“There’s no Jesus here, just me.”
I drag my hands up her back, ready to have her again. My pulse hammers as if she’s branded me from the inside out, every nerve ending tuned to her. “That’s a hell yes if you couldn’t tell.”
Our bodies tangle and slide over each other. I reach for her face first, finding it with my palm, then guide myself over her by touch. I hover above her, one hand finds hers, fingers threading tight together. The other slides down her thigh, as I nestle between her legs. She reaches for me between us, guiding my cock in. The moment I sink into her tight pussy, I nearly lose it. She’s warm and wet, pulsing around me, every clench pulling me deeper.
Being with her is different than anything I’ve ever known. And because it’s Ivy, every sense sharpens whenever we’re together. The world could change a thousand times over, and I’d still find her.
“Fuck,” I breathe out, telling myself to take it slow. “You feel—there are no words.”
“You’re shaking,” she whispers, stroking my face.
“I just—” The words stall in my throat. “You feel like home, Ivy.”
She releases out a trembling sigh. “Don’t say things like that unless you mean them.”
“I do mean it. Every damn word.”
To prove the point, I kiss her hungrily, moving inside her with long, deliberate thrusts. Each one is a promise, a confession I can’t yet put into words. Her hands roam my back, sliding up to curl over the nape of my neck, holding me close as if she never wants to let go.
“You’re everything,” I breathe against her mouth. “And mine.”
The unfiltered words tear out of me, and I don’t even care. This isn’t just us having sex for the first time—it’s a possession, surrender, and devotion all tangled into one. I’m carving my name into her soul the same way she’s burning herself into mine.
She gasps, clenching tighter around me. “Don’t stop.”
“Never,” I rasp.
Our bodies fall into rhythm, hips moving in tandem. I feel every inch of her against my skin, and every breathless sound she makes winds tighter around my heart. She has the power to ruin me completely, and I’d beg her to do it, because nothing has ever felt this right.
Her voice breaks on a gasp. “I’m close?—”
“Let go, baby. I’ll catch you,” I murmur.
When she comes, her body trembles around me. The feel of her pulsing drags me right over the edge with her. I thrust once, twice and bury myself deep as I spill into her with a brokengroan of her name. It’s the first time I’ve been bare inside anyone, and the thought of our releases spilling out of her has me burning with need all over again.
With a shaky breath, I pull out slowly, missing the addicting warmth of her instantly. Running my hand over the sticky mess we’ve made together, the sheer feel of it fills me with pride. My fingers glide through it, slick and hot, proof of how completely we’ve had each other.
“Feeling you like this, knowing a part of me is still inside you…it’s driving me wild,” I groan, my chest rumbling with the sound. “I’ll never forget this or how I feel when I’m with you. The way we are right now is forever burned into me.”
Her fingers stroke through my hair, anchoring me. I’ve had pleasure before, but nothing like this, nothing that made me feel claimed and cherished at the same time. It terrifies me, how much of myself I’ve handed her, and yet all I want is to give her more.
Then, quietly, she confesses, “I’ve never felt this way with anyone else either.”
The words steal what little breath I have left, confirming what I already know: there’s no going back. I’m completely hers.
36
IVY
JANUARY 4
Waking up with Teddy’s arm draped over my waist, I feel protected. His warmth seeps into me, and I close my eyes again. Not because I’m tired, but because I want to hold on to the moment a little longer. For a second, I pretend the morning light won’t slip into the afternoon and steal this feeling of contentment away.
My body hums with a delicious ache, every muscle carrying the memory of him and our time together. We found each other again and again throughout the night—in the shower, pressed to the kitchen counter, tangled in his bed. Every time we came together was different, sometimes fierce and hungry, sometimes slow enough to feel like worship. None of it was just about release. It was about leaving imprints on each other, memorizing touch and taste so they couldn’t be forgotten.
Instead of making leaving unbearable, last night gave me more hope for our shared future. It’s something I can carry with me, no matter how many cities or races stand between us. Lying in his arms now, I know this isn’t the end, only the beginning.
Teddy stirs next to me, his voice rough with sleep. “You’re still here.”
