Coming Home(162)

She reached down and grabbed the hem of his shirt, and he removed his mouth from hers just long enough to allow her to pull it up and over his head. And then her hands were everywhere, memorizing the contours of his body. His skin was warm and smooth, the hard muscles flexing and contracting as he moved, and her hands slid along the tops of his shoulders and down over his biceps. They bulged beneath her touch as he gripped the hem of her sweater and started tugging it upward.

As soon as it was off, he brought one hand to the back of her head and wrapped his other arm securely around her lower back, twisting his body and laying her down on the bed before positioning himself above her.

And then he ground his hips into hers, and Leah gasped as she dug her nails into his back. All at once their hands grew frantic, undoing buttons and zippers and clasps as they pulled clothes from each other’s bodies. The movement of Danny’s hips became more urgent with every inch of skin they exposed, fueling the fire growing between them and working Leah into a frenzy.

“I need you,” Leah murmured against his lips, and he pulled his mouth from hers with a grunt, holding his weight up in one arm as he reached for her nightstand.

She took his chin in her hand and turned his face toward her. “No,” she said through heavy breaths.

“No?” he asked, his brow furrowed.

She slid her hands behind his shoulders and pulled him back down so that his chest was flush with hers.

“Just you and me, remember?”

Danny looked down at her, a little crease between his brow.

“Nothing between us,” she whispered.

He stared at her for a second before understanding swept over his face, and she watched his throat bob as he swallowed hard.

“Just you and me,” she repeated softly.

There were several emotions flitting over his face, and Leah watched and absorbed and memorized every single one until finally he dropped his weight to his elbows, cradling her face in his hands as he positioned himself between her legs.

It took him a few moments to move, and when she felt him pushing into her, she forced her eyes to remain open, watching him as he joined their bodies inch by inch. As soon as he was fully inside her, a pleasant chill ran through her body, prickling her skin with goose bumps.

She was completely overwhelmed with the gravity of the moment: the feel of him inside her, the weight of his body on hers, the candlelight flickering on his face, his eyes looking down at her with adoration. And when her chin began to quiver, Leah let her eyes fall closed.

Danny lowered his head, bringing his lips to hers. “I know, baby. I know,” he said against her mouth before kissing her softly.

She ran her fingertips up and down his back, and the tears building behind her eyes transitioned into tears of elation as he began moving, setting a perfect, unhurried pace.

His breaths were heavy against Leah’s lips, and after a while, she could feel the muscles in his back trembling beneath her hands. She slid them around to the front of his shoulders as she shifted beneath him, pushing him onto his back and swinging her leg over his hips. His hands came to her waist, holding her as she lowered herself onto him, and he sat up immediately, burying his face in the side of her neck.

His grip on her waist tightened, and she remained perfectly still until she felt his hands begin to relax; they slipped down the sides of her hips and over the tops of her thighs before settling on her calves. Danny unfolded her legs and guided them around his hips so that she was sitting on his lap with her legs wrapped around his waist.

The shift in her weight caused their connection to deepen, and she sucked in a sharp breath, wrapping her arms around him. His face was still pressed against the side of her neck, and he began kissing it softly, causing her to rock her hips imperceptibly against him. Danny splayed one hand across the small of her back as the other came up to the nape of her neck, holding her against his body.