Because I do.
Because for a moment, I thought this would not happen again. That I wouldn’t get the chance to feel him like this again. To feel what it’s like when he’sholdingme, claiming me.
The rhythm builds. Steady, intense, aching.
We move together like we’ve done this forever.
Like our bodies already knew the steps before our hearts ever caught up.
My fingers slide into his hair, tugging him closer, and he groans into my mouth as we kiss slow and hungry, desperate and full.
I lose track of time. There are no words.
Just gasps.
The slick slide of skin.
The sound of his breath against my neck.
The way his body drives into mine with purpose and promise.
The pressure coils tighter, heat blooming low and deep, and I arch beneath him, the tension breaking like a wave.
I fall apart with his name on my lips.
He’s not far behind. His rhythm falters, hips stuttering, then he’s buried deep, his whole body trembling as he shudders into me with a growl that sounds like surrender.
He doesn’t move right away.
He stays inside me, forehead pressed to mine, both of us panting
His voice is raw when he whispers, “I love you.”
Everything inside me stills.
My breath catches in my throat.
I reach up, touch his face. My fingers trace the strong line of his jaw, the day’s rough stubble, the mouth that just wrecked me with kisses I’ll never forget.
“I love you too,” I say, and the words are soft but sure.
His lips find mine again, slower this time. Deeper. No urgency now. Just the gravity of everything we just gave each other.
Like he’s sealing it in.
Like it’s the only thing that matters.
Epilogue
Sierra
Oneyearlater
Some dates etch themselves into memory whether you want them to or not.
A year ago today, I was grieving. Confused. Terrified.
Carrying a flash drive that changed everything. Falling for a man I wasn’t supposed to trust.
