Page 22

A lex had ascended to heaven.

Every inch of Sera’s body was a revelation under his fingertips, a masterpiece etched with grace and strength, matching each of his thrusts.

He couldn’t help the shaky exhale that escaped him as his hands spanned the curve of her waist, her skin warm and impossibly smooth against his palms while their bodies moved together.

She wasn’t just beautiful; she was everything—light and shadow, fire and water, chaos and calm—all colliding in the slender frame beneath him.

Her trust in him, the way her body moved to meet his, was something that humbled him even as it ignited life itself coursing through his veins.

She was breathtaking, her lips parted on a soft moan that sent a jolt down his spine.

Alex lowered his head, his mouth finding her throat, the delicate pulse there thrumming against his lips like an unspoken promise.

He couldn’t stop himself from murmuring words against her skin, raw affection he couldn’t hold back.

It wasn’t just about the way her body responded to him, though that was enough to drive him mad.

It was the way she looked at him, the way her fingers curled into his shoulders, grounding him in this moment, this now.

She undid him—not just his control, but the careful walls he’d built around the parts of himself he never thought he’d trust anyone to see.

And Sera? She saw it all, and somehow, she still wanted him.

The sensation of her nails skimming his back made him groan.

This was about her—about making sure her every touch, every breath, every impossible sound she made was pure pleasure.

Her body fit against his like they’d been designed for this, for each other, and the realization hit him harder than he’d thought possible.

She gasped his name, her voice raw, filled with a need that seemed to echo his own, and he felt his restraint fray. But even in the rawness of this connection, Alex was careful, deliberate, his movements attuned to every response she gave him.

She pressed her hips up beneath him, her head tilting back as a string of soft, breathless cries pushed past her lips. Alex groaned again, deep and low, the sound echoing through him as he pressed closer, then pulled out a bit and came back—deeper inside her with every thrust.

The way she moved with him, the way her body welcomed him, was exquisite and maddening all at once.

Every inch of him was connected to her, to the way she felt, the way she tasted, the way her voice trembled when she whispered his name like a benediction.

And as the tension between them built, surging to a breaking point that felt as though it might shatter the world, Alex understood something that stole his breath entirely.

He was hers.

Entirely, irreversibly hers.

Every movement, every breath he took, only deepened that certainty. Alex pressed his forehead to hers, rooting himself in her touch, her scent, her presence. This wasn’t just passion; it was more. Far, far more than he could find words for.

Desire. Pleasure. Wonder. Being inside her.

Claiming her and being taken in so fully.

Becoming one, her skin against his, the taste of her lips, the sound of her breathy moans, was not something there were words for.

He could feel her tremble beneath him, her body arching into his.

He was lost in her, consumed by her, every nerve ending alight with breathtaking sensation.

Sera was his life now.

“I never want to lose you,” Alex whispered into her ear as he thrust, repeating it over and over again.

Fallen.

He had fallen so deeply.

He wanted to tell her everything about him and his life. It hovered on his tongue like a cloud gathering water and might burst at any moment.

Just a little longer.

He would tell her everything.

Soon.

*

Every nerve in her body burned, alive with a sensation that was both pleasure and torment, too much and not enough. There was no air, no thought—only the ripple of tension and release, the steady rhythm of him moving within her.

So deep inside her.

Sera clawed at his shoulders, her nails biting into his skin, desperate to anchor herself as she spiraled farther into the unknown.

Each thrust sent a shudder through her, a sharp, searing ache that melted into unbearable heat, building higher and higher until she thought she might break apart from it.

Her breath fractured, a short series of gasps that she couldn’t quite catch, couldn’t seem to hold.

His name left her lips in a frantic cry, her voice trembling on the edge of something she couldn’t name.

It wasn’t just her body—it was her soul, reaching out, clinging to the one person who had completely undone her.

“Alex…” A whisper this time. A plea. Perhaps a prayer.

There was nothing in the world but him, the way his hands gripped her hips, firm but reverent, his lips brushing over her neck as though he were worshipping her. Every touch—his fingers gliding over her skin, his breath hot against her ear—wove pleasure tighter around her, pulling her deeper under.

Alex.

Her body tightened, the ache intensifying as though some invisible thread were winding tighter with every stroke, every movement, until it threatened to snap.

The initial pain had turned to something beautiful, something transcending anything she’d ever felt.

She just knew she needed more. More of his touch, more of his voice, low and husky when he murmured her name.

Her thighs trembled as he pushed deeper, the heat of him enveloping her, overwhelming but perfect.

The tension coiled inside her, impossibly sharp, impossibly sweet, hurtling her closer to something she both feared and craved.

He groaned and she felt the vibration inside her.

“I—” The word broke apart, lost in a hitch of her breath as she arched against him, her body entirely beyond her control.

The world around her shattered into a blazing constellation of sensation, a compound of pleasure so profound it drove tears to the corners of her eyes.

She cried out again, her body clenching, trembling, as wave after wave spilled through her, powerful and relentless, leaving her utterly wrecked.

Sera clung to Alex, her fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer as though she could fuse them together and make this feeling last forever. Her heart thundered in her chest, her body still rippling with aftershocks as she whispered his name, each syllable thick with awe and unyielding love.

And he gave it.

Every touch, every kiss had felt like a declaration of love, a rebellion against the world that sought to keep them apart. She came undone in a way that shook the very foundation of her life. Her future.

It was forever changed.

He seemed to reach his own release, for he grunted, her name breathing from his lips before his head fell into the crook of her shoulder. “Sera,” he murmured again, his voice even hoarser.

I know . She was feeling the same.

For a long moment, she simply held him, and he her, the reality of what had just happened sinking in. The night was silent except for the gentle lapping of the waves and her own heart pounding in her ear.

That little book knew nothing!

The thought was so sudden, she laughed.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, rubbing his forehead against her neckline before slumping down beside her, limbs tangled together.

Sera tried to contain her grin but failed. “I just had a thought that the book I got from my friend never once mentioned anything like this.”

His brow arched. “That is probably a good thing,” he said, and added, “Does it have anything about how to hold onto the woman of your life?”

His comment about not wanting to lose her filled her mind. “No,” Sera replied, her voice equally soft but filled with a quiet determination. “We’ll find a way.”

Not just a way, but the way .

Her plans were no longer vague. She knew what she wanted for her future.

Alex. Alex. Alex.

No compromise.

Reality faded into nothing—only the overwhelming presence of inside her, atop, around—everything became Alex.

He was everything.