Page 106 of Hunter

Charlie collapses onto my chest, trembling, face buried in my neck. I wrap both arms around him immediately, holding him close, stroking his back in long, soothing sweeps while we both try to catch our breath. He’s still clenching around me in little aftershocks, and I’m still buried inside him, but neither of us moves to separate.

“You okay?” I whisper, pressing kisses to his temple, his damp hair, anywhere I can reach.

He nods against my skin, voice hoarse. “Perfect. That was…perfect.”

I smile into his hair and hold him tighter. Sofia eventually jumps onto the bed and curls up at our feet like she approves of the whole situation. Charlie lets out a soft, tired laugh when she starts purring.

We stay like that for a long time—tangled, sticky, breathing each other in. My hand keeps stroking his back in slow, lazy patterns while his fingers trace idle shapes on my chest.

Eventually, he shifts with a little groan, lifting his head to look at me. His eyes are soft, lips still swollen from kissing. He looks thoroughly fucked and so beautiful it hurts.

“We should get cleaned up,” he murmurs.

“I’m not opposed to a little mess,” I say, grinning as I run my thumb along his bottom lip. “Especially when the mess is you.”

He huffs a laugh and leans down to kiss me. When he pulls back, he nips my lip once for good measure.

“Shower,” he decides. “Then bed. I want to fall asleep with you inside me again later.”

The casual way he says it makes my spent cock twitch inside him. Charlie feels it and smirks, clenching around me on purpose.

“Evil,” I groan, hips twitching up instinctively.

“You love it.”

“I really fucking do.”

He carefully lifts off me with a soft hiss, both of us wincing at the loss. I watch as my cum slowly leaks down his thigh, and I have to bite back another groan at the sight. Charlie catches me staring and flushes darker, but there’s pride in his eyes, too.

“Shower,” he repeats, tugging my hand. “Before you get any more ideas.”

The shower is slow and intimate. We take turns washing each other under the warm spray, my hands soaping his chest, his back, the curve of his ass. Charlie returns the favor, fingers gentle over my scars, tracing every mark like he’s memorizing them. We kiss lazily under the water, bodies pressed close.

When we finally crawl back into bed, clean and damp, Charlie immediately curls into my side, throwing one leg over mine and tucking his face against my neck. I pull the blanket over us and wrap my arms around him, holding him close.

Sofia jumps up and claims the space behind his knees, purring contentedly.

“You really okay?” I ask quietly, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Better than okay,” he whispers. “I feel… safe. With you. Like this.”

Those words settle deep in my chest, warm and solid. I stroke his back again, slow and steady.

“I’m going to keep earning that,” I promise. “Every day.”

Charlie nods against my skin. “I know you will.”

We fall quiet again, just breathing together. His fingers trace lazy circles over my heart, and I can feel his breathing even out as sleep starts to pull him under.

“I love you,” I whisper into his hair, even though I know he’s already drifting.

His voice is sleepy but clear. “Love you, too.”

For the first time in years, I fall asleep with a smile on my face and the man I love safe in my arms.

This is what healing feels like.

This is what home feels like.