Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 327

Abby

I breathe a sigh of relief as Karl and I step into the foyer of the mansion, the familiar scent of home enveloping me.

My heels clatter loudly against the wooden floors and I kick them off eagerly, the tension almost immediately draining from my shoulders as I do so.

Karl gives me a knowing look before he suddenly disappears down the hallway without a word. I hover uncertainly by the front door. The adrenaline from earlier is still coursing through my body, but it’s lesser now, making my limbs feel like wet noodles.

A minute later, Karl reappears with two wine glasses dangling from one hand and a bottle of red wine clutched in the other.

“Care to take the edge off?” he asks, holding up the bottle with an inviting look in his eyes.

“Yes, please,” I say without hesitation.

Karl chuckles and leads the way to the living room. I sink gratefully onto the plush couch while Karl pops the cork on the wine bottle. He pours us each a generous glass before settling down beside me.

I take a long drink, savoring the rich flavor. The wine helps dull my frayed nerves from the long, tense night. After everything, I didn’t realize just how much I needed this.

We drink in companionable silence for several minutes, the only sound the crackling fire across the room… and the dinging of relentless notifications on my phone.

“Sorry,” I mutter, crossing the room to put my phone on Do Not Disturb. “I guess the news already caught wind of what happened.”

Karl laughs slightly. “I take it Chloe and Leah and everyone else are blowing up your phone?” he asks.

I nod and sink back down onto the couch. “I’m too tired to respond,” I say. “I’ll handle it in the morning, assuming they don’t send a police squadron to the house.”

“No shame in needing some privacy,” Karl says. He leans back beside me, sipping his wine. We stay like that for a little while longer, just enjoying the silence. It’s begun to snow outside again, casting the world into even more quiet.

Finally, however, Karl turns to look at me, his expression hesitant.

“I have to ask...why did you defend Gianna earlier?” he asks. “After everything she’s done to hurt you, I expected you to be angry, to jump at the chance to see Ethan dump her and send her packing. So why give her another chance?”

I consider the question as I swirl my wine around in my glass. Finally, taking a deep breath, I answer, “I know what it feels like, to always feel as if life has given you the short end of the stick.”

I pause, chewing my lip. “It’s not healthy to carry hatred and resentment around with you, either. I’ve learned that the hard way.”

Karl is silent, his eyebrows knitted together as he listens intently. I don’t think I need to elaborate; he knows what I’m getting at. For the past three years, I’ve resented him for what happened between us. And for the past three years, he’s also resented me over a misunderstanding.

And at the end of the day, it wasn’t good for either of us.

“I don’t want to live with that kind of hate anymore,” I continue, taking a sip of my wine. “Even if Gianna despises me forever, I won’t sink to her level of cruelty.”

Feeling a sense of confidence surge through me thanks to the wine, I reach out and lay a hand on top of Karl’s where it rests on his knee. “And if Ethan really does love her, if they really are fated mates like he said… then I think he should follow his heart. I certainly am.”

Karl’s eyebrows lift in surprise. “What do you mean?”

I feel suddenly and inexplicably shy under his intent brown-eyed stare. Instead of answering, I drain the last of my wine for courage before leaning over to set the glass on the coffee table.

Then I turn back to him and press my lips firmly against his.

Karl stiffens in surprise before responding in kind. His hands come up to frame my face tenderly as he kisses me deeply, our lips parting against one another.

I slide my own hands up his broad chest to loop behind his neck, my nails scratching through the short hairs at his nape. He growls low in his throat, and the sound vibrates through me.

Our lips stay locked until we finally have to pull apart for air, both breathing hard. Karl rests his forehead against mine as we gasp. His eyes are blazing with desire, the soft brown nearly eclipsed by his dilated pupils.

I know mine must look the same.

“Abby…” he murmurs, his hands trailing down to grip my waist. “Are you sure about this?”

I nod. I stand then, holding out my hand for him. “I’m sure.”

After a moment Karl takes my hand, rising to tower over me. Without hesitation I step closer, pressing myself against him. His arms wrap around me automatically. We stand locked together for a long moment, his heart thundering under my palms.

Then Karl dips his head to kiss me again, more intensely this time. I cling to his broad shoulders, losing myself in his kiss.

When we finally separate, he keeps one arm secured around my back. In one smooth motion he bends down to sweep my legs out from under me, straightening with me cradled effortlessly against his chest.

I cling tighter to him, my heart racing with anticipation as I run my lips and my tongue across the soft skin of his neck, reveling in the sound of his heavy breathing.

Karl strides swiftly from the room, rounding the corner and carrying me up the large spiral staircase. I tuck my face into his neck as he carries me, breathing him in. His skin is warm and soft under my lips and I leave a trail of kisses along his neck, then lift my chin so I can nip along his stubbled jaw.

A rumbling growl escapes his mouth and he quickens his pace. I can feel his hands slip along my waist as he carries me, sliding up my dress and over the soft skin of my thighs. He only pauses for a brief moment when he finds the edge of my lacy thigh-high stockings, a surprised look flashing through his eyes.

“You—”

“Yes,” I growl, smirking at him. “I did.”

Karl wastes no more time. Another growl rumbles in his throat, and he picks up his pace again.

Within moments we’ve stopped in front of the door to my temporary bedroom—the place where we used to sleep together every night, back when we were married.

Karl nudges the door open with his foot before crossing the room in long strides. He lays me down gently on the bed, his form tall and towering over me in the darkness. I prop myself up on my elbows and we pause for a few moments, glaring hungrily at each other in the light of the full moon shining in through the windows.

And then, quickly and fervently so as not to give ourselves a chance to change our minds, we get to work undressing one another.