Page 93 of The Way Back Home
His eyes widened, and then a big grin spread across his face. “Good. Because I love you too.”
Noah made good on his promise. He let Teagan set the pace, plying her with soft kisses and gentle touches, murmuring her name with reverence. He looked deep into her eyes, letting her see everything in his heart. True to his word, he let her decide when to move forward when his special brand of torturous pleasure became too much to handle.
He needn’t have worried. She knew exactly who was making love to her. No one else had ever touched her with such tenderness. No one had ever looked at her with such utter delight when another part of her was revealed.
He kissed. He touched. He licked and stroked every part of her body until she was shaking with need.
She had never felt so wanted. Soloved.
And when she finally grasped him and guided him into her wet heat, it felt exactly like coming home.
Hours later, sweaty and sated, they lay tangled beneath the covers. Teagan was draped across his chest, his hand stroking her back.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
“I think I’m the most okay I’ve ever been,” she said honestly.
He chuckled at that.
She crossed her arms over his chest and propped her chin on them. “It felt so right.”
“Because it was.”
“You felt it too?”
“Definitely,” he assured her.
“When did you know?”
Noah slid his hands behind his head and met her gaze. “Honestly? The first night I held you in my arms and carried you back to my place at Hopewell. I had this overwhelming need to take care of you.”
“You’re a doctor. Taking care of people is what you do.”
“Not like that.” Noah’s smile was wry. “It went beyond medical care. But I refused to acknowledge it.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew, even back then, that the timing sucked. Neither one of us was in a good place to start anything. Too many unresolved issues. Not that myheart gave a shit about that, but he’s a sneaky fucker and pledged himself to you anyway.”
Her own heart clenched. The only thing better than loving another person was hearing they loved you back. “You’re right. Dark places and all that. Things are better for you now?”
His smile was masculine and smug. “You’re naked and sated in my bed. Things don’t get any better than that.”
She laughed. “You know what I mean.”
His hands returned to her back, as if he couldn’t stop touching her. She didn’t mind one bit.
“Yeah, I do. And, yeah, they are. I’ve been seeing a therapist at Sanctuary, spending time over there and at Happy Trails. They’re helping me figure things out. And being here with you? It feels like I’m finally where I’m supposed to be.”
She sighed in contentment, pressing her lips to his stubbled jaw. “I feel it too.”
“What about you? Did you find the answers you were looking for?”
“Some of them. Ireland was beautiful. I had space to breathe and time to heal. But it was empty without you. I realized running isn’t living. Home isn’t a place, Noah. It’s you.”
His hand stilled on her back. He met her gaze, eyes steady. “Then stay.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” she whispered.
