Chapter 45

His warmth, his scent, his nearness—everything came rushing back, crashing through my defenses. I wanted to resist. I tried. But as his lips traced familiar paths, something inside me melted. The ache of longing, the confusion, the love I thought I had buried—it all surged to the surface. And in that charged, breathless moment, I stopped fighting and gave in to the pull of everything we once had. "Lucian…" I whispered against his lips. "I thought I lost you," he breathed, his forehead pressed to mine. Tears welled in my eyes as I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. His kisses trailed down my breastbone, igniting a warmth within me that spread through my limbs. My hands moved over him, not just out of desire, but out of a deep, undeniable need to feel close to him again. Clothes were discarded in a frenzy, our hands tugging, pulling, craving the feel of skin against skin. Our mouths found each other again—his kisses rough, claiming, hard, and unrelenting. Every kiss stol