With a ragged cry, he spilled into her mouth. His release was hot and thick, his hips jerking as she swallowed around him, milking him for every last drop. Only when he was spent did she pull back, licking her lips, her eyes fixed on his as she rose to her feet.
He didn’t give her time to catch her breath.
In one swift motion, he had her pressed against the wall again. His mouth crashed down on hers, his tongue plunging between her lips as if he could taste himself on her.
She moaned into the kiss, her body already aching for him again, then he lifted her, her legs wrapping around his waist as he lined himself up. His manhood, still half-hard, thickened rapidly as he rubbed the head through her slick folds.
“I need ye,”he growled against her lips.“I need to be inside ye, Ava.Now.”
She didn’t answer with words. She rocked her hips, taking the tip of him inside, and the groan that tore from his throat was almost feral.
He surged forward, filling her with one deep stroke that made them both gasp. The burn was intense, but it was perfect; hewas perfect. She held onto him as he started to move, his thrusts hard and frantic, the stone wall behind her the only thing keeping her upright.
“Ye’re mine,”he snarled, his lips against her neck, his teeth grazing her pulse.“Say it.”
“I’m yers,”she gasped, her nails digging into his shoulders as her body coiled tight around him.“Only yers, Noah, always.”
His rhythm faltered, his manhood swelling inside her as her words sent him over the edge. With a ragged cry, he buried himself to the hilt, his release spilling deep as her own orgasm crashed over her, her walls clenching around him, milking him as wave after wave of pleasure wrung them both dry.
They collapsed against each other, their chests heaving, their skin slick with sweat. Noah pressed his forehead to hers, his breath warm against her lips as his cock softened inside her, his seed dripping down her thighs. For a long moment, there was only the sound of their ragged breathing, the flicker of the torchlight casting shadows over their tangled bodies.
And then he whispered her name.
“Ava.”
Like a prayer, like a vow, like the only word he would ever need.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“The hen ran after the old, slow goat,” Esther said.
“Aye. And this one?”
Esther squinted at the page. “Horses live in the barn.
“Perfect.” Ava made a small mark in the margin. “Right, let’s put them together. What does this say?”
Esther’s finger brushed under the letters. Her brow furrowed. Her lips moved subtly, sounding out each part before she committed to the whole.
“‘The... big... dog.’” She looked up. “The big dog.”
“That’s it.”
“That’s a borin’ sentence.”
“The dog might disagree.”
Esther considered this seriously. “What kind of dog?”
“Ye’re the one readin’ it. Ye decide.”
“A very large brown one,” Esther said. “With... floppy ears.”
“Excellent. Write that down.”
Esther’s face immediately fell. “I have to write it?”
“Ye just read several sentences. Now ye get to write some. That’s how it works.”
