“Smartass,” she says, but there’s no heat in it.
“Beautiful,” I counter, my hands already caressing her perfect breasts, circling her nipples, enjoying watching them harden under my touch.
“Ryder,” she moans, throwing her head back.
I sit up, closing my lips around one nipple. I wish I could devour her whole. I move from one breast to the other, savoring her taste and the moans she makes, like music to my ears. I move my hips, rubbing my hardness against her, feeling her heat even through the sheet.
She responds, grinding down on me, seeking the frictionshe craves. The cabin seems to fade away, leaving only us, only this moment.
“Cora,” I whisper, “I need you, baby. I need you so much.”
“I’m here,” she says, rising above me and guiding me inside her. “I’m here. Take me.”
I groan as she envelops me, my eyes closing at the intense sensation. I’m home. In my place. And I don’t mean the cabin. She’s my home.
“Yes,” I groan again, falling back onto the mattress. “Ride me, take what you need from me. Fuck me.”
She moves above me, her pace quickening. I open my eyes to watch her, mesmerized by the sight of her lost in pleasure. Her hair falls around us like a golden curtain, her skin flushed and glistening in the low light.
I love watching her like this, uninhibited and free, taking her pleasure from me. I want to give her everything—the moon, the stars, the whole damn world.
She digs her nails into my chest, the slight pain only heightening my arousal. Our moans echo in the room, mixing with the creaking of the bed and the distant sounds of the forest outside.
The familiar tightness in my spine, the pressure building. Not much longer now.
I reach between us, my thumb finding her clit. “Fuck, Ryder. Yes. More. Give me more,” she cries out, her inner muscles clenching around me, milking me.
Her movements become frantic, her rhythm faltering. “I’m... I’m coming,” she says, her whole body tensing.
Her orgasm ripples through her body, her inner muscles squeezing me. Her back arches, her head thrown back in ecstasy as she cries out, her nails digging deeper into my chest, leaving red marks.
Her thighs quiver around me, and every emotion plays across her face—the raw vulnerability, the uninhibited joy, the pure, unfiltered need.
Her whole body trembles and her eyes meet mine, glazed with desire and something more profound—a connection that goes beyond the physical. In that instant, it’s as if time stands still, and nothing else exists but us, bound together in this shared moment of rapture.
I groan as I reach my peak, my entire body tensing as waves of intense pleasure crash over me. I thrust up into her one last time, feeling the heat and slickness of her, and let go, my release overwhelming me. My vision blurs, and a guttural sound escapes my lips as I spill into her, every sensation heightened to an almost unbearable degree.
She collapses onto my chest, both of us panting. I wrap my arms around her, holding her close as our heartbeats return to normal.
As Cora’s breathing evens out, signaling her descent into sleep, I press a soft kiss to her forehead. “Sweet dreams, my Little Trouble,” I whisper.
I caress Cora’s sleeping form, her warmth a comforting presence against my chest. The cabin is quiet, save for the gentle rhythm of her breathing and the distant chorus of crickets outside. In this moment of peace, the words I’ve been holding back threaten to spill out.
I love you.
The phrase dances on the tip of my tongue, begging to be spoken. I open my mouth, ready to whisper it into her hair, even if she’s asleep.
But before I can utter a sound, my phone vibrates on the nightstand. I reach for it, trying not to disturb Cora’s slumber. The screen illuminates, revealing a message from Zane.
Zane
Heads up. Opening on the team coming soon.
Eight simple words, yet they hit me like a punch to the gut. This is what I’ve been working toward, what I’ve dreamed of for years.
Zane’s elite team is the pinnacle of our profession. It’s everything I ever wanted.
So why does it seem like a death sentence?
