Page 94

94

ALLISON

T he flashing lights of the cruiser slice through gray skies.

Landon’s unconscious body is loaded into the back of an ambulance.

Officers swarm the scene.

A medic checks my neck while I try to steady my breathing, but the real damage isn’t physical.

It’s deeper. Quieter. Inside my head.

Connor’s hands are still shaking. He hasn’t let go of me.

I haven’t let go of him either.

* * *

We’re wrapped in blankets on the steps of the bungalow while the world blurs around us.

“He could’ve—” Connor’s voice breaks, raw and low. “You could’ve?—”

“I didn’t,” I whisper.

His eyes find mine like he’s still trying to believe I’m real. That I’m still here. “I almost lost you.”

“No, you didn’t.”

He stares at me like I’m something sacred. Something he can’t afford to lose.

Something he would kill for.

“You saved me, Connor.”

He exhales, sharp and ragged. “I didn’t get there fast enough.”

“You got there exactly when I needed you.” I press my palm to his chest, feeling the war drum beneath my hand.

He cups my face, memorizing it like a man who’s already lived the nightmare of losing it.

“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” he breathes.

I lean into his touch. “But you didn’t hesitate. You caught me before I could fall.”

He swears under his breath and pulls me into his arms, holding me like he’s anchoring us both.

“I love you,” he whispers into my hair, voice wrecked. “So goddamn much it terrifies me.”

“Good,” I whisper back. “Because I feel the same. And I’m not going anywhere.”

He kisses me, slowly, achingly reverent. Like he’s sealing a vow into my skin.

The waves crash beyond the deck, haunting and beautiful.

We came to paradise for a honeymoon.

Instead, we got trauma and survival.

But something stronger bloomed in the wreckage.

A bond forged not just in love, but in fire.

* * *

I step onto the patio, arms folded, inhaling the salt-laced breeze. The stars are bright, sharp pinpricks in the dark sky.

It feels peaceful. Safe.

Until I remember the knife at my throat. The copper scent of my blood tickling down my skin.

I shake my head. No. Don’t let him win.

The door opens behind me. Heavy footsteps thud across the patio before strong arms wrap around my waist.

“I know I failed you,” Connor says, his voice gravelly with guilt. “But I promise, it’ll never happen again.”

“Connor—”

“Let me say it.” His lips press to the top of my head. “The guilt won’t vanish overnight. You’re here, but I still feel raw. Like I didn’t protect you.”

I turn, cupping his jaw. “You can’t protect me from everything. But you saved me when it mattered most.”

He exhales, glancing toward the sea.

“Where is everyone?” I ask.

“Gram, Peyton, and Daltyn went to check her bungalow. We have the place to ourselves.”

My breath catches.

He leans closer, his voice low and rough. “It’s a beautiful night for the hot tub, don’t you think?”

I grin. “Only if we’re naked.”

He growls. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

* * *

“Connor, I don’t think that’s a good—ohhh.”

My hips lift in the water as his head disappears between my thighs. He resurfaces with a wicked grin. “Hang on tight, baby.”

His hands grip my ass, lifting me in the warm water. His mouth seals over my clit.

“Connor.” My breath stutters.

He moans, sliding two fingers inside me. “Relax, wife. Let me erase the pain. Let me remind you who you belong to.”

His tongue flicks over my clit again and again, his fingers pumping deep inside me.

My hands grip the edge of the tub, body trembling.

I’m shaking. Coming apart beneath his expert touch.

He pauses just long enough to flip me over and shove my arms on the ledge. Then his hand smacks my ass.

I jolt and moan.

He spreads me wide, dragging his tongue down the center of me and inside my pussy. His hands rub over my ass.

“Don’t move,” he commands.

Another smack and I jolt, biting my tongue so hard I taste blood.

“Use your words.”

“N-No.”

Smack.

“Louder.”

“NO!” I cry out.

Smack.

“Did I say you could yell?”

“No,” I whimper.

He slides three fingers inside me, curling them just right. My eyes roll back.

I’m trying to stay still. Trying not to move. But fuck, it’s hard when it feels this damn good.

Another smack.

Then he whispers, “You’re not coming on my fingers.”

I gasp as he pulls away, then thrusts his cock inside me, deep and hard.

“Connor— fuck .”

He stills. Holds me there.

Then smacks me again.

“Fuck me, wife. Show me how much you want me.” His voice lowers, a tremble of emotion in it. “How much you love me.”

I grin, moving my hips, grinding down on him.

“That’s it,” he growls. “Take my cock. Use it. Fuck the fear away.”

His hand clamps over my breast, pinching my nipple.

“You’re safe now,” he breathes. “I’ve got you.”

Tears prick my eyes as I ride him harder.

He slaps my ass again. “Faster. Don’t stop until you break.”

I keep moving, focusing all my attention on my movements, even as I feel the tension coiling tighter in my lower belly.

“Conn—"

I shatter, crying out his name, pulsing around him.

He slams into me, chasing his release.

When he growls my name, trembling with need, I whisper, “Give me every drop.”

He does, slamming himself deep inside after the third thrust, his warm come filling me.

And when it’s over, he pulls me into his lap, sinking us into the water. Our breath mingles.

“The stars,” he says, pointing up. “They watched us through every mile, every moment.”

My breath catches as I stare at them, soaking in the warmth of the hot tub and my husband’s love.

He turns my face to his, his eyes fierce. “We’re written in the stars, baby.”