Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 174(@200wpm)___ 139(@250wpm)___ 116(@300wpm)
I moan around him, the vibration making his hips jerk. I keep going, taking him deeper, faster, until his breathing grows ragged and his fingers tighten in my hair. Just when I feel him getting close, he gently pulls me off and lifts me back onto his lap.
“Not yet,” he says, voice strained. “I need to be inside you when I explode.”
He strips the rest of our clothes away until we’re both bare. Then he lays me down on the couch, settling between my thighs. He looks down at me, eyes dark with emotion. “I know in the truck I told you I was falling for you, well I think I finally landed. I’m right where I always want to be. With you. I don’t know how it happened so fast, but it did. And right now I need to feel you. All of you.”
I pull him down for a kiss as he pushes inside me, slow and deep. We both moan at the same time. The stretch is perfect, the fullness overwhelming in the best way. He stays buried to the hilt for a long moment, forehead pressed to mine, breathing with me.
“You feel like home,” he whispers.
Then he starts moving. Long, slow, sensual strokes that make my toes curl. There’s no rush. No desperation. Just a deep, loving connection. His hand cups my face, thumb brushing my cheek as he kisses me between thrusts. Every roll of his hips drags against that perfect spot inside me, building pleasure in slow, shimmering waves.
“You’re everything,” he murmurs against my lips. “So tight. So warm. So perfect around me. I could stay right here forever.”
I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper. We move together in a slow, sensual rhythm, skin sliding against skin, breaths mingling. He keeps praising me in that low, rough voice, telling me how precious I am, how much he wants me, how he’s never letting me go. The pleasure builds steadily, wrapping around us like warm silk.
When I come it’s soft and deep, rolling through me in long, pulsing waves. I cling to him, moaning his name as I tighten around him. Banks groans, hips stuttering as he follows me over the edge, burying himself deep and staying there as he pulses inside me.
We stay locked together, breathing hard, hearts pounding against each other. He kisses me softly, over and over, on my lips, my cheeks, my forehead. Then he shifts us so I’m tucked against his chest, his arms wrapped securely around me.
“I meant it,” he says quietly, stroking my back. “I’m keeping you. When this is all over, I want you with me. For good.”
I smile against his skin, feeling safer and more loved than I have in years. “I want that too. So much.”
We lie there tangled together on the couch, the cabin quiet around us, the weight of the note and the knife and everything still waiting for us sitting in the background. But right now, in this moment, there’s only us. Only this. Only the beginning of something real and beautiful.
God, I love this man.
NINETEEN
BANKS
The first thing I feel when I wake up is her.
Anniston’s curled against my side, her head on my chest, one leg thrown over mine like she claimed me in her sleep. Early morning light filters through the window, soft and golden, catching in her messy blonde hair. She’s still naked, warm and soft, and the sight of her like this—peaceful, trusting, mine—does something dangerous to my chest.
I lie there for a long minute, just watching her breathe. Last night keeps playing through my mind on a loop. The way she looked riding me on the couch. The soft sounds she made when I was deep inside her. I love her. I know I do.
My encrypted phone vibrates on the nightstand. Anniston stirs but doesn’t wake. I reach over carefully and answer it.
“Crewe,” I say quietly, keeping my voice low.
“We’ve got a location,” he says without preamble. His tone is tight. “Big meeting tonight. Langford and the rest of the D.C. crew. Private warehouse on the riverfront, outskirts of Halo City. About twenty minutes from where you are. We got the tip from one of Vance’s sources. This could be our shot to end it.”
I sit up slowly, careful not to disturb Anniston. “We’re going.”
Crewe is quiet for a beat. “You sure? You and Anniston both? This isn’t going to be clean.”
“She stays with me,” I reply. “I’m not leaving her behind. Not after everything.”
He sighs but doesn’t argue. “Watch your back, brother. Vance’s team will be on standby. This meeting is high stakes. They’re tying up loose ends.”
I hang up and set the phone down. Anniston’s awake now, blinking up at me with those bright green eyes. She reaches out and traces a finger down my chest.