But it doesn’t.
It feels like gravity.
Like falling and finding solid ground at the same time.
Emotion swells, thick and bright, and I break apart around him again, crying out his name as he follows me over the edge.
His body tenses. He groans, deep and wrecked, and I feel him spill inside me, everything tight and hot and perfect.
We collapse together, tangled and breathless, hearts racing in sync.
He shifts, pulling me with him, keeping me close like it’s instinct.
Then he presses a kiss to my temple and mutters against my skin, “And to think, you bought me at an auction.”
I smirk, lips brushing his chest. “Best four hundred bucks I ever spent.”
He huffs a laugh, low and warm. “Underpriced, if you ask me.”
“Oh, don’t get cocky now,” I tease. “There were flowers involved. And steak.”
“And orgasms,” he adds, deadpan.
I grin, wicked. “Might need a few more before I determine full value.”
He rolls me under him again, eyes dark with promise. “Challenge accepted.”
Chapter 7
Nova
It’sMonday.Theweekend passed in a blur of firelight, skin, laughter, and tangled sheets.
We made love like we were making up for lost time.
And maybe, in a way, I was.
I’m glad I never gave myself to my ex.
Back then, I told myself I was waiting until we got married. That it was about timing, tradition, whatever.
But deep down, I think I knew.
He wasn’t the one.
He never looked at me like I was something to be cherished.
He never touched me like I was fire he wanted to burn in.
He never made me feel wanted the way Maverick does—with every kiss, every breath, every quiet look that saysyou matter.
Earlier this morning, we took Nugget down to Silverpine River.
The trail was packed with snow, the water edged with ice, and the whole world looked quiet and untouched, like it didn’t know what kind of weekend I’d just had.
Nugget, of course, did not do quiet.
He launched himself into snowdrifts like he was diving for treasure, popped back up with powder on his nose, then sprinted frantic circles around our boots like he was trying to herd us.
