81

Eighty One
“Freya,” Rafe murmured as he approached me, his eyes roaming over me as if checking for himself that I was truly fine. “This is Dr. Larsen. She’s going to take a look at your injuries.”
I submitted meekly as the doctor examined the wound on my head, cleaned it with gentle fingers. She asked me questions – did I remember what happened, was I experiencing any dizziness or nausea? I answered as best I could, my gaze straying again and again to Rafe hovering nearby, his brow furrowed with concern.
Dr. Larsen applied a clean bandage, then pressed a bottle of pills into my hand. “For the pain,” she explained. “Take one every six hours as needed. And rest. No strenuous activity for at least a week.”
“Thank you,” I said, mustering a grateful smile.
After a few more instructions, the doctor gathered up her bag and departed, leaving a charged silence in her wake. Rafe and I stared at each other from opposite sides of the room, the air heavy with all the words we hadn’t said. All the feelings we had yet to voice aloud.
“Freya, I–” he began, but I launched myself at him before he could finish, my arms locking around his neck as I crashed my mouth against his.
He respond instantly, hungrily, his strong arms banding around my waist to crush me against the hard planes of his body. We kissed like we were drowning and the other was air, deep and desperate and tinged with the salt of my tears.
“I thought I lost you,” Rafe rasped when we finally broke apart, his forehead pressed to mine. Raw anguish roughened his voice. “When I couldn’t find you after the blast, I… God, Freya. I was going out of my mind. I’m so sorry. I should have protected you better. I should have–”
“Shh,” I interrupted, framing his face between my palms. “I’m here. I’m okay. It’s not your fault.”
“But it is,” he argued vehemently, his agonized gaze beseeching me to understand. “I’m supposed to keep you safe and I failed. I failed you. If anything had happened…”
His voice cracked and he squeezed his eyes shut as if pained. My heart twisted in my chest. Seeing him like this, so vulnerable and raw, made me ache to soothe his hurt. To absolve him of his imagined sins.
“Rafe, look at me.” I waited until his tortured grey eyes met mine to continue. “I love you. You saved my life. In more ways than you can possibly know. So no more apologies. No more blame. Just kiss me.”
He exhaled a shuddering breath, and with it, the last of his resistance seemed to crumble away. The words that he had kept locked within his chest for so long now escaped in a desperate whisper. “The truth is I love you, Freya,” he declared fiercely, his voice raw with emotion. “So damn much. You’re my everything.”
I gasped in shock, my heart racing as the full weight of his words hit me. Did he truly mean what he had just said? I looked up at his face, searching for any hint of doubt or hesitation. But all I saw was the fierce determination and love burning in his gaze.
“What did you just say?” I asked him, my voice trembling with disbelief and hope.
Without hesitation, he repeated his declaration, his voice strong and unwavering. “I love you, Freya. With all my heart and soul.”
Tears sprang to my eyes as I took in the enormity of his words. This was the moment I had been waiting for, the moment I had dreamed of for so long. And now, here it was, finally happening in front of me.
In that instant, I knew that everything was going to change. For better or for worse, our love was going to be tested, but I was more than ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. Because in each other’s arms, we had found our everything.
Then his mouth was on mine once more and the rest of the world fell away. In that moment, there was only us, our hearts beating in sync, our breaths mingling as one. Two souls finally come home.
His strong arms enveloped me as our kiss deepened, passion igniting between us like a blazing inferno. I clung to his broad shoulders, reveling in the solid strength of him, the comforting warmth of his body against mine.
Rafe broke away only long enough to rasp, “Tell me you want this. Want me.” His voice was low and gravelly with need, sending tingles skittering down my spine.
In answer, I took his hand and placed it over my thundering heart. “I’m yours,” I whispered. “In every way. Please, Rafe…”
A slow, sensual smile curved his lips. My stomach fluttered with anticipation as he held my face with exquisite gentleness, his eyes never leaving mine.
His lips crashed onto mine once more, an explosion of heat and desire that threatened to consume us both. I moaned into his mouth, my fingers tangling in his hair as I pulled him closer, desperate for more.
And he gave it to me, his hands roaming over my body with a hunger that matched my own. Everywhere he touched, fire blazed to life, leaving no part of me untouched.
“I need you,” he growled against my lips, his voice rough with desire. “I can’t go another minute without you.”
I nodded frantically, my heart pounding in anticipation. This was what I wanted, what I had been dreaming of for so long. To be with Rafe in this way, to give myself completely to him.
In one swift movement, he lifted me off the ground and carried me towards the bedroom. I wrapped my legs around his waist, clinging to him as he kicked the door closed behind us.
Without breaking our kiss, he lay me down gently on the bed and hovered over me. His eyes were dark with desire as he looked down at me, his hand trailing down my cheek before cupping my breast.
I arched into his touch, aching for more. His thumb grazed over my nipple through the thin fabric of my dress and I gasped at the sensation.
“Please,” I begged, unable to form any coherent thought other than needing him inside of me.
He didn’t need any further invitation as he quickly shed our clothes and joined me on the bed. My body hummed with excitement and anticipation as he settled between my legs.
With each touch of his hands on my skin and every kiss on my neck and chest, I felt myself melting under him like warm honey.
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this?” Rafe murmured against my ear as he trailed kisses down the curve of my neck. “To have you in my arms, to feel your body against mine…” His words sent shivers down my spine, igniting a fire within me that burned hotter with each passing second.
“I’ve been dreaming about this moment for so long,” I confessed, running my fingers through his hair as he continued to pepper kisses along my collarbone. “Hoping you will be with me because you love me and for nothing else.”
Rafe’s lips curved into a smile as he looked up at me, his eyes shining with affection and desire. “You have no idea how much you mean to me, Freya. How much I want you.”
I pulled him down for another searing kiss, our bodies pressed tightly together as our passion only grew more intense. Our hands roamed over each other’s skin, exploring every inch and reveling in the feel of one another.
As we moved together in perfect harmony, it was like we were two halves finally coming together to form a whole. And in that moment, nothing else existed but the two of us.
Lost in ecstasy, we reached new heights of pleasure until we both collapsed back onto the bed in a state of blissful exhaustion.
As Rafe wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to his chest, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with emotion. This was what love truly felt like – raw and passionate and all-consuming.
“I love you,” I whispered against his chest, tears stinging at the corners of my eyes.
Rafe’s hold on me tightened and he lifted my chin to look into my eyes. “I love you too, Freya,” he said earnestly. “More than my words can express. I can only hope my actions will show it to you.”
This is really happening, a dazed part of my brain marveled. After everything we’d been through, all the obstacles and misunderstandings, Rafe and I were in love with each other. Two halves becoming whole.
He lowered himself over me, propped on his elbows so his weight wouldn’t crush me. I could feel every glorious inch of him, hard and perfect, and it stole my breath. Reverently, he brushed a stray curl from my face.
“My brave, beautiful future Luna,” he murmured, his expression tender and worshipful. “Thank you for everything..”
I nodded happily, filled with contentment. As he kissed me once more, I sighed and welcomed the slumber that beckoned me.
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