I shifted my hips, searching for that spot inside him that would send him over the edge. I knew I’d found it when his whole body tensed, a broken moan tearing from his throat.
“There,” he panted, his cock twitching between us, untouched. “God, Eli, right there.”
I kept my thrusts targeted, watching his face contort with pleasure as I pushed him closer to the edge. My orgasm was building, tension coiling low in my spine, but I was determined to see him come first, to watch him fall apart under my hands, my cock.
“I love you,” I said, the words ripped from deep inside me, honest and raw and overdue by years. “Fuck, Luke, I love you so much.”
Hiseyes flew open, locking with mine, filled with such naked emotion that it nearly undid me. “I love you too,” he whispered, voice breaking. “I never stopped.”
That was what broke me. I drove into him harder, faster, chasing our shared pleasure, my hand moving between us to wrap around his cock. It only took a few strokes before he was coming, his body clenching around me, his release coating my fingers and his stomach as he cried out my name.
The sight of him coming undone, the feel of his body tightening around my cock, pushed me over the edge. I came with a shout, burying myself as deep inside him as I could go, marking him from the inside in the most primal way possible.
We stayed connected, breathing hard, my weight braced on trembling arms to avoid crushing him. Then I carefully withdrew, collapsing beside him on the rumpled sheets. He turned immediately into my arms, seeking my mouth with his, kissing me with a tenderness that made my chest ache.
We kissed lazily, coming down from the high of our shared pleasure, hands roaming over sweat-slick skin. It felt like a continuation of what we’d just done—not an ending but another form of connection, of love.
“I meant what I said,” I murmured against his lips. “I love you. Always have.”
He smiled, that full, bright smile that had always been like sunshine breaking through clouds. “Me too.” His smile faltered slightly. “But Eli... I’m still sad that Mioko left. I really like her.”
I didn’t need to ask who he meant. The space Mioko had left in our bed was almost a physical presence, a missing piece in what had briefly been perfect.
“I know,” I said, stroking his hair back. “We’ll think of something. But we can’t chase her, I don’t think. Not with her history. We need to give her space to figure things out.”
“So we just need her to do the chasing.”
I laughed. “I guess so.”
“You know, I don’t think you’re the only dominant partner in this throuple. Maybe if you let her tie you up, she’d learn to trust you.”
I smirked at him. “Not sure where to start with that. Is that a fantasy you have? Watching me get bound and fucked by a domme?”
“Just saying. She’d look hot in leather.”
Chapter 17
Mioko
I smoothed my skirtnervously as I peeked around the column at the bottom of Joe and Lori’s staircase. All week, I’d managed to avoid both Luke and Eli in a town so small you couldn’t run a simple errand without bumping into at least four people you knew. I’d rearranged my schedule at Tapped Amber, claiming I had work to do for Moss & Whimsy.
Anything to avoid thinking about what had happened between us in that apartment. The things we’d done. The way they’d made me feel like I belonged somewhere for the first time in my life—which was exactly why I couldn’t let myself get pulled in deeper.
But I couldn’t exactly skip the Merrick family Christmas dinner when I was staying in Lori’s guest bedroom. And I’d definitely tried to get out of it, but none of the Merricks were having it.
Lori spotted me from her position on the couch, her face breaking into a smile as I quickly pretended I hadn’t been hiding.
“I put together an emergency craft kit,” I said, lifting the oversized bag, which contained enough beads, wire, and random sparkly objects to occupy a kindergarten class for days. “To distract the kiddos while the adults enjoy their relaxing meal.”
“You’re a lifesaver,” Joe said, leading me to the twins who were sprawled on the floor in front of the TV.
“Aunt Mioko!” they chorused, abandoning their cartoon to tackle my legs. “You finally woke up!”
“She was awake, just working. She has a company to run,” Lori said.
I laughed, bending to hug them properly. Ethan and Emily weren’t actually my niece and nephew—weren’t actually related to me at all—but I’d been there for every major event in their lives, and I was honored to be given the title.
“Hey there, double trouble,” I said, ruffling their matching sandy-blond hair. “I hear we’ve got some serious crafting to do.”
