BROKEN COURAGE (Broken Redemption Book 3)

Chapter 9

Emilia

Waking up wrapped in Lucas's warm embrace, I close my eyes and allow myself a quiet moment to soak it in. With a deep breath, I take in his clean soapy scent, separating it apart, layer by layer, to get down to the masculine essence that is him. The feel of his skin against mine—his rough to my soft—and the way it soothes my heart and makes me feel safe and loved. Focusing on the sound of his breathing and the steady rhythm of his beating heart under my fingers, I'm struck by a sense of impending doom. An intense wave of grief washes over me, stealing my breath and bringing tears to my eyes.

Breathing through the ache in my chest, I try my hardest to push all feelings away. Sadness, fear, guilt, anger... After today, something tells me there'll be plenty of time to wallow and dwell in the land of "what could have been."

Later.

I'll cry and scream and beat myself up over it later. What matters right now is that I take in every bit of this moment and record it to memory for all posterity, for if I lose him tomorrow, at least I will always have this. A small snippet of what forever would have looked like. A glimpse of a time where my life and love intersected as one. With eyes still closed, I again zero in on his beating heart, feeling for the tandem thumps that help soothe and heal the pieces of my broken heart.

As if he senses my distress, he begins to stir. Unwilling to lose the rightness of the moment, I brush my lips over his, luring him to take things further, which he does. With a desperate passion that matches my own, his lips take mine, caressing and gliding, deep and searing. Like he's desperate for more, his mouth trails down the side of my neck, leaving behind a moist trail where his tongue has tasted my skin. Goosebumps break out over my flesh, and as I sink deeper into the throes of need, writhing and trembling for more of what I may never get again, a lone tear slips from the corner of my eye.

I need to record this too.

The feel of his perfect lips against my skin. The wetness of his mouth, his warm breath as it cascades over my skin, spreading ripples of pleasure through my body. With eyes shut tight, I memorize every nuance of his touch and the way my body responds, vibrating higher and higher until I'm nothing more than a ball of pent-up sensations that demand to be set free. As he travels lower, I open my eyes and get lost in those sea-green eyes.

Sucking in a sharp breath, my heart breaks when he drops a tender kiss right over my womb where unbeknownst to him, my ex-husband's baby grows. The adoration in his eyes as he looks at me further shatters my resolve, and I break. Tears fall from my eyes completely unbidden as I fight to swallow back a sob. When his forehead wrinkles with concern, I force myself to smile. To distract him and encourage him to continue his exploration, I tangle my hands in his hair, pulling at the strands in the way I know he likes.

I need him to keep going.

If we stop now, he'll demand an explanation I'm unable to give and I'll lose my chance at what could be the last time we make love. I need this. For posterity's sake, I need this final moment.

When he reaches my mound, I close my eyes and submit to the sensations he invokes. As his hand moves to open my folds, I shiver in anticipation. My body burns for him and yearns for his touch, and then he's there. With his fingers inside me, his tongue sensually licks a circular pattern over the tip of my clit. It's just a hint of touch, barely there... yet so incredibly there. A wave of pleasure flares up my spine as I moan and writhe against him in search of more.

When his fingers begin to move inside and then out, I force myself to open my eyes. I must record this moment too. The way his lust-filled eyes stare back at mine as he works his mouth between my legs. The look is so erotic that I'm rapidly ascending, losing myself to the tsunami of pleasure building up inside of me. As my body trembles, his fingers push in deeper, rubbing and gliding over the magical spot that is quickly pushing me to the brink of madness.