I had her the way I wanted her, where I had always wanted her, perched on the curve of the banister beneath the canopy, the faint light slipping through the trees turning her into something more myth than woman. She was sitting, hands white-knuckled on the wood, as if gripping on for dear life. Her eyes were half-lidded, her lips parted, the daze of desire washing over her until I wasn’t sure if she was going to pull me closer or shove me away.
I dropped to my knees.
It wasn’t calculated… it was instinct, the only way I knew how to get close to her without tearing the entire damn world apart. My palms found the warm length of her thighs, sliding up with a reverence I knew she deserved. I rested my chin on her stomach and tilted my head back to look at her.
“Hailey,” I breathed, though i
