Lost Me, Gained Regret (Jane and Bryant Ferguson) novel Chapter 453

Two years had passed since I last saw Gregory smoke. Not once had I smelled the faintest hint of tobacco on him. It must have been a particularly tough time for him.

Gregory kissed me with a tenderness and passion that felt like the first bloom of love, pouring all his fervor into me. My knees weakened, and only by his hands steadying me at my waist did I manage to stay upright.

Sensing my instability, he wrapped his arms around me and, while continuing to kiss me, walked backward until we sat down on the couch. His hands, with their distinctively defined wrists, grasped my calves and gently parted them, inviting me to straddle him. Then, he held me closer, kissing me with a wild abandon that left me breathless.

"Gregory..." I gasped for air.

"Hmm? Are you okay?" he asked, pausing to let me catch my breath, only to dive back in a moment later. His hand slid up under my dress, his calloused palm creating a tantalizing friction against my skin, eventually coming to rest on my chest. His touch was so gentle yet so intense that I found myself unable to speak a complete sentence.

Yet, all his kisses were through the fabric of my clothes.

Without stopping, Gregory kissed me again, his eyes burning with restrained desire. "Jane, Jane..." His voice was hoarse with longing. "You have the worst timing with your period."

My cheeks burned even hotter. "It's not like I can control it. It happens every month at this time."

"It's okay," he said, his voice deep and soothing. "I can wait. Jane, if there's one thing I've excelled at over the past twenty years, it's waiting."

I ran my fingers through his hair and gently kissed his forehead, using a nickname I had always avoided. "Thank you, Mr. Ford."

He froze, surprise and pleasure evident in his gaze. "What did you just call me?"

"Gregory, didn't you hear?"

"No, it's not that," he said, playfully pinching my waist. "The last part. Say it again."

"I thought you hated being called that?" I teased, trying to hold back laughter. I remembered when Dorothy used to call him by that nickname, and he always despised it.