I stand and lift her into my arms. She wraps her legs around my waist without hesitation. I carry her inside, kicking the doorshut behind us. The cabin is warm and quiet. I walk straight to the bedroom and lay her down on the bed like she’s something precious.
I hover over her, bracing my weight on my forearms. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for,” I tell her. “You say stop and we stop. You say slower and I slow down. Understand?”
She nods, eyes wide but trusting. “I understand. I want this. I want you.”
I kiss her again, slower this time, letting her feel how much I want her. My hands slide under the hem of her shirt, mapping the soft skin of her stomach, careful of the fading bruises. She arches into my touch. I peel the shirt off and toss it aside. Her bra follows. I take my time looking at her, memorizing every curve, every freckle.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmur. “So damn beautiful.”
I kiss my way down her body. Neck. Collarbone. The swell of her breasts. I take one nipple into my mouth and suck gently until she gasps. My hand slips between her legs, cupping her through her pants. She’s already warm and damp. I rub slow circles until she’s rocking against my palm.
“Eli,” she breathes. “Please.”
I strip the rest of her clothes off and then my own. When I settle between her thighs I’m hard and aching but I keep my movements controlled. I notch the head of my cock at her entrance and hold still.
“Eyes on me,” I say. “Breathe when I push in. It’s going to be tight at first. I will go slow. You tell me if it hurts.”
She nods, hands gripping my shoulders. I press forward inch by inch. She’s so tight it takes everything in me not to thrust deep. I watch her face the whole time, looking for any sign of pain.
“That’s it,” I murmur. “Good girl. Taking me so well. Just a little more. You’re doing so fucking perfect.”
When I’m fully seated I stay still, letting her adjust. Sweat beads on my forehead from the effort of holding back. She feels incredible around me. Hot. Wet. Mine.
“Move,” she whispers after a moment. “Please move.”
I start slow, rocking into her with shallow thrusts. Each one draws a soft moan from her lips. I keep talking, low and filthy, because I know it helps her relax.
“Look at you taking every inch of Daddy’s cock. So tight and perfect. You were made for this. Made for me.”
She whimpers and lifts her hips to meet me. I pick up the pace gradually, still careful, still watching her face. My thumb finds her clit and circles it in time with my thrusts. Her breaths turn into gasps. Her nails dig into my back.
“Come for me, baby girl,” I growl. “I want to feel you squeeze me when you fall apart.”
She does, crying out my name as her walls flutter and clamp down around me. The sensation drags me right over the edge with her. I bury myself deep and come hard, groaning against her neck while I fill her.
We stay locked together afterward, breathing ragged, bodies slick with sweat. I kiss her slow and sweet, brushing damp hair off her forehead.
“You okay?” I ask.
She smiles up at me, eyes shining. “More than okay. That was… everything.”
I roll to the side and pull her into my arms. She curls against my chest, one leg thrown over mine. I hold her close and listen to her breathing even out.
The feeling from earlier is still there, stronger now. This is not just protectiveness anymore. It’s love. Deep and certain. I know I’m falling for her. Hard. Against every rule I ever set for myself.
And lying here with her warm and safe in my arms, I can’t find it in me to regret a single second.
The night stretches on quiet and still. The stars keep watch outside the window. Inside, I hold the woman who changed everything the moment she walked through my gate, and I let myself feel it all.
This is where she belongs.
And I’m never letting her go.
NINE
DAISY
The morning light filters soft and golden through the cabin curtains and wakes me slowly. I lie still for a long moment, simply breathing. My body feels heavy in the best way, limbs loose and warm beneath the quilt. For the first time in my life I’ve slept straight through the night without waking once in panic, without checking the shadows or listening for footsteps that aren’t there. No nightmares. No racing heart. Just deep, dreamless rest. I stretch carefully and test my ankle. It barely twinges. The bruises on my ribs have faded to faint shadows. I feel refreshed. Whole. Safe.
