"Okay?" The single word is strained, body trembling with barely restrained need. Sweat already beads on his forehead despite the shower, muscles coiled tight with the effort of holding still.
"Don't you dare stop." I wrap my legs around his waist, heels digging into his back, urging him deeper. "Harder."
He doesn't need to be told twice. His hips snap back and drive forward again, establishing a punishing rhythm that steals my breath. Each thrust hits deep, the angle perfect to stroke that spot inside me that makes stars burst behind my eyes. The bed frame creaks with the force of his movements, headboard thumping against the wall.
"Look at me." His hand grips my jaw, not gentle, forcing my eyes to his. "I want you watching when you come. Want you to know exactly who's making you feel this way."
Gray eyes burn into mine, fierce and possessive and focused entirely on my pleasure. The intensity of his gaze combined with the relentless rhythm of his body makes something in my chest crack open. This isn't just sex. This is claiming, marking, staking a claim that goes bone-deep.
One hand slides between us, fingers finding my clit and circling with perfect pressure. The dual sensations push me higher, coiling tension in my core until I'm trembling on the edge. Sweat slicks our skin where we're pressed together, the sound of flesh meeting flesh obscene in the quiet room.
His mouth finds my neck, lips and teeth marking a path down sensitive skin. The heat of his breath combined with the drag of his cock and the pressure on my clit shatters me completely.
I come with a scream, pleasure so intense it borders on pain. My inner walls clench rhythmically around his length, pulsing with each wave of orgasm that crashes through me. My back arches, head thrown back, nails digging crescents into his shoulders as sensation overwhelms everything else.
"That's it," he growls against my skin, hips never stopping, driving through my orgasm to prolong it. "So fucking perfect. Coming all over my cock like you were made for it."
The words, crude and possessive, send another aftershock rippling through me. He feels it, groans deep in his chest, and his rhythm falters.
"Fallon." My name is a prayer and a curse. "Fuck, I'm?—"
He drives deep one final time and holds there, body going rigid as he comes. Heat floods through me, his release hot and claiming, marking me from the inside out. His face buries against my neck, breath coming in harsh pants against my skin, and we cling to each other as aftershocks ripple through both our bodies.
Long moments pass before either of us can move. Our breathing gradually slows, heartbeats thundering in sync. Holden's weight presses me into the mattress, solid and grounding, and I wrap my arms around him to keep him there.
"Too heavy?" he murmurs eventually, making a token effort to shift.
"Stay." My legs tighten around him, keeping him exactly where he is. "I like feeling you."
He lifts his head to look at me, brushing sweat-damp hair from my face with devastating tenderness. The contrast between the gentle touch and what we just did makes my throat tighten with emotion.
"You okay?" His thumb traces my jaw, eyes searching mine for any sign of distress. "I wasn't too rough?"
"You were perfect." I pull him down for a kiss, slow and deep. "Exactly what I needed."
When we finally separate, it's reluctantly. Holden rolls to his side, pulling me with him so we're tangled together, still joined, unwilling to lose that connection. His fingers trace lazy patterns on my hip, down my thigh, mapping skin with reverent attention.
"Stay with me." His voice is rough against my ear. "Move in. Make this yours too."
"I'm already planning where to put my sediment samples."
He laughs, the sound rumbling through his chest. "That's a yes?"
"That's a hell yes." I trace the tattoo on his forearm, the coordinates that mark Wade's death. "I ran across the country to escape Bruce. But I'm done running. I want to stay. With you. Build something real."
"I know it's fast." He brushes hair from my face with devastating tenderness. "We barely know each other in some ways. But I'm certain about this. About us. About wanting you in my life permanently."
"I'm certain too." I kiss him softly. "I've never been more certain of anything."
We make love again, slower this time, tender and sweet. Learning each other's bodies, discovering what makes the other gasp and moan and plead. Holden takes his time, bringing me to orgasm twice more before finding his own release.
Sleep pulls at us eventually. Exhaustion from the day's trauma catching up, demanding rest. Holden pulls me close, arranging us so my head rests over his heart, his arms wrapped securely around me.
"Think you can handle living with a SEAL full-time?" he asks, voice already drowsy.
I trace lazy patterns on his chest, following the lines of muscle and scar tissue. "Think you can handle a grumpy marine biologist who works weird hours and brings home sediment samples?"
"Baby, I've been wanting this since those beach runs when I could only watch from a distance." He chuckles. "Sediment samples and all."
