I watch her move, riding me with a desperate, relentless grace. Her skin flushed, her hair falling across her face… Every inch of her sets me on fire. Each roll of her hips sends jolts straight through me, and I’m barely holding myself together, caught between awe and need, fighting a losing battle against my own body.
“Lucy,” I grit out, my voice strained. “I’m not going to last if you keep?—”
She doesn’t slow down. If anything, she moves faster, her hands braced against my chest as she takes what she wants.
“Don’t youdare,” she breathes, voice trembling but fierce, commanding even as her own release edges closer. “Not yet.”
My jaw clenches so hard I’m surprised my teeth don’t crack. Every muscle in my body is wound tight, fighting against the inevitable. She’s too perfect, too beautiful, too everything, and the way she’s looking down at me with those hooded eyes…
Fuck. I need to do something now, or I’m going to spill inside her like I’ve got no control at all. She’s so tight aroundme, so goddamn wet, I can feel my orgasm clawing up my spine with every slide of her hips.
My abs tighten as I push myself up, one arm wrapping around her waist to anchor her as she continues that devastating rhythm. The shift in angle makes us both groan, and she starts to tremble.
My mouth finds her nipple, drawing the tight peak between my lips. The effect is immediate. She cries out, her movements becoming erratic as her body tightens around me. I suck harder, using my teeth gently, knowing exactly what she needs.
“Oh god, Aidan,” she gasps, her fingers tangling in my hair, holding me against her. “I’m going to?—”
Her words dissolve into a broken moan as she shatters around me, her whole body shuddering with the force of her release. The feel of her clenching around me is my final undoing. I bury my face against her chest with a rough moan as I finally let go. Every nerve ending ignites as waves of sensation roll through my body, starting deep in my core and radiating outward until I’m shaking with the force of it. I’m dimly aware of the guttural sounds tearing from my throat as I pulse inside her, giving her everything I have.
Each wave is more intense than the last until I’m completely spent. My arms tighten around her waist, holding her close as aftershocks ripple through us both. Her heartbeat races against my chest, matching the wild rhythm of my own.
“Lucy…baby…” I breathe against her skin when I can finally form words again. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
She laughs softly, the sound vibrating through both of us. “What a way to go, though.”
I pull back just enough to look at her, taking in her flushed cheeks and satisfied smile.
“Come here.” I guide her down to the pillowsbeside me. She curls into my side with a contented sigh, her head finding its perfect spot on my chest. My fingers trace lazy patterns on her shoulder as our breathing slowly returns to normal.
I glance down, brushing a kiss to the top of her head. “You okay?”
“Mmhmm,” she hums. “More than.”
My hand stills for a second, just long enough to rest over the gentle curve of her stomach. There’s life here. Love. A future I didn’t know how to want until she walked in and gave it to me without asking for anything back.
God help anyone who tries to come between us.
forty-eight
LUCY
We haven’t told Isla about the baby yet.
Not because we don’t want to, and not because we’re afraid. It’s just that there’s something we need to get through first. This part—the messy middle, meeting with Emily—where the past still echoes a little too loudly, where old wounds haven’t fully healed, and the future feels like a door we can’t step through until we’ve cleared the mess behind it.
Today is part of that.
We’re about to sit across from the woman who left the little girl I love like she’s my owntogether. I need her to see me. Not as a threat. Not as someone filling space until she decides to come back. But as someone who’s here for good. For Isla. For all of it.
We’re meeting at my café. The familiar scent of cinnamon and fresh coffee greets me the second Aidan and I step inside. This place has always been a comfort, and today, I’m leaning on it more than ever.
Emily’s already here, seated at the far end of the room. Shedoesn’t offer a smile. Doesn’t wave. Just watches us with a guarded stillness.
“Thanks for meeting us,” I say quietly as we take the seats across from her.
She shrugs. “Figured it was a matter of time.”
Aidan shifts beside me, his arm resting on the back of my chair. He clears his throat, glancing at me briefly. I give the slightest nod, letting him know I’m here, but I’ll follow his lead.
