Ember. | #1 Axis Series

14. The Chance

- Troy Lancaster -

I stare down at her tired features and feel the urge to punch something. Or, preferably, get Axton to kick the s**t out of me for doing this to the woman I love more than life itself. The last thing I want is for her to be hurt by something I've done and to see it is like shooting yourself in the foot. It's not only emotionally painful to see, but a physical pain as well.

"What?" I ask her. I need to make sure those words weren't part of my imagination.

Her bottom lips trembles, but she carries on. "Do you love me, Troy? I...just came here to ask you and if you-"

She's cut off by my lips connecting to hers, her hands at my wrists where my hands clutch the sides of her neck. I pull away to catch my breath and lean my forehead against hers.

"I've loved you from the moment you ran out on me at that small diner where we first met. You were so breathtaking to me and I fell for you before I even knew you, but I couldn't help it. I don't want to help it, Em," I spill to her, feeling a wave of relief rush through me at the admission.

A fresh tear cascades down her cheek and I brush my thumb over it. "Troy."

"I love you, baby," I tell her again, my arms tight around her. "I know I f****d up when I walked out on you. You didn't deserve it and I'm sorry."

"I love you, too. I should have said those words before everything happened. Maybe, then, we wouldn't have been in this situation," she says, laying her head on my chest. "I understood that you wanted time apart, but I needed to talk to you before I went crazy."

Confusion follows her statement and I look down at her. "What do you mean 'time apart'?"

"I went to your house after Axton came to mine. I knocked and waited, but you never answered. I even tried calling your cell," she explains.

"s**t," I groan. "I didn't want time apart from you, Em. I wasn't in the greatest state when I arrived back home. I would have answered had I known it was you. You have to believe that."

She nods. "I do, Troy."

I smirk and bring her closer. "Good. Now, let's go get some lunch and take the rest of the day off. Almost two days away from my girl was enough."

* * *

- Ember Holbrook -

"Tell me you love me, baby," Troy groans, thrusting up into me at a steady and concentrated pace. I lock my legs tighter around him and release a soft moan, my nails scratching at the skin of his shoulders.

I bring my head back down to look at him. "I love you, Troy," I whisper.

His groans deepen and he buries his face in my chest, his hands cupping my behind roughly. He's filling me almost to the point of pain and I'm dizzy with the sensation, my body craving more and more. His thrusts are turning me inside out. My heart is a slave to his and my body sings with the remembrance of how he makes me feel.

He closes his mouth over my right n****e and suckles, sending an electric current from my n****e to my clit and making me tighten around him. Troy flips me onto my back suddenly, his thrusts hammering me into the couch beneath me. The action massages a spot hidden inside me and I shatter with a cry of his name.

When I float back down, my head is filled with euphoria and aftershocks. I caress the sweat-slick skin of Troy's muscled back as he kisses along my jaw and chin. His hands run along the skin of my hips and legs where they are still wrapped around him. After a moment, he raises his head to look in my eyes, his breath against my cheek.

"I don't know what I've done to deserve you, but I'm thankful every day for you and your love," he says to me. Tears spring to my eyes at his words and I clutch him tighter, appreciating the weight of his presence.

"Troy."

"Em, baby," he replies. "I want you to take that job at Berg & Abraham."