilling over was to attach my mouth to hers. To get lost in the way she kissed me through every emotion. In each kiss I could feel just how much she truly loved me. How much she missed me in the time we spent apart. How we’d both never forget what that time felt like—hell on Earth.

After having my heart completely shattered years ago, I never would have expected the girl with the fiery hair that perfectly matched her personality would be the one to pick up the pieces. Loving again was never on my bingo card, and now, my heart had been pieced back together bit by bit, handled with such care that she’d stolen it right from my chest without me even noticing.

Spending my entire life in this city—most of it broken—I never would have guessed that the same stars I’d been looking up to for hope all of these years would end up aligning for my second chance at love.

How lucky are we that we found each other when we needed each other the most?

How lucky am I?

My tongue swiped along her bottom lip, and when she slightly parted them for me, she was inviting me in to take her mouth with mine. Standing under the stream of hot water, we continued to lose one another in a kiss so intoxicating that nothing else mattered. It wasn’t until the water started to run cold that we realized we’d been lost in a time loop, exchanging intimate kisses that didn’t have a reason to grow into anything beyond just a kiss.

Wrapping my arms around her back, I turned the nozzle, shutting off the cold water. “Let’s dry off,” I suggested, as her body shook inside my arms at the sudden chill.

Even though the weather was turning in Vegas, and spring was in full effect, the bite from the air conditioning still had both of us eager to get back into bed.

Covering Andi in a large white towel, she held the fabric close to her body, drying off as quickly as she could. After tying a towel around my waist, I grabbed a smaller one, using it to squeeze the water from her dripping hair.

“It’s so sweet, the way you treat me.” She watched our reflection in the mirror as I dried her hair.

“And how’s that?”

“Like you’re afraid you’re going to lose me.”

“If there is anything I’ve learned, it’s that you should never take for granted spending time with the person you love most in this world.” Throwing the towel to the side, I scooped her into my body, carrying her off to bed. “So, you better get used to it.”

After setting her naked body in my bed—one I hoped we would one day call ours—and pulling the covers up to keep her warm, I walked over to the window that allowed the natural light from the moon to seep in. Looking up, I couldn’t help the small grin that formed along my lips. With the way it filled the sky, full and bright, shining behind the mountains, I knew it was Sarah looking down on me, giving me her nod of approval.