Page 123 of Juniper Unraveling

His fingers curl around my neck, his thumb stroking my jugular, keeping time to the beating of his thighs. He squeezes just enough that I feel my pulse hammer against his fingertips, heightening with the excitement when he ups the pace.

I wonder if he’ll throttle me, here in the middle of the desert, where no one would ever find me, but I’m so intoxicated with ecstasy, I don’t even care.

My jaw slackens, and I blink away the stars floating in front of my eyes.

He relinquishes his grip, and I gasp, taking in the steady thrusts that push me closer to the edge.

“Fuck,” he croaks, and drives into me again, his arms pinning mine at either side of my head. Faster and faster. Deeper and deeper. Thighs beating out a cadence of ruin, he hoists my leg over his shoulder and pounds into me with the fury of a man in search of his own life’s purpose.

We’re dirty, with sweat clinging to our bodies, lost in ecstasy, like the world around us doesn’t exist. There’s pain and anger with every unapologetic thrust. The harsh dig of his fingers into my thighs tells me he’s fighting the pleasure. Punishing me for the temptation.

A sharp sting flares across my scalp, as he tugs my head back, and his shaky breath and quiet groans in my ear only serve to heighten my arousal. He’s vicious and merciless, pulling me deeper into his darkness. The roughness that once frightened me crashes over me and revels in its newfound freedom.

His arm trembles against my skin, fingers curling tight into mine with every wet slide. The first buzz that hits the base of my spine slackens my jaw, and I open my mouth to the impending crash.

More. More.

His grunts are interrupted by sharp pants of breath.

The tingles shoot up my spine, rippling across my muscles, as the orgasm fires through my veins in bullets of ecstasy. My body shakes with sound of his name slamming inside my head.

“Oh, God, Rhys!”

Through a strangled groan, he continues his relentless assault, until the first jet of warmth fills me. The virile sounds that spill from his mouth, the heat radiating from his body, the heady scent of sex, and the dry desert breeze on my face, is a feast for the senses. A powerful energy that electrifies the air around us.

“Wren!” he growls, pumping out the last of his release.

The little girl who would curl into herself, cursing and shaming her body, is no longer here. In her place is a woman. One who’s seen the darker side of man. Who’s felt the raw brutality of the world. One who can bathe in the aftermath of her sins.

For the first time in years, I feel everything again. The sun on my skin. The wind in my hair. The birds. The scent of poppies. And Six—the sizzling crack of a lightning bolt. My beloved storm in the desert. I feel him so deeply inside, it sends a shock straight to my heart that kicks a beat, and my eyes flutter open to the world that seemed to have stopped moving around us.

I want to breathe this moment in, consume him into every pore, and trap him inside of me forever. My body feels as if it’s unfurling, like the first desert blooms, coming to life.

He slows to a lazy roll of his hips. Pulse after satisfying pulse. It leaks down my thighs, and I smile as the warm, soft feeling settles in my bones, weakening my muscles in a drunken haze of lust.

His hoarse, strangled breaths blast past my ear, only this time, he doesn’t push me away. He stills, just breathing.

We both breathe.

Rhys’s mouth crashes into mine.

I wrap my arms around him, and his body shivers in my grasp.

When he pulls away from me, his eyes, hooded with exhaustion, carry a shine of tears, his chest rising slow and easy. “My little bird. My Wren.”

My Six.

Through a fog of pleasure, I stare up at his face, framed by the endless sky and the silhouette of the Joshua, and its right then I realize, there is still beauty left in this world. There are still amazing things to behold.

* * *

Sunlight begins to encroach on our little oasis, shifting the shade, as I lie naked beside Rhys. Only the gentle breeze dancing over our sweat-slicked skin makes the heat bearable enough to stay put.

“You found your voice.”

“Took a long time, but yes.” He entwines his fingers in mine and lifts my hand to his lips, kissing the back of my palm. “Your name was the first thing that came out of my mouth.”

“Say it. I want to hear you say it again.”