His hips pistoned faster as she gasped for breath, her body convulsing around him. Heat spiked down his spine, pooling in his groin. He gritted his teeth to stave off his release as she came down from hers and recaptured her mouth, quickening his actions, taking her up, up, up, until she shattered again, moaning and writhing, bucking uncontrollably, drawing him deeper into her.
“So beautiful,” he said against her lips, and kissed her softer, thrusting slower, drawing out their lovemaking. Her hands moved along his back, and she gripped his ass, ratcheting up his arousal.
She arched beneath him, her knees opening wider. “Ohgod, Brant . . . I’m going to . . .”
He dipped his head beside hers, heat throbbing through his veins as he pumped faster. A stream of mewls and Ohgods escaped her lips, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He pushed his hands under her ass, angling her hips until she shuddered.
“That’s it, angel. Come with me this time.”
He took her in a penetrating kiss, and they spiraled into a world of breath-stealing ecstasy. Her inner muscles clenched tight, and just fucking perfect, tidal waves of pleasure crashed over him. They clung together, their bodies ravaged with rapture until they had nothing left to give, and they collapsed to the mattress, riddled with aftershocks. He kept her close, adrift in a sea of love so vast, he didn’t know where he ended and she began. He wanted this for the rest of his life, to love Cait, to be there when she needed him and even when she didn’t. He kissed her slowly and passionately, and when she went boneless in his arms, he brushed his lips over hers.
Her eyes fluttered open, and his love poured out. “I love you, Caity.”
She stilled beneath him, her eyes tearing.
“I know it’s hard for you to hear, and I don’t expect you to say it back. But when I was out there tonight, all I could think about was if I didn’t make it back, you’d never know how much I adore you. I couldn’t let another night pass without you knowing how I feel. I never felt like I was missing anything in my life, but from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I was wrong. Suddenly I became aware of an emptiness that needed filling.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks, and he wiped them away.
“I think about you all the time, angel. Your laugh lights me up, and your smile—your gorgeous, sometimes-bashful, sometimes-sassy smile—is the most glorious thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Our time together has been the best of my life, and I can only hope that I bring you half as much happiness as you bring me.”
“You do,” she said, wiping her tears.
“Good. Then we don’t have to say any more. I just wanted you to know that I love you with all that I am and all that I will ever be.” He kissed her smiling lips, trying not to worry too much about the shadows in her eyes. He’d known his confession might unsettle her or rouse ghosts of her past, but he hoped that hearing it might one day bring the power to slay those ghosts. “I have to slip into the bathroom. Will you still be here when I come back?”
She laughed softly and nodded.
He went to take care of the condom, hoping he hadn’t scared her off. When he returned, he climbed into bed beside her and gathered her in his arms. She still looked happy and a little troubled, but she didn’t run and she didn’t freak out. He kissed her forehead and whispered, “I’ve got you, babe.”
They had nothing but time, and as she dozed off, safe and trusting in his arms, he knew that one day—a week, a year, or ten years from now—the power of their love would be stronger than the ghosts of her past.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
SUNDAY AFTERNOON CAIT sat on a fancy settee between Deirdra and Leni, half listening to their conversation about the many bridal gowns Abby had already tried on and wondering if it was normal to get teary every time she saw Abby in a gown. She’d never been wedding gown shopping. In fact, she’d been to only two weddings in her entire life, Tank and Leah’s and Tank’s cousin Justin’s, when he and Chloe got married. Cait had cried throughout each ceremony because the four of them had endured so much in their lives, she’d been happy they’d found partners who understood all their darkest pieces. At the time, she hadn’t even thought about the possibility that she’d ever find that kind of happiness. But now, as she remembered the unfathomable love she’d seen in Brant’s eyes as he’d told her he loved her, her eyes filled with tears again.
She stared at her feet, blinking her eyes dry. Her Converse looked out of place between Deirdra’s wedge heels and Leni’s strappy sandals. With Deirdra’s fancy shorts and blouse and Leni’s slacks and silk tank top, the two of them looked like they were going to tea at a country club inn. Cait had wanted to wear a sundress, especially after how much Brant had loved seeing her in one. But after last night, her emotions were all over the place, and she’d opted for the comfort of familiarity instead. Now she realized it was just one more thing that set her apart from her sisters and friends.
God, I’m such a mess.
“I think the A-line dresses are more elegant,” Leni said. “What do you think, Cait?”
“I like them all. I don’t know how she’ll choose when everything looks pretty on her.” Cait didn’t know anything about fashion, much less wedding gowns, but Abby had tried on every style dress there was, from curve-hugging to billowing layers, and she looked gorgeous in every single one of them.
“They say brides know the right one when they see it,” Leni said.
“You know none of this will matter anyway, right? Abby could wear a paper bag and Aiden would still think she was the most beautiful woman who’s ever lived,” Deirdra said.
Cait and Leni agreed as Abby came out of the dressing room in another billowy gown with a sweetheart neckline, lace overlay, and a wide satin ribbon around her waist.
“Wow!” Leni and Cait said in unison.
Abby spun around, revealing a big silk bow in the back. Cait teared up again. Every. Damn. Time. She’d watched Abby fall in love with Aiden so fast and easily, and now she was getting married and starting a beautiful life with him, while Cait was in love with an amazing man who somehow loved her despite all her crap, and she was still so stuck in the shackles of her past that she was unable to tell him.
“I feel like a princess in this one. What do you think, Dee?” Abby stepped onto the platform in front of the full-length mirrors.
“I like it a lot, and it does look like a princess dress,” Deirdra said. “But I kind of hate that bow.”
“You hate it?” Abby turned around and looked over her shoulder in the mirror at the back of the dress. “Why?”
“It makes your butt look big,” Deirdra said.
“Dee!” Cait looked at her in shock.
“What?” Deirdra put her hand on the hip of her tan linen shorts. “She’s tried on, like, seventeen dresses. It’s time to weed some of them out.”
Abby continued looking at her butt in the mirror. “Cait? Leni? What do you think about the bow?”
Leni walked behind her and crossed her arms, studying Abby’s rear.
“I don’t think your butt looks big,” Cait said. “The dress is puffier than some of the others, but I like it.”