“Chrissy, angel, I’m close,” he warned, his voice strained.
“Me too.”
I rode him faster now, but still controlled, grinding down in a way that hit every perfect spot inside me. His free hand slipped between us, his thumb finding my clit with devastating accuracy.One circle, two, and I shattered, crying out softly against his lips, and clenching around him.
He followed seconds later, his hips jerking once, twice, three times — carefully — as he spilled inside me with a broken groan of my name.
We stayed like that, foreheads pressed together, breathing ragged. I didn’t move off him yet, reluctant to break the connection. His arms wrapped loosely around my waist, holding me close without putting pressure on his stitched-up side.
“I love you,” he whispered against my temple.
I smiled, tears pricking unexpectedly at the backs of my eyes.
“I love you too. Now hold still while I check those bandages.”
He chuckled softly, the sound rumbling through both of us.
“Bossy.”
“You love it.”
“Yeah,” he murmured. “I really do.”
Chapter
Thirty-Nine
CHRISSY
December 23, Morning
Sunlight slippedthrough my thin curtains, turning the scattered rose petals into a soft, ethereal carpet across my apartment’s cheap linoleum floor. Ben’s arm lay loose over my waist, his breath steady against my neck. For a quiet moment, I just listened to him, alive and here with me, even after everything that had happened. It felt right. Last night had been a slow, careful reunion that stitched something broken back together between us. But, unfortunately, morning dragged reality in with it: we only had one day left before Vivian was due to arrive.
I shifted carefully, mindful of his bandages. His eyes opened instantly, that piercing blue finding mine.
“Morning,” he murmured, his voice sleep-rough.
“Morning.” I brushed a kiss to his forehead. “Is your wound okay?”
“It’s sore, but manageable.” A faint smile curved his scarred lips. He tugged me closer, his touch gentle and reverent. “You?”
“Better now that you’re with me and I know you, and Henry, and Lucia are all okay.” I traced his jaw. “But we can’t stay in bed. The clock’s ticking, love.”
He nodded, his expression stone serious.
“We should call Henry before we do anything else, but my phone’s probably dead out in the truck. If I give you his number, will you call him?”
I grabbed my phone, dialed the number he called out to me, and put it on speaker.
Henry answered fast, relief thick in his voice.
“Chrissy?”
“Both of us,” I said. “Ben’s here with me. How’d you know it was me?”
“Good. Lucia’s been pacing, wondering how things went when you two reunited,” Henry gave a low exhale. “And I knew it was you because I saved your number in my phone when you clicked accept on the site for the Game, just in case I should ever need it, for any reason.”
“Tell her we’re all good,” Ben said. “We need you at Ashgrove House today. Both of you.”
