“Oh God, Braxton—”
“That’s it,” he growled. “Say my name again.”
She did.
Over and over.
By then her entire body was tightening around him uncontrollably. Pleasure coiled low in her stomach, growing hotter every second he drove into her. She could feel herself getting dangerously close.
She could tell by the way he was breathing, Blaze felt it too.
His jaw tightened as her inner muscles started fluttering around him.
“Fuck… you’re squeezing the shit outta my dick.”
Johanna cried out when his thumb slid between their bodies and pressed firmly against her clit. The added sensation shattered whatever control she had left.
Pleasure exploded through her body.
Her orgasm hit hard enough to steal her breath, spasms rippling through her core while she moaned his name helplesslyand clawed at his back.
“That’s it, sweetheart,” Blaze hissed through clenched teeth. “Come all over me…”
The way her body clenched around him pushed him over. Blaze growled, thrusting hard once, twice more before burying himself inside her as release tore through him. His entire body tensed above hers, muscles flexing beneath her hands while ragged breaths broke from his throat.
He collapsed carefully over her body, still buried inside her, breathing heavily against her shoulder while Johanna wrapped her arms around him and trembled beneath the aftershocks still pulsing through her body.
Then the last of her strength drained from her all at once and she fell asleep.
* * *
Blaze’s breathing slowed the moment he felt Johanna relax completely against him.
The desire between them hadn't disappeared. If anything, it had become almost overwhelming. Every nerve ending in his body remained painfully aware of her, the softness of her beside him, the warmth of her skin, and the way her fingers continued to caress him as though touching him had become second nature all over again.
Somewhere between the kisses, their second round of lovemaking, and the quiet confessions exchanged in the darkness, this had become something far bigger than attraction. This wasn't about chemistry, longing, or nostalgia. It felt like finding a missing piece of himself he hadn't realized was still gone.
For years, Blaze had convinced himself he could live without her. He'd built a career, built a life, and erected enough walls to survive losing her. But lying here now with Johanna wrappedin his arms again, he realized something that should have been obvious all along.
Surviving wasn't the same thing as living.
He brushed one lingering kiss against her forehead before easing back enough to really look at her.
Moonlight filtered softly through the curtains, painting silver shadows across the room. Her curls spilled across the pillows in dark waves, her lips remained swollen from his kisses, and a faint flush still colored her cheeks.
But tonight, it had been her eyes that held him captive.
Those eyes had always been his downfall. Years ago, he'd seen love in them. Tonight, he saw something even more vulnerable.
Hope.
The sight landed squarely in his chest because trust had always been the harder thing to rebuild.
Johanna's fingers drifted along his jaw, tracing the edge of his ear while they slowly caught their breath.
"You're staring at me."
A smile tugged at his mouth.
