Page 27

"You feel…" I trail off, unable to find words adequate to describe how fucking incredible this feels.

She finishes my sentence for me. "Like home."

Yes. That's exactly it. Being inside her feels like coming home after a lifetime of wandering. It feels right in a way that nothing ever has before.

I begin to move, starting with slow, deliberate thrusts that have us both moaning with pleasure. The rhythm builds gradually, our bodies finding a sync that feels as natural as breathing. Her hips rise to meet each of my thrusts, her inner muscles clenching around me in a way that threatens to undo me completely.

The sounds she makes are my undoing. Soft sighs become breathy moans, then escalate into ragged cries of pleasure. Each one is a gift, a testament to the effect I'm having on her.

My hands roam over her body, learning every curve and hollow. I commit everything about her luscious body to memory—the way her breast fits perfectly in my palm, the sensitive spot just below her ear that makes her shudder when I kiss it, the little birthmark on her hip that looks like a constellation.

I want to know everything about her. Not just her body, but her mind, her heart, her soul. I want to know what makes her laugh, what makes her cry, what she dreams about when she's alone in the dark. I want to be the one she turns to when she's happy, when she's sad, when she just needs someone to hold her.

The realization hits me with the force of a physical blow. I'm in love with this woman. Head over heels, can't-think-straight, would-walk-through-fire-for-her in love.

The knowledge should scare me. It should send me running for the hills, back to the safety of my boring, predictable life. But instead, it fills me with a sense of rightness so profound it takes my breath away.

My thrusts become more urgent, driven by this newfound understanding. Star meets me thrust for thrust, her legs tightening around my waist, her cries growing louder and more desperate.

"Tanner," she gasps, her eyes wild with pleasure. "I'm close. So close."

"Look at me," I command again, needing to see her fall apart.

Her eyes lock with mine, and in that moment, it feels like our souls are touching as intimately as our bodies. I can see the love reflected in her gaze, the trust, the absolute surrender. And it undoes me completely.

With a broken cry, she shatters around me, her inner muscles milking my cock in rhythmic pulses that push me over the edge. My own orgasm follows immediately, tearing through me with the force of a freight train. I bury myself deep inside her, pouring everything I have into her welcoming body. Every hope. Every dream. Every ounce of love I possess flows between us as we become one.

For long moments, we're both lost to the aftershocks, our bodies shuddering against each other, our breaths mingling in the space between our mouths. The world narrows to just the rapid beat of our hearts, the sweat-slicked press of skin on skin, and the profound sense of connection that transcends the physical.

Slowly, gradually, we come back to ourselves. I collapse on top of her, careful to keep most of my weight on my arms, and bury my face in the crook of her neck. Her arms come up to wrap around me, holding me close as our heartbeats slowly return to normal.

Neither of us speaks. There are no words adequate for what just happened between us. Instead, we communicate through touch. Her fingers stroke gently through my hair. My lips press against her damp skin. Our bodies seem reluctant to separate even now.

After a while, I roll onto my side, taking her with me so we're facing each other on the rumpled sheets. Our legs remain tangled together, a physical representation of the emotional bond that's formed between us.

Star reaches up to brush a stray lock of hair from my forehead, her touch so tender it makes my chest ache. "Wow," she whispers, her voice husky with emotion.

I capture her hand and press a kiss to her palm. "Just wow? I’m going to have to work a little harder next time." I tease.

“I don’t think I’ll survive it if you work much harder.” She smiles, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "That was… I don't even have words, Tanner."

"I know the feeling," I admit, my thumb stroking the inside of her wrist where I can feel her pulse beating a rapid staccato.

We lie there in silence for a while, just looking at each other, communicating without words. The air between us is thick with unspoken promises and the weight of everything that's changed between us in such a short amount of time.

Outside, I can hear the faint sounds of Silver Spoon Falls settling in for the night—a distant car engine, the hum of streetlights, the occasional bark from a neighborhood dog. But in here, in this room, there's only us. Only this moment.

Star's eyes drift closed, her breathing evening out as sleep claims her. I watch her for a long time, memorizing the way her lashes fan against her cheeks, the gentle part of her lips, the trust evident in every relaxed line of her body.

This woman has turned my world upside down in the best possible way. She's challenged everything I thought I knew about myself, about what I wanted from life.

I press a soft kiss to her forehead, breathing in her unique scent of sage and sunshine and something that's uniquely Star. "I love you," I whisper into the quiet room, testing the words on my tongue.

They feel right. They feel true.

And as I drift off to sleep with her curled against my side, I know with absolute certainty that my life will never be the same again. And I wouldn't have it any other way.