I lean down until I feel her uneven breath against my lips. She looks at me with dilated eyes. “It doesn’t have to be hard if we don’t want it to be. It could be as easy as breathing. Like it used to be.”
I close the gap between us, but instead of kissing her like I’m dying to, I run my nose along the column of her neck. My lips graze against her earlobe.
“I know you still feel it, Ellie. I know I still make your heart pound and your breath hitch. I bet you have butterflies in your belly and shivers racing down your back. You feel the chemistry between us. The same electric pull that was there all those years ago. The same desire that swept through us anytime we were together. Even when we weren’t, all it took was one thought and it consumed us.” I trail a path of kisses up to her jaw and across her cheek. At the corner of her mouth, her lips parted as she pants, I pull back just far enough so I can see her gorgeous eyes. “I know you still feel it, because I still feel it too. It’s not going anywhere, no matter how much you fight it.”
I could always tell by her eyes when she was aroused. They turn from a smoky gray to liquid mercury. They look that way now; however, there’s a hint of wariness in their depths too.
Her hands latch on to my shirt at my sides, her nails digging into the flesh. Those shivers I just spoke of start in the base of my spine and work their way up to my neck. The fuck I wouldn’t give to have her hands on my bare skin.
“I’m scared, Judge,” she says quietly, her voice quivering.
I use both hands and slide my fingers through her hair until my palms cup the back of her head. My thumbs rub gently against the apples of her cheeks. I rest my forehead against hers, keeping my gaze locked on her conflictedeyes.
“There’s nothing I can say or do to change what happened in the past. And I’m so fucking sorry for what those bastards did to you because of it. If I could go back and take your place, I would without question. The only thing I can give you is my solemn vow that if you give us a chance, I’ll never hurt you again. I’ll never allow anything to hurt you again.”
Her eyes flick back and forth between mine, indecision written in her expression. She may deny me right now, but I’ll never give up trying until she gives in. Ellie wasn’t the only one emotionally hurt the night I broke things off. It damn near destroyed me. Now that she’s back in my life, there’s not a damn thing that’ll keep me from having her again. And keeping her forever this time.
Something flashes in her eyes, and a moment later, she gives me the tiniest nod. “Okay.”
That one word has my heart doing fucking jumping jacks in my chest.
Not giving her time to change her mind, I crush my lips against hers. It’s been almost twelve years since I’ve kissed her lips, and she tastes and feels just the same.
My fingers leave her hair, and I slide my arms around her waist. Bending my knees, I tighten my arms and lift her up several inches. Her arms wrap around my neck, and sweet fucking heaven, she kisses me back. Our tongues slide against each other’s and we devour, give, and take.
“Damn… I’ve fuckin’ missed you,” I groan.
Setting her on her feet, I palm her round ass and press my erection against her lower stomach, letting her feel what she’s doing to me. I growl into the kiss when she releases a low moan.
The kiss doesn’t last near as long as I’d like. She pulls back, blinking several times, the desire in her eyes making it difficult to think.
“I-I need to go check on Maisy,” she announces breathlessly. She dips her head down, her eyes trained on the buttons of my shirt her fingers are fiddling with, before tilting it back up. “I think we should take things slow.” My eyes narrow. “Because of Maisy.”
“You don’t think she’ll be happy that her parents are together?”
“I think she’ll be thrilled. But I don’t want to get her hopes up. Just in case….” She trails off, her eyes moving away from me again.
“Look at me, baby,” I demand, and she gives me back her eyes. “I’ll give you this. Not because I have even the slightest doubt we’ll make this work, but because Maisy’s going through enough changes in her life right now. She needs to get settled here before we tell her about us.” Leaning down, I lay a soft kiss against her lips. “But mark my words; she will know, because there’s not a chance in hell I’m letting you go now.”
She blows out a long breath and gives me a single nod.
“Now, go che
ck on our daughter and make sure she hasn’t turned into a prune. I’ll throw us something together for dinner. Is she still on a strict diet?”
“Not as strict. Just something low in sodium and protein for the time being.”
“Okay.”
She turns, but before she can walk away, I spin her back to face me. I take her lips one more time in a rushed kiss. When I pull back, her eyes look dazed and confused. The look is sexy as fuck.
I spin her back around, and after a moment, she walks away. I watch her delectable ass all the way up the stairs until she’s out of view. Releasing a sigh, I adjust my straining cock and go to the kitchen to prepare dinner for my family.
“COME ON, SLOW POKE!” Maisy, several yards ahead of us, hollers back at Ellie and me. “Why are you guys walking so slow?”
I’m not walking slow. Well, I am, but only because Ellie is. We’re on our way to Mae’s house. As agreeable as Ellie was yesterday about seeing Mae again and introducing her to Maisy, I almost had to drag her out of the house a few minutes ago. As it is, I watch in my peripheral vision as she tears her cuticles to shreds.
“Do you think she hates me?” she says after several silent moments.