Page 87 of Missing Pieces (Men of Manhattan 3)

"Hails?"

I felt the bed sag.

"I love the freckles on your nose." He kissed the bridge of my nose. "And the line you get in your forehead when you're overthinking everything." He kissed my forehead. "And the way you live your life with so much hope despite how easy it would be to hold on to all the darkness." He kissed my clavicle. "And I love that you let me in even though you were scared." He kissed between my breasts. "And I love when you tell me that I'm being an idiot."

I laughed as I shook my head.

"And I love your laugh. Your smile makes me smile." He placed a soft kiss against my lips and I opened my eyes as he pulled away.

"You don't have to sweet talk me, Tyler. You're already getting lucky."

He shook his head. "You deserve the world, Hailey. And I know you don't see that for some reason." He put his hand under my chin. "But I'm going to spend my life giving you everything I can."

I felt a tear run down my cheek. Because it had just hit me. We had a future. He could be my forever. I touched the side of his face. He was right. Tonight wasn't about fucking in some cheap motel. Tonight was about loving each other. I might not get to see him for months. Tonight was about making memories that we could hold on to. I wanted him to know that I understood. I wanted him to know how real my feelings were. "Then maybe you should start by making love to me."

"I thought you'd never ask." He kissed me again, slower this time. Our tongues swirled together as his hand slid down my back. I'd remember this kiss for my whole life. It was the kind of kiss that makes your head spin. Nothing in the world could beat that.

But when I heard the zipper of his jeans, I knew he was about to. He entered me slowly, inch by inch. "I was made for loving you," he whispered as I buried my hands in his hair.

Never in my life had I felt so full. I moaned as he slowly started moving in and out of me. "Tyler." My fingertips dug into the muscles of his back. Every inch of him was hard. I felt so safe in his arms. Something happened to me as we held each other. I think I realized that without him I'd break again. He was the glue that held me together. He was everything good that was left of me.

"Hailey," he said softly and kissed away the tears I hadn't realized I had shed. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"Promise that you'll remember that you're mine." He pinned the back of my hands to the mattress as he thrust a little faster.

Yes! "I promise." I'd love him for the rest of my life. I wrapped my legs around his waist.

He groaned in response.

The intensity was too much. Sex for me had always been quick and pretty anticlimactic, except with Tyler. Every time we had been together was somehow more amazing than the last. And this was a whole different level. I felt so close to him. I felt like we were one.

My fingers tightened around his as he made me come. "Tyler!" I'm pretty sure people down the hall could hear me scream his name.

I immediately felt his warmth spread inside of me. I was complete. Perfectly and utterly complete.

He collapsed beside me and pulled me against him.

I breathed in the smell of him as my hand rose and fell on his chest. The ocean breeze made the curtains flutter. I wanted moments like this for the rest of my life. I wanted him for the rest of my life. But in a few short hours I'd be saying goodbye. Just the thought made my chest feel tight.

Chapter 46

Tyler

Thursday

"Promise you won't forget all about me?" she said, breaking the spell of silence.

I pulled her closer against my side. "Whenever you think of me, I can assure you that I'll be thinking of you too."

She nestled her head into my chest. "I did some research about your training."

"Yeah? To see when I can come visit you?"

"And to see how dangerous it all is."

I tried not to hold my breath. I hadn't looked up anything about it on purpose. I didn't want to know. Before it was because I didn't care what happened to me. But now it was because I did.

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