Carina’s quiet for a beat, then she turns toward me, one hand sliding up my chest.
“She’s going to grow up knowing what it feels like to be protected and loved without having to earn it,” she says softly.
My throat tightens.
“She’s going to know that because ofyou,” Carina continues, her thumb brushing just under my collarbone. “Becauseyou’llbe the safest place in the world for her, Reid. Just like you’re mine.”
“That’s not a one-sided thing,” I reply. “You’re my safe place, too. Have been for a while now.”
“For a while,” she repeats with a smile, her fingers tightening in my shirt.
I shake my head once, thumb sliding along her jaw. “For good.”
Her breath stutters. “Forever, huh?”
I cup the back of her neck, holding her there, needing her to understand.
“Forever’s not something I throw around lightly, Havoc. But if you’re in it, I’m not going anywhere.”
I lean my forehead against hers, breathing her in, letting it all spill through me. Harry, the house, the weight of my future, and everything I’m standing in now.
“God, I fucking love you.”
She sighs softly, leaning in to kiss me. “Ditto.”
The house is dim and warm and familiar when we head inside, and when we reach the bedroom, I don’t rush her.
I kiss her reverently, down her throat, over her collarbone, pressing my lips to the curve of her belly.
Then I undress her carefully, until she’s bare beneath me in the dark. I drop to my knees and taste her first, stroking my tongue through her until she’s shaking, her hips lifting off the bed and begging for more.
When she reaches for me, I pull her back to my chest and settle behind her, lifting her thigh wide over mine.
She’s soft and soaked and so fucking ready. I stroke my cock through her pussy twice, and then push in gently, groaning at the heat of her.
Her head tilts back into the curve of my shoulder as I bury myself in deep.
“God, baby,” I rumble against her throat. “You feel fucking unreal around me.”
She moans, and I feel it shudder through her neck, where my mouth is pressed. Her body clenches around me as I start to move, dragging out each stroke long enough to make her gasp.
One arm wraps around her middle, hand splayed wide over the swell of her bump. The other slides down, fingers finding her clit in the dark.
She jolts against me, breath stuttering. “Reid—”
“Stay right there,” I whisper, teeth grazing the curve of her neck. “I’ve got you.”
I circle her clit, coaxing her open while I fuck her deep. Every thrust is paced to make her feel everything, to remind her she’s mine.
She writhes, her hips rolling, her hand clutching my forearm tighter.
“That’s it,” I breathe. “You feel that? How wet you are for me?”
She moans again, desperate now. “Don’t stop.Please—fuck, don’t stop—”
“You don’t tell me to stop.” My hot breath fans against her skin. “You tell me when you wanna come.”
Her body tightens around me harder, my fingers swirling faster over her clit.
