"Not yet," I growl, slowing to deep, grinding thrusts, stirring her insides, stretching every inch of her. I hold the base of the condom carefully to keep it in place, then pull out again, shifting her onto her side for a new angle. "Lift your leg," I tell her, guiding her to hook one knee up high. I thrust back in with controlled strokes at first, letting her adjust, then pick up the pace, one hand sliding around to tease her clit again. "Feel that?" I rasp into her ear, hips moving faster, driving into her with relentless rhythm. "That's me taking you apart. You're mine, Lena. Say it."
"Yours!" she moans, her voice breaking with a mix of rage and raw need. "Fuck, Gabe. Deeper. Take it all." My thrusts grow harder, cock swelling thicker inside her fluttering heat.
I angle myself to hit that spot deep inside, the one that makes her breath hitch and her body tense. "Come now," I say, my thumb working her clit with fast, firm strokes, teeth grazing her neck again. "Squeeze me. Pull me over the edge with you."
Her body shatters beneath me, her inner muscles convulsing in tight waves around my shaft. Her mouth falls open in a silent cry, eyes wide with overwhelmed pleasure. The sight of her losing it rips through my control. "Fuck, Lena." I thrust unevenly, groaning low as my own release hits, pulsing hard into the condom, filling it as her body drags every last bit out of me.
We collapse together, my weight settling over her gently now, my cock still twitching inside as the aftershocks fade. I pull out with care, tie off the condom, and toss it aside before pulling her close against my chest. Her breaths come ragged, fresh tears streaking down her face, but she holds onto me with fierce intensity. "Still hate me?" I murmur, my voice rough and raw.
She turns in my arms, eyes stormy but softened at the edges. "More than ever."
10
LENA
The room is warm and quiet. My legs are shaky, my heartbeat's all over the place, and Gabe's sitting at the foot of the bed like he's afraid to move. He's got his elbows on his knees and his head down, breathing slowly, like he's trying not to break anything, including me.
I pull the sheet over my chest and sit up a little. I want to tell him to get dressed. I want to tell him to leave. I want five years of anger to finally land. But my mouth won't open. I just sit there watching the muscles in his back tense and release.
He speaks first.
"I'm not gonna push you," he says quietly. "I'm staying in town a few days. If you want space, take it. If you want to talk, I'll be around. If you want to pretend none of this happened, I'll follow your lead." He drags a hand down his face. "I don't want to make this harder."
The kindness almost hurts more than the sex did. I grip the sheet tighter.
"You don't have to treat this as all or nothing," I say.
He lifts his head like he didn't expect that. His eyes hit mine, and something inside my stomach flips.
"I don't want to make anything worse," he says.
"Worse would be you disappearing without looking at me." My voice comes out rough. "Just… it's okay. We can see where this goes."
He nods once, slowly and carefully.
I straighten against the headboard. "I want to ask you something."
"Ask."
I swallow. "Do you want to see him in the morning? For breakfast."
His whole body goes still. His eyes light up, so warm, I have to look away for a second. It hits me straight in the chest, sharp and sweet and awful.
"Yes," he says. "Yeah. I want that. I want that more than anything."
My throat aches. I shouldn't feel anything like this, not after five years of patching myself up alone, but it pours in anyway.
He clears his throat. "Can I take you both out? Somewhere he likes. Or anywhere you want. I don't care where."
I stare down at the sheet and twist the edge around my fingers. I picture Jace pointing at pancakes, kicking his legs under the table, leaning into Gabe like he did earlier. It's too much. It's everything I said I didn't want. It's everything that scares me.
"I need a second," I say.
"Take it."
I breathe slowly until my pulse stops pounding in my ears. Saying no would be easier. Safer. But it would carve a hole in my kid. And maybe in me too, if I'm honest.
I lift my head. "Yeah," I say. "You can take us out. Breakfast is fine."
