“Yes.” She rolled her hips against him, feeling the hard length of him pressed between them. “Yes, Caius. I’m sure.”
His expression shifted—softened and sharpened all at once—and then he was kissing her again. Slow and deep, taking his time to build her need again.
His mouth traveled down her throat, pausing to suck on the pulse point that made her whimper. He lavished attention on her breasts. When his tongue circled her nipple, she dug her nails into his shoulders hard enough to leave marks.
“Caius—”
“I know.” He switched to the other breast, giving it the same thorough attention. “I’ve got you.”
Her hips rocked restlessly against him, seeking more. But he refused to be rushed, savoring every inch of her skin like he had all the time in the world and she wasn’t drowning in want.
By the time he settled his hips between her thighs, she was trembling.
He pressed his forehead to hers, their breaths mingling in the space between them. “Look at me.”
She opened her eyes—when had she closed them?—and met his stare.
“Stay with me,” he said quietly. “Right here. Right now.”
The words hit her harder than they should have. How many times had she disappeared into her own head during moments that should have mattered? How many times had she gone through the motions without really being present?
But this time was different.
This time, she wanted to feeleverything.
“I’m here,” she whispered.
When Opal kissed him, he let out a growl that vibrated straight to her core.
Reaching between them, she wrapped her fingers around his thick, steely cock and guided it to her pussy.
She rocked into him, trying to ease the ache. “Caius. Please!”
He met her gaze for three long heartbeats. “I’ve got you.”
He sank into her, and she tightened around him. And god help her, it felt like every broken piece inside her found its match. Two people who didn’t exist created something real between them.
He drove balls-deep in one smooth thrust. When he was seated in her deepest point, she cried out his name, and he captured the sound with his mouth, swallowing it and giving her a roughened, “Opal!” in return.
They moved together in a rhythm that felt both ancient and new. She built higher and higher until there was nothing left but sensation and connection and the knowledge that she wasn’t alone anymore.
Eyes closed, she memorized every scar within reach and wondered how many weren’t visible.
“Open your eyes,” he commanded, voice strained. “Let me see you.”
She forced her eyes open and nearly came undone at the intensity in his stare. He watched her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered, like he could see straight through to her soul and wasn’t running away from what he found there.
He glided out on a hiss before slamming home again. And again. She cried out as he hit another angle that shot her even higher.
“That’s it,” he growled against her mouth. “Let go. I’ve got you.”
It was the third time he spoke those words, and each time they sank deeper inside her body and her mind until she felt the truth of them.
Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as the tension coiled tighter in her belly. Every thrust drove her higher, every ragged breath he took against her skin pushed her closer to the edge.
Inner walls tightening, she rocked into his rhythm until she felt him go still. “Fuck,” he grated out. “Give me your mouth.”
She clasped his face and kissed him with all the passion pounding through her veins as he thrust once, twice. His cock swelled inside her, and she felt the first heated spurt of cum hit her inner walls.
