The intimacy of it—the raw vulnerability of coming inside her, of giving her this piece of myself—makes emotion tighten my chest until I can barely breathe.
Love.
I love this woman.
Love everything about her. The way she survived. The way she's learning to live. The soft sounds she makes. The storm in her eyes. The gentle strength in her touch.
Everything.
My thrusts slow as the pleasure gradually ebbs. Gentle rolls of my hips, working my release deeper while aftershocks ripple through both of us. Her pussy still flutters around my softening cock, milking every last drop.
I press kisses to her neck. Her jaw. The corner of her mouth. Gentling us both down from the intensity.
"Okay?" My voice is wrecked. Barely human.
"Perfect." The word is soft. Sated. "That was perfect."
I shift enough to see her face. Her eyes are half-lidded, expression slack with satisfaction. Storm-gray watching me with something that looks dangerously close to the emotion churning in my chest.
Beautiful.
I press a kiss to her forehead. Her nose. Each cheekbone. Worshipping her with touch since I can't quite find the words for what I'm feeling.
She hums contentedly, hands sliding up to cup my face. Her thumbs trace across my cheekbones, touch gentle and exploring.
"Thank you." The whisper is barely audible.
"For what?"
"For this." Her gaze holds mine, open and honest. "For making me feel cherished instead of used. For giving me control. For..." She trails off, swallowing hard. "For everything."
The gratitude in her voice makes my chest ache. Makes me want to hunt down every person who ever made her feel like anything less than the incredible woman she is.
"You deserve to be cherished." I brush my lips across hers. "Deserve to feel good. Deserve everything."
Her answering smile is tremulous but real. Trusting in a way that makes possessive satisfaction curl through my gut.
Mine.
I should probably pull out. Clean us both up. But I can't bring myself to move. Can't force myself to leave the wet heat of her body when everything feels so perfectlyrightlike this.
So I just shift us carefully onto our sides, keeping my softening cock inside her while I arrange the blankets around us. Tucking her against my chest where I can feel every breath, every heartbeat.
Where the bond should be roaring with satisfaction but remains frustratingly quiet.
I know it will come back. Whatever dampened it will fade, and I'll be able to feel her again.
But for now, this is enough.
She's here. Safe. Sated. In my arms where she belongs.
Everything else can wait.
22
SENNA
The bond hums contentedly in my chest—this steady, reassuring presence that's been growing stronger every day since whatever Darian forced down my throat finally wore off. It's like having Lorenth's heartbeat layered over my own, this constant reminder that I'm not alone anymore.
