Letters from Home (Love Beyond Reason #1)(23)

She nodded, turning her head to kiss him.

His hands found her breasts, felt their weight, and her nipples tightened against his palms.

The thrill of his touch sang through her. He roamed, leaving traces on her ribs, abdomen, and down, until he was at the very center of her.

He deepened their kiss, opening his mouth to her as his fingers played her.

The coil of need drew up against her breastbone. Sensations bombarded her.

“Come on, babe,” he whispered against her ear.

She did, with sparks flashing behind closed eyelids.

They loved again, taking each touch deeper, and every stroke more desperately than the last. He was everywhere, touching her, kneading her.

Lena let go of practicality, let go of reason. She wasn’t going to lose another day, another hour or minute. She gripped his sides, opened to him, and stared into eyes brimming with flames of love.

With one swift thrust, he filled her, and a tear fell down her cheek. She was truly home, finally. He wiped the tear and smiled, as if he knew what she was thinking.

Maybe he did. It wasn’t that long ago that he’d come home as well.

Lena woke out of a sound sleep, her heart pounding. She listened to the stillness and remembered—she was at Zack’s. Zack’s house. Zack’s bed, where she’d made love to him with complete abandon.

He was sprawled across the sheets, obviously used to a little more room than a second person allowed, and naked. Light came through a window and left a tracing glow down his back and over his beautiful behind. Her hands itched to touch him, run her fingers over the smooth slope and down his legs. She bit her lip, clenched her fists, and carefully shifted to the edge of the bed.

In the clarity of the moonlight, her conscience got to her. She should be home. She hadn’t meant to stay overnight. Her parents would be worried if she didn’t come home. Besides, she had a man to meet at seven. Her own Hallmark movie playing in real life.

A pencil sat on the nightstand. She wrote a note on the scrap of paper next to the alarm clock, quietly dressed in the dark, and grabbed her shoes.

Zack stirred, and she froze. But he merely rolled onto his side and dropped back into sleep. Her Zack. She wanted to crawl back under the covers. Instead, she gave in to the urge to touch and ran a hand through his hair. Lightly, she kissed his temple and whispered, “I love you.”

Her feet made almost no noise on the stairs, and the door clicked shut behind her.

The walk home was short and easy. She’d done it a million times as a kid. She even knew which cracks to avoid and where all the holes were.

The house was dark except for one square on the side, which glowed from the bathroom upstairs. Lena hurried up the porch steps and…well, snuck in. She hated to admit it, but that was the truth. She was finally going to sneak into her parents’ home and hope they didn’t notice. As a teenager, she’d never had time. Her studies had consumed her, and she’d never thought to step outside that box.

In the doorway to the living room, she stopped. The glow of the Christmas tree sent a thrill through her heart. Little white lights blinked away the seconds. So many memories in this room. So much love.

Zack had been here, too. They’d grown up together. Now, she hoped they would grow old together. But maybe, in the years ahead, they would still come back.

“Chica,” her sister Maria whispered as she came down the stairs. “What are you doing out so late? And on Christmas Eve? Do you know how often we get victims in the ER over the holidays? Accidents, crazy people overwhelmed by whatever crap landed in their lap over the past year.”

Lena felt the kick of change in her chest. She’d grown up a long time ago, but tonight…

“What happened?” Maria came to her, studied her with knowing eyes. “Are you okay?”

Even as she hesitated, she knew she couldn’t keep secrets from Maria. She never had before. “I was with Zack tonight.”

Maria’s eyes narrowed then widened. “Oh, my God—”

Lena shrugged. “I love him.”

Maria grabbed and lifted Lena’s hand. “No ring and you slept with him? Elena—”

“It’s Christmas, Maria, and in less than a week, I go back to Texas. We both know what it means to have to wait. To be separated again. Zack’s a good man.”

“Zack would never hurt you intentionally, but…” she trailed off.

“He would never hurt me, period.” Lena led her sister up the stairs, leaving the happy glow of Christmas behind them. “You’re being too serious.”

Maria hesitated.

Lena tugged on her arm. “Stop worrying so much. Soon I will have that ring on my finger, and Zack and I will be together—forever.”

“You sound young, in love, and completamente tonta. So stupid in love. But you are right about one thing. Zack is a good man.”

He loved her, after years of being friends. But this was better. And if he wasn’t the letter writer, well, then…too bad love letter guy.

Tomorrow she would go to the park.

And she’d see…





Chapter Eleven


“Dad, you don’t have to go with me.”

He snaked his arm through his old flannel-lined jean jacket. “I’ve kept my mouth shut through this whole thing. Now, I’ll have my say.” The rumble of his accent was as familiar as her own voice. He kept his tone down, and Lena knew it was so he didn’t wake the family. “Not even a grown woman should go meet a stranger in a park, alone.”