The orgasm ripped through me, white-hot and endless, cum pulsing over my fist and onto my chest. I cried out his name—might have screamed it—and felt my hole clench around him in waves.
"Fuck—" He thrust twice more, hard and erratic, then buried himself to the hilt. "Kai!"
I felt him pulse inside me, felt the heat of his release, felt his whole body shake with the force of it. He collapsed against my chest, both of us gasping, sweat-slicked and trembling.
"Holy shit," he managed.
"Yeah." I laughed, breathless. "Yeah."
He pulled out carefully, rolled onto his side, and gathered me against him. We lay tangled together, heartbeats slowing, the night quiet around us.
"Best day of my life," he murmured against my hair.
"Even better than the day we met?"
"The day I almost died in a parking lot?"
"Exactly. It was romantic."
He laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest. "You're ridiculous."
"You claimed me anyway."
"I did." He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "And I'd do it again. Every day. For the rest of my life."
I snuggled closer, let his warmth surround me. "Axel?"
"Mm?"
"Thank you. For choosing me. For letting me choose you back."
"Thank you for stopping that night." His arms tightened. "For seeing something worth saving."
"I saw you." I tilted my head up, found his lips for a soft kiss. "That's all I ever saw."
Silence stretched between us, comfortable and complete. "So," he said eventually. "Reaper’s Violet"
"Reaper’s Violet."
"Has a nice ring to it."
"It does." I traced patterns on his chest. "Someday, maybe we'll make it legal."
"Someday soon."
"Is that a proposal?"
"It's a promise." He caught my hand, pressed a kiss to my palm. "When I propose, you'll know it. It'll be embarrassingly romantic. Probably involve a motorcycle and a wild ride."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
He pulled me closer, and I let myself drift—warm, safe, loved. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new adventures, new chapters in this strange life we were building. But tonight, wrapped in the arms of the man I loved, I had everything I needed.
The war was over. The family was whole. And for the first time in my life, the future didn't scare me. It excited me.
"I love you," I whispered.
"I love you too." Axel's voice was heavy with sleep. "My husband."
