I cried out, clenching around him as another peak ripped through me. He followed with a guttural sound, hips stuttering before he stilled, pulsing inside me.
Cam stayed inside me for a moment longer, both of us breathing hard, then carefully withdrew. I felt the loss of him immediately, but then his hands were on me, gentle and reassuring.
He reached up and untied the rope, his movements careful, deliberate, as he worked the knot at my wrists loose. The cotton fell away and he brought my hands down between us, his thumbs rubbing gently over the faint marks the rope had left.
Not painful. Just impressions in my skin that would fade in minutes. Evidence that this had happened. That I’d let it happen.
That I’d wanted it.
“You okay?” He pressed a kiss to one wrist, then the other.
“Yeah.” My voice was soft, a little dazed. “That was...”
I didn’t know how to finish that sentence. Amazing didn’t cover it. Life-changing felt too dramatic. But something hadshifted inside me during the past however-long-that-was, something I was still trying to wrap my head around.
“Intense?” Cam offered, and I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Intense,” I agreed, managing a small smile of my own. “I didn’t know I could... I mean, I’ve never...”
He shifted, moving to the side and taking me with him, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against him. The position was awkward on the recliner, but I didn’t care. I just burrowed into him, breathing in his scent.
“You were perfect, Em. So fucking perfect.”
Warmth bloomed at his words, but doubt crept in at the edges. Had I been? I’d never done anything like that before. What if I’d gotten it wrong somehow?
“Really?” I heard the wobble in my voice and hated it. The old doubt flared hot and fast. “It wasn’t... weird? I didn’t do it wrong?”
Cam pulled back enough to lock eyes with me. His gaze was dark, possessive, and entirely honest. “Wrong? Emily, that was the hottest experience of my life. Watching you let go like that, trusting me with that kind of control. Seeing how much you loved it.” He brushed the hair away from my face, the gesture so tender it made my throat tight. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
Oh.
The warmth spread, chasing away the doubt. He meant it. I could see it in his eyes, feel it in the way he was holding me.
My smile widened, and I felt some of my usual brightness breaking through the haze. “I think I have some idea.”
He laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest, and kissed my forehead. Then my nose. Then my mouth, soft and sweet, nothing urgent about it. Just us, connected in this moment.
I settled against him with a contented sigh, my head resting over his heart, one leg hooked over his. The afternoon air was cooling around us, raising goosebumps on my skin, but I couldn’t bring myself to suggest we move inside. Not yet.
His hand traced lazy patterns on my back and I relaxed into him, my breathing slowing to match his.
I’d just discovered something about myself. Something I hadn’t known was there. And instead of feeling scared or ashamed or weird about it, I just felt... safe. Satisfied. Seen.
“Cam?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
He pressed another kiss to the top of my head, his arms tightening around me. “Anytime, sweetheart. Anytime.”
EMILY
The late afternoon light was heavenly. Golden and soft, streaming through the sunroom windows and hitting the canvas at just the right angle. I’d been working on this landscape for the past three hours, and for once, I wasn’t completely hating what I was seeing.
The rolling hills were actually rolling. The trees looked like trees instead of green blobs. The sky had depth instead of looking flat and lifeless. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good. Really good.
I stepped back, tilting my head to study the composition. Maybe the foreground needed more contrast. Or maybe I should leave it alone before I overworked it and ruined the whole thing.
