My nails dug into his skin. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t form a sentence. He slid out, then back in, my body stretching around the man that was Phoenix Steele. I shiftedmy hips and held on for the ride, each thrust reaching deeper depths of me.
He cupped my face and kissed me, harder, faster, deeper.
Just as I was on the brink of another orgasm, he pulled out.
I protested.
This was met with me being flipped onto my stomach.
Oh my God,was all I could think. I fisted the comforter as I was pulled by my waist to the edge of the bed, bent at the hips, my toes barely reaching the hardwood floor. His hands caressed my back, my ass, tracing my curves, until settling onto my hips.
“God, you’re beautiful. Every inch of you.”
His cock teased my opening, I bit my lip, then he pushed into me.
This time, I squealed.
In, out, he rode me, pinning me in place, reminding me I was his. I desperately grasped at the comforter, a feeble attempt to release the sensations coursing through me.
He slid one hand under my stomach, his finger rubbing my clit as he thrust in and out.
My entire body began to vibrate. It was no longer mine. I had no control of what this man was doing to me.
“Phoenix. Oh,Phoenix.”
His finger rubbed harder, faster against my clit.
“You’re mine, Rose. Mine,” he growled, panting. “Tell me.”
“I’m yours,” I whined, my vision beginning to waver. “I’m yours.”
With those final words his warmth filled me as I screamed his name one more time.
37
PHOENIX
The next morning was spent like the evening before—except twice. The first crack of thunder had woken us before five, shaking the windows and setting off a fresh round of rain-soaked chaos outside. But inside?
Inside, everything was quiet. Everything was perfect.
And for the first time in years—maybe ever—I didn’t mind being up before sunrise. I didn’t mind the storm. I didn’t mind anything. Because she was there. Warm. Naked. Soft beneath me, gripping my arms like I was the only thing keeping her tethered to the earth.
And maybe I was.
The sex?It wasn’t just sex.Not with her. It was something else entirely—something that didn’t belong in the same category as every other meaningless hookup I’d had in my life. It didn’t even come close.
This was soul-deep. This was... connection.
Rose didn’t just take my body; she took everything. My thoughts, my focus, my pulse, mydamn heart—whether she realized it or not. With her, it wasn’t about release. It wasabout surrender. She gave herself to me, and I gave her everything in return.
And somehow, just when I thought things couldn’t get better—they did. She had that way about her. Thateffect.Like she’d opened some secret door in me and I’d stepped right through without hesitation. She pulled me in and shut the world out.
And I hadn’t realized—until that very moment—just how badly I needed that.
Just how badly I neededher.
As she’d fallen asleep in my arms the night before, I’d made a silent vow. A promise to never let her down again. I held her like I didn’t want the night to end. Like if I let go, I might wake up and find myself back in that hospital room, broken and alone. Her soft breaths, her warmth against my chest—they grounded me. That night wasn’t just about pleasure, though holy hell, it was the best sex of my life. It was something else. Something I didn’t know I’d needed until it was already happening.
