My scream turns raw, voice breaking.
He sets a brutal pace with deep, punishing strokes that make the bedframe creak in protest. His hands grip the back of my thighs hard enough to bruise.
"Red!" I cry out, my walls spasming again, the rush of pleasure and pain hitting me hard.
"My sweet, perfect Bluebird. You give me this body, this trust, this heat. Fuck. I'm in awe of you. Come again for me, baby. Please. Let me feel how much you love being mine."
"I...d-do," I stutter, my eyelashes fluttering. My body locks down around him, milking him with rhythmic pulses as another climax tears through me.
"Fuuuck. That's it. You're so fucking beautiful when you come for me. Every shudder, every gasp. It's perfect, baby. I'm never letting you go."
"Don't!" I beg.
"Never," he adds, then slams his hips forward and buries himself so deep, I think he hit my throat. A guttural groan fills the air. Hot spurts coat my insides, triggering aftershocks that make me shudder and clench around him in rounds of spasms.
He stays seated inside me for a long time, both of us panting, sweat cooling on our skin. Finally, he reaches up, unbuckling the restraints one by one with careful fingers. When my limbs are free, he gathers me against his chest, rolling us so I'm draped over him, head tucked under his chin.
I'm still shaking with fine tremors that won't subside. He tightens his hold on me, kissing the top of my head.
My heartbeat thunders in my ears. Every muscle feels wrung out, boneless. But beneath the exhaustion is something softer and steadier. Maybe it's peace, or at least, the beginning of it.
He presses a kiss to my damp forehead. "You okay, Bluebird?"
I manage a weak nod against his throat. My wrecked voice comes out hoarse. "More than okay. I needed that. I needed you."
His arms tighten around me. "I did, too."
I lift my head enough to meet his eyes. They're soft now, the feral edge replaced by something tender and fierce at the same time. "No more chastity belt?"
He shakes his head. "No."
"Promise?"
He brushes sweat-soaked strands from my face. "Yes. I promise. And tomorrow, we work on figuring out your family. For real this time."
Relief and giddiness rush through me, warm and sweet, chasing away the last of the tremors. "Really?"
"Really."
I settle back against his chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart beneath my ear. For the first time, the future doesn't feel like something to survive. It feels like something we might actually build.
His fingers trace lazy patterns on my back while our breathing slowly syncs. The room smells of sex and us and the faint lavender from the candle I forgot to blow out earlier. Outside, the neighborhood has gone quiet with only the occasional car passing on the street below.
I'm sore in the best way. My thighs ache, my core's tender, and the faint bruises already bloom where his grip and lips were tightest. Tomorrow, I'll feel every movement, every step, and I'll smile because it means he was here, claiming me, choosing me.
"Red?" My voice is small in the afterglow.
"Hmm?"
"Don't leave tonight."
His lips brush my temple. "I'm not going anywhere, Bluebird. I'm right here."
"Good." I close my eyes and let the exhaustion pull me under. His heartbeat is the last thing I register before sleep takes me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Blue
