Her fingers moved all over me, gripping me tighter than I realized she was capable of. The intensity of her touch made me push harder, deeper. She overwhelmed me and consumed me in ways she’d never understand, but that never stopped me from trying to show her.
A soft hand eased around to the back of my head and drew my lips closer. Her breath was mild and sweet as I savored every bit of her that I could get; greedily devouring it all as her body suddenly came to life beneath me. Heavy breaths morphed into cries of pleasure that drove me dangerously close to the edge. My senses heightened and honed in on the feel of her smooth inner-thighs rhythmically grazing my hips, the savory aroma of her sex in my nostrils, the taste of her kiss still on my tongue.
My very soul became hers the next second, leaving my body and filling hers as our bodies met with one final thrust. The loudest of her pleasure-ridden sobs had her shuddering beneath me and I met her lips with enthusiasm when she pulled me in, holding me to her with both hands at either side of my face.
This woman was everything all at once—my weakness and my strength, the one who’d taken my heart hostage and the one who’d set it free, the one who drove me crazy, the one who kept me sane.
Everything. All at once.
Chapter Two
AJ
“Yeah, come in,” I said without asking who just knocked.
My father stepped into my office and had a seat in the chair across from my desk without needing to be invited to do so. “Do you have a moment?”
I read the last line of fine print and set the document in my hands aside to listen. “Sure. What’s up?”
“I know you’re leaving early today, so make sure to stop by my office on your way out.”
I wasn’t sure why, but agreed anyway.
“I brought a few boxes in my car that belong to you, so I’m going to follow you out,” he clarified. “Your mother and I finally finished going through the last of the items we had the movers store in the attic, and a few of them were yours.”
Giving that some thought, I assumed they had to have been things I left with them when I moved out of my apartment after college, probably just some junk that could simply be thrown away. “Cool… I’ll let you know when I’m taking off,” I replied.
He rested his chin on his fist. “Everything is in order for Mura’s travels?”
I smiled at how my father insisted on referring to Kai formally, using his last name just like he did all our other colleagues.
“Yeah, Dad. Kai’s got this. Things always go smoothly when he goes in my place,” I assured him. My father hadn’t gotten to know Kai, or the rest of my team for that matter, as well as I had. For that reason, he didn’t yet have the same confidence in them that I had, but it was only a matter of time.
He gave a nod and made himself more comfortable, letting me know he’d be here a while. “So,” he began with a faint smile. “Twenty-seven tomorrow, right?”
I laughed a bit, knowing he hadn’t forgotten how old I’d be turning. “Yep.”
The look of amusement on his face stayed, but there was something else behind it. “I’m proud of you, son. When I placed you here three years ago, I knew you were the best man for the job. Despite being afraid, despite doubting yourself, I believe you knew I was making the right decision, too.”
His compliment settled into my thoughts.
“Arata was always meant to be yours, Anthony, and it will be someday.”