Page 73 of Loving You Always

Soon, there was no room for anyone else except the man facing her, smiling at her like they were all alone. As it often did, the world narrowed down to this one man who had breathed life into places she’d thought long dead. The one who had given “forever” meaning. Enduring love burned in the eyes he fixed on her. He ran his hand down the sleeve of the dress he hadn’t seen in so long and had never expected to see again. For a second pain flashed through the joy in his eyes, and Kerris knew he recognized Cam’s gift to them. That was their journey, though. Joy, spiked with pain. They had walked through fire to reach each other, and these final moments, though singed, were absolutely perfect because they had found a way to share the rest of their lives.

The minister invited them to say the vows they had written for each other. As Walsh said each word, they fell on her heart like a final balm, healing hurts she had once thought beyond repair.

“This I vow with all the love my heart can hold. I will never leave you. I’ll love you without condition. I’ll love you when times are hard, and I’ll relish all the good days ahead. I will love you until my final breath. Loving you is my greatest privilege. My heart fought to find you, and now that we have each other, I will never let go. I will love you always.”

And after all they had endured, after all he had sacrificed to love and have her, Kerris knew that he would.

Epilogue

About a Year Later…

Kerris was having that dream again. The one where Walsh traversed the lines of her body, skimming across the subtle curves with his hands. His wicked fingers kneaded her breasts, and he worshipped her dips and crevices with his mouth. His palms caressed the skin of her inner thighs, working their way toward the pulsing center of her body.

The slide of skin against skin teased her from the murky half consciousness of sleep. Walsh pressed her knees back, capturing her eyes with his and opening her like a flower to him. Such a sweet invasion, a push into her soul. Her body clung to him, begrudging him every withdrawal. Welcoming every thrust.

Walsh laced his fingers with hers and pushed their hands above their heads, dropping his head beside hers on the pillow, lavishing kisses down her cheeks, leaving breath-wrapped words in her ear.

“Baby, you’re everything.”

Kerris arched up, luring him deeper into her body until there wasn’t even room for light or sound between them. Joined at the center. Joined at the heart. A fusion of flesh and soul. It was too much, a chaos of irresistible sensation reducing her to the basest response. Gasps. Grunts. Tears watering their kisses. Walsh licked into the corners of her mouth. He dragged one hand over the slope of her shoulder and the curve of her waist and gripped her thigh.

“Oh, God, Walsh, it hurts to love like this. So sweet it hurts.”

Like a sugar-tipped shard of glass piercing her heart. Every time.

His words, his love, stole her breath and her thoughts until there was nothing but her body offering him everything. Nothing but shudders and screams and the cries he swallowed and the love they made. She captured her bottom lip between her teeth, eyes clenched, nails digging into his shoulders.

It was like swimming into a violent current, beautifully imperiled, but perfectly safe. They shared tremors. They shuddered and trembled against each other until they both lay still. Until they both lay sated.

“Good morning.” Walsh grinned, kissing her collarbone. “Merry Christmas.”

“Was that my first Christmas present?” Kerris asked, voice husky and hoarse with pleasure.

“First? Greedy woman, after that, you shouldn’t need anything else.”

She laughed the full-throated laugh she saved for these intimate times, saved for him.

“I know you too well, Walsh Bennett, to think early-morning sex is the only thing I’ll be getting from you for Christmas. I’d be fine with that, though. It was pretty incredible.”

“I aim to please. You’re right, though. There are other gifts. I am determined to spoil you even if we have to come to blows over it.”

“Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose?” She laughed, reaching up to dig her fingers into the dark hair curling at his neck.

“Not if coming to blows means I get to spank you.”

She rose, pulling herself up to straddle him. She clutched the sheet around her shoulders against the chilly morning air for a moment before letting it drop and grinning when his eyes crawled over her nakedness.

“Yes, please.”

“Baby, you know what it does to me when you say please.”

She did. Her second Christmas gift was very much like the first.

An hour later, Kerris tightened the belt on her kimono, grinning at her reflection in the mirror, her amber eyes glinting with anticipation.

“Walsh!” She raised her voice to be heard over the shower, jumping up onto the marbled countertop, pressing her back to the mirror and allowing her feet to dangle over the side.

“Huh?” He turned off the shower and stepped out to drape a fluffy towel around his hips. “What’s up, baby?”

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