Page 105 of The Long Way Home
I loseher.
And the thought of walking through the rest of my life with that absence again feels unbearable.
My eyes trace every inch of her face, searching for the slightest hesitation, a flicker of doubt telling me I should stop. And when I can’t find any, they helplessly fall to her chest, and I hear a breathy whisper drift from her lips, “Will you touch me, Rhett?”
I look back into her eyes, and they swallow me whole. Every rational thought evaporates. I would do anything for this woman—anything—to have her, to keep her, to never let her go.
“Fuck it.”
My hands clamp around her waist, pulling her flush against me, and I feel the immediate tension of her answering force. She meets me halfway while grabbing fistfuls of my shirt, yanking me toward her. Her nails scrape up my stomach through the fabric before she grabs the cotton at my chest and pulls me tighter between her legs. Her hips lift, pressing against mine, a clear demand I feel all the way down my spine. I’ve waited so long for her to take me like this, to meet me without hesitation, and I nearly lose it all right there.
I lift her from the counter, and her legs curl instinctively around me. She clings to me almost desperately, and I can’t stop the surge of possessiveness I feel. Her breath ghosts along my neck, and it drags a fire straight through me. My hands tighten at her waist, pressing her harder against me, and I feel the way her hips shift instinctively, demanding me even as she clings. I walk her backward until her spine meets the wall, my body pinning hers there.
My mouth trails down her jaw, tasting every place I’d once only imagined. Her breath breaks, her chest rising fast beneath my hands. I brace one palm beside her head, the other holding her up.
“There hasn’t been a single day when I didn’t notice you. Not one, Sunny.”
She kisses me again, soft at first, hesitant, like she’s testing the truth of my words. But I feel it in the press of her lips, the shiver that runs through her. It’s already real. It’s always been real with her. Her mouth molds to mine, and every nerve in my body screams that we’ve been waiting for this our entire lives.
“Make me yours, Rhett,” she pants. “Please, I want to be yours.”
I slide my hand along her side, slow and possessive, toying with her. I let my thumb brush beneath the hem of her shirt, and she lets out a puff of air as she wiggles her body beneath mine. I can tell she’s becoming impatient.
She breaks the kiss just enough to pant against my mouth.
“Don’t tease me, Hayes,” she breathes. “Either touch me or let me do it myself.”
A laugh slips out of me. “Try it, Sunny,” I murmur, gripping her hips, pulling her tight to me. “See how far you get.”
I lift her, her legs tighten around my waist, and I carry her toward the bed. Her lips make their way to my neck, biting and tasting me with reckless intent, like she’s determined to leave her mark.
“Rach…” My voice is rough. I’m barely holding together. “You keep doing that, and I’m not going to be gentle.”
I feel her as she smiles against my skin. “Who said I want gentle?”
She nips my collarbone, sharp enough to make my breath stutter, and for half a second I wonder if I’m imagining her—this version of her.
I lay her down onto the mattress, savoring the way her body arches toward me the second she hits the sheets. Her breath catches exactly the way I hoped it would, eyes fluttering as her hands slide into my hair and yank me back to her mouth.
“Rhett—”
Having all of her attention, all of her want, focused entirely on me is intoxicating. I could drown in it and still crave more. But this isn’t just about me. This is about her finally letting herself beseen, finally taking what she wants. For once, she doesn’t have to bend to anyone else’s expectations, doesn’t have to wear themask that the world insists she wear. And I want her to taste that freedom.
“Tell me what you want,” I rasp, dragging my lips down her neck. My teeth graze her skin between kisses, and I watch as goosebumps skirt up her legs. A string of jumbled sounds flies from her mouth. I make my way down her body, but when she doesn’t respond to my demand, I pause. “I want you to use your words, Rachel. Tell me exactly what you want.”
Every inch of me hums. My body aches with desire, but my mind keeps circling her. Tonight, she takes what she wants. And I’ll make sure she gets it, exactly as she chooses. Her brown eyes lift to mine, pouring straight into me, raw and honest, daring me to follow her wherever she leads. The thought of the control she is finally claiming over herself makes me want her in ways that are almost feral.
“Everything.” She takes a breath, steadying herself. “I want every way you’ve imagined touching me.”
I bring my body back up to hers, and my lips find hers in a messy, consuming kiss.
“I can’t wait to take my time with you,” I murmur against her lips, brushing them once. “To learn every inch of you, every spot that makes you forget the world exists.” She shivers in my arms, pressing herself harder against me, and I keep my forehead against hers, letting the moment breathe.
“And I’ll watch,” I continue quietly. “Every way your body responds to me. I’m going to take my time, Sunny.” My thumb strokes slowly down her side. “And I promise, I won’t waste a single second.”
I claim her mouth again, my lips and tongue tracing her rhythms. The line between want and need, restraint and abandon, melts into something neither of us can name. It doesn’t matter who yields or who waits, who controls or who surrenders. All that matters is the heat of her body against mine,the tremor of her hands in my hair, the way she moves with intent and trust.
And when she finally falls over the edge, it is like she takes the rest of the world with her. Every quiet longing, every year of holding back, every stolen glance and unspoken thought, crystallizes in that single, shattering moment.
