“Mmmm,” he sighed. I had wiggled out of my jeans at some point, so that now I was only in my panties. He was still in his jeans, which was quickly becoming a problem.
But I knew, without him telling me, that Mitch wanted to take his time. It was important that we didn’t rush this.
I kissed Mitch, our lips parting, tasting and taking. “I wish I could take it away. The hurt. The betrayal. I’m so, so sorry,” I murmured. I could never apologize enough. I only hoped one day the sting of what I had done would lessen.
Mitch pulled back and looked at me long and hard. He kissed me again. Once. Twice. Three times. He smoothed the hair back away from my face, his hands so tender where before they had been demanding.
“I’m sorry too, Gracie. You’re not the only one with regrets. I made mistakes. Lots of them. The biggest was pushing you away when I should have held on tight. No matter what you said to me, that didn’t give me the right to be an asshole. Because deep down I knew.”
“What did you know?” I asked, smiling. Grinning wide and high.
Another kiss. And another. Three times.
“That you love me.” His smile was dazzling. It took my breath away.
“Am I that transparent?” I giggled.
Mitch nuzzled my throat, his day old growth on his chin rubbing against eager skin. “I see all of you, G. Even the parts you try to hide.” He looked up into my eyes and I saw his heart.
And it was mine.
“But you can’t hide from me. Because I love you. God, I love you. You are everything. You are all that I want.”
I kissed the tip of Mitch’s nose and finally, after all this time, gave him the words he wanted so badly. The ones that had always been there. The ones that I should have said a year ago when he had first given me his.
“I love you too, Mitch Abrams. I love you so much.”
Mitch let out a strangled sob, his eyes suddenly wet, and he kissed me with a ferocity that I had never experienced from him before.
In a matter of moments he had discarded his jeans and his boxers. Then slowly, lovingly, he peeled my underwear from my body. When I was lying naked before him, he gazed at me as though memorizing every single inch.
Mitch lifted me up and I felt his cock press up against me. “Hang on, baby,” he said as I clung to him. Then he carried me through the apartment and into my bedroom where he laid me carefully onto the bed.
“I don’t think I can wait another minute, Mitch. Please,” I moaned as he settled between my legs.
“I can’t wait either. I’ve been dreaming of this for so damn long,” he let out in an agonized rush. Sheathing himself in a condom he stopped and stared down at me, a question in his eyes.
“What?” I asked him.
“Promise me you won’t walk away this time. Promise me that when we do this, it’s forever. I can’t survive losing you again, Gracie.”
I wrapped my legs around his waist and reached between our bodies to grasp him in my hand. With my eyes on his, I guided him to my entrance and lifted my hips so that he slid inside.
“I promise, Mitch. This is the only place I ever want to be.”
With a heartbreaking smile, Mitch pushed inside me and I stretched and strained to accommodate him. It felt perfect.
Like coming home.
“I love you, Mitch,” I moaned as he thrust into me over and over and over again.
“I love you, Gracie! So fucking much.”
This was his unconditional forever. It was a promise I could trust.
We were Mitch and Gracie.
Gracie and Mitch.
And this is exactly how we should be.
Together.
Always.
I felt Mitch against my back before I opened my eyes. I smiled into my pillow and held myself perfectly still. I didn’t want to move and ruin this perfect, perfect moment.
I could smell him.
I could feel him.
He was everywhere.
My mind flipped backwards to last night and I knew that we had a lot to talk about. But right then I only wanted to lie in bed with him wrapped around me.