I rode him faster, grinding down hard on every stroke, chasing that feeling until?—
I broke.
The orgasm crashed through me, intense and consuming, my whole body clenching around him. I cried out—couldn’t help it—my nails digging into his chest, my hips jerking through the aftershocks.
Somewhere in the haze, I felt his hands finally move. Gripping my hips—not to take over, just to hold on—as he thrust up once, twice, three times and groaned my name like a prayer.
I collapsed onto his chest.
Both of us sweaty. Both of us breathing hard. His arms wrapped around me and held on, his heartbeat pounding against my ear.
We lay like that for a long time. The city lights made patterns on the ceiling. My body felt loose and liquid, my mind quiet for the first time in I didn’t know how long.
“You okay?” he asked finally. Voice soft.
“Yeah.” I lifted my head to look at him. “I’m better than okay.”
He smiled. A real one. Not the careful, polite smile he usually wore. This one reached his eyes.
“Good.” He kissed my forehead. “Because I’m not letting you go anytime soon.”
I settled back onto his chest and let myself believe him.
For the first time since Ahmad, I felt safe with a man. Like maybe I could learn to trust again. To open up again. To let someone in without waiting for them to destroy me.
Thad was different. I could feel it in how he touched me. How he looked at me. How he’d shown up out of nowhere and saved me without expecting a single thing in return.
He was one of the good ones.
I was sure of it.
20
PRIME
The smell of turkey sausage, cinnamon pancake batter, and cheesy eggs filled the room.
I was prepping breakfast for the family while Zainab slept in and Yusef had an early session with Sloane on the tablet.
If someone would’ve told me over a year ago that I would be cooking breakfast, taking care of a kid, and gotten a woman pregnant, I would’ve slammed them in the jaw for their blatant lie.
But here I was. Mr. Family Man.
It was a far better look than who I used to be—just a weapon of destruction. I felt like if I could do right by family then I could redeem myself. So here I was, making sure they ate well.
“That smells delicious,” Zainab spoke when she entered the room.
She was wearing a pink kimono robe that draped gloriously over her round belly. She looked so perfect. If I thought she was a Goddess before—I knew it now. There was nothing more precious and divine than a pregnant woman.
I played a small part, but she was doing the heavy lifting. I would never be able to repay her for the sacrifice she was making bringing my baby girl into the world.
“Come have a plate, but first drink your smoothie,” I commanded as I set the green drink in front of her. Spinach, cucumber, mango, pineapple, coconut oil, and sea moss made up the concoction. She hadn’t been getting her nutrients while she was locked away, and I wanted to make sure her and my baby were nourished.
“Thank you,” she said as she picked the glass up.
“Yu!” I called down to him. It was ten in the morning, so his session with Sloane should be over.
“Sloane said he’ll talk when he’s ready,” Zainab said as she glanced to the side in sadness.
