As the tremors subsided, Caleb moved up her body, his expression one of awe and tenderness, as if he didn’t dare believe she was real.
But she was real. And she wanted him.
Hannah reached for him, pulling him to her, needing to feel him inside her. She guided him to her entrance, both of them gasping as he slowly thrust into her.
The feeling of completeness was overwhelming. Hannah wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him deeper, her hands stroking the strong planes of his back as he began to move. Each thrust was measured, deliberate; his eyes never left hers.
He lowered his head to her breast again, lips and teeth teasing her sensitive nipple as his hips maintained their steady rhythm. Hannah felt herself building toward another peak, her body responding to his as if they’d been lovers for years rather than minutes.
Their pace quickened, control giving way to need. Hannah matched him stroke for stroke, urging him deeper, harder. She dug her nails into his back, arching into him, whimpering with need.
His restraint broke. His thrusts became more urgent, more powerful. His breath came in harsh pants against her neck, his fingers digging into her hip with delicious pressure.
“Hannah,” he groaned, the sound of her name on his lips pushing her toward the edge again.
She felt him swell within her, felt the moment he reached his climax. He jerked hard into her, his body tensing as he spilled himself deep inside. The sensation triggered her own release, her inner walls pulsing around him as pleasure washed through her once more.
They collapsed together, limbs entwined as they clung to each other. For long moments, neither moved, content to simply hold each other in the quiet aftermath. Hannah felt boneless and sated in a way she’d never experienced before. More than physical satisfaction, it was a sense of rightness, of belonging to him. To his world.
In a way she couldn’t explain.
Eventually, Caleb shifted, rolling to his side and drawing her against his chest. His fingers traced lazy patterns along her spine as their breathing slowed and returned to normal. Hannah nestled against him, her head tucked beneath his chin, his heartbeat steady under her palm.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, pressing a kiss to her temple.
Hannah nodded, too overwhelmed for words. She was more than okay. She was... content. At peace. Found.
The moonlight bathed them in gentle silver, casting long shadows across the rumpled sheets. Outside, the night creatures sang their quiet songs, the mountain breeze whispering through pine needles. Hannah listened to it all with new ears, as if every sound were clearer, more vivid than before.
They lay together in comfortable silence, skin cooling in the night air. Hannah felt sleep tugging at the edges of her consciousness, her body heavy with satisfaction. But she foughtagainst it, wanting to remain present in this moment for as long as possible.
“What are you thinking?” Caleb asked, his voice a low rumble she could feel vibrating through his chest.
Hannah considered the question, searching for words that could possibly encompass everything she was feeling. “That I’ve never felt like this before,” she admitted finally, the truth easier to speak in darkness.
His arms tightened around her, a wordless acknowledgment. She felt his lips press against her hair, felt the deep breath he took, as if drawing her scent into his lungs.
“Neither have I,” he whispered, and something in his tone made her believe him completely.
“I bet you say that to all...”
“No,” he cut her off. “Only you, Hannah. You are the only one for me.”
“Caleb, you don’t have to say that,” she told him, wanting to believe him but not sure if her heart could survive being let down by this man.
Caleb brushed his thumb along her cheek, his expression suddenly serious. “It’s true, Hannah. And I can prove it.”
Chapter Twenty-Two – Caleb
Hannah didn’t know what he was. What they were. She’d chosen to sleep with him without knowing the magic threaded through his blood.
His bear nudged him, but insistent:Tell her now. Under the moon. Under the sky.
Caleb breathed out slowly. He couldn’t keep this from her, not when he wanted her to have the whole picture, the real choice. “Hannah,” he said softly, “there’s something I need to show you.”
Her expression shifted, wary, as if bracing for what would come next. Regret.
Regret that she hadn’t chosen to go upstairs to bed alone. Regret that she had chosen to make love to him instead.
