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The screaming finally stops and silence descends around me, the sound of my heart beating wildly in my chest the only noise keeping me company.

Footsteps cause me to look up, and I see Jax walking towards me slowly.

“Love,” he starts tentatively.

“Is he…” I start.

“Yes,” he says, looking at me with concern.

“Is it bad I’m relieved they’re dead?” I ask, looking at him.

There’s no more darkness in his eyes, as if he needed them dead to be able to let that piece of him rest. I wonder if that’s why I’m feeling lighter now, knowing that they’re gone and there’s no one else they’ll be able to hurt, knowing that it’s just my memories that haunt my dreams and they’ll never be able to hurt me again.

“I don’t think it’s bad at all,” he says, coming to stand in front of me.

My back presses against the wall as he tilts my chin up to him.

“I think… you are extremely brave and always so full of surprises,” he says before kissing me. “And I find it very, very hot how you handled yourself in there.”

I let him consume me, let my mouth open to him.

He pauses to wipe his thumb across my cheek and when he pulls it away I notice it is covered in Tanner’s blood.

“Are you mad I stepped in?”

“No,” I respond honestly. “Are you mad about what Tanner said?” I ask quietly, unable to meet his gaze.

“Which part exactly? If you mean how he called you a—”

“The part when he said I orgasmed during…” I can’t bring myself to finish the sentence as I focus on trying not to let the tears spill from my eyes, the shame leaking from me. “He was telling the truth, when it came to that anyway.” I close my eyes, waiting for Jax to say something.

“Look at me, love,” he says quietly, and I do as he asks. “You are mine and no one else’s, no matter what. And you cannot be blamed for how your body responds. I would never, ever hold that against you. I would never think anything less of you for it. So, if that’s your biggest concern, if that’s your biggest worry, then let me remind you how much I love you, how nothing will ever stop me from loving you, in this lifetime or the next.”

My heart rate doesn’t settle despite the relief I feel, and suddenly I feel lighter, more carefree, than I have in a long time. The way Jax looks at me confirms he sees it too, and before we can say any more his mouth finds mine again as his hands undo my jeans, before pulling them down and I step out of them quickly as he undoes his own pants. Heat gathers at my core as he pulls my thong to the side, one finger, then two, finding their way inside of me.

“I don’t even want to know how morally gray being turned on right now makes me,” I say, and he chuckles in response.

“You’re fucking soaked, love,” he growls in my ear as he moves his fingers inside of me. My mouth leaves his as I close my eyes and tilt my head back, the adrenaline only heightening everything I’m feeling. I yelp as his fingers leave me and he lifts me up, holding onto my thighs as he presses my back against the wall even more firmly, my legs wrapping around him.

“You are fucking incredible, and you are mine.” He bites at my lower lip and I moan into his mouth as I start to wriggle beneath him, seeking friction to help release the ache between my legs.

As if reading my thoughts, he grabs onto his thick length, trailing it over me before allowing himself to slam into me with a raw, primal urgency. I cry out in pleasure as I grip onto his neck and shoulders, my nails biting into his flesh as I pull him closer. He doesn’t wait for me to adjust before he pulls out and drives into me again, his thrusts sending shivers of pleasure through me. I lean into him, savoring the feeling of his cock inside of me, of feeling so full and so consumed by him.

Our mouths collide again, as if we can’t get enough of each other, our movements fevered and fueled by lust and need. The intensity that I’m feeling only continues to build, and I can feel myself teetering on the edge.

“You’re so fucking beautiful like this,” he growls into my ear as his hand moves to my throat, pressing firmly against me, as his hips thrust harder and faster against me.

He bites my shoulder and I come undone as pleasure and pain mix, and I shatter around him as euphoria overwhelms every cell in my body. I can feel him grow harder, thrust deeper, inside of me, until he finds his own release.

“I love it when you come inside me,” I whisper in his ear, biting playfully at the lobe.

“Christ—” He drops his head as he catches his breath. “Say that again and we’ll never leave this place,” he purrs, and I laugh.

“What, no willpower, Mr. Turner?”

“Not when it comes to you, love… You’ve got me wrapped around your finger.”

*

I squint against the bright light as we walk outside, the glare of the sun a stark contrast to the dark hallways we just walked through.

Ryan is reclined on his bike in the same spot we left him. He raises an eyebrow at Jax who gives a small nod in response, their unspoken words clear among us.

“Good, good,” he says as he sits up.

I don’t miss the way he looks between us, his eyes no doubt noticing my messy hair and flushed cheeks.

“Please don’t tell me you fucked in front of dead bodies,” he says with a sigh.

I can’t help it as I throw my head back, a full body laugh making its way through me, and Jax laughs beside me.

“I never thought I’d have to say this, but I can confirm we did not fuck in front of any dead bodies.” I smile.

“You look lighter already,” Ryan says casually as he walks towards us, his gaze assessing.

“You should have seen her in there.”

I look at Jax, unable to miss the note of pride that crosses his face as he looks at me.

“So what now?” I ask tentatively, unsure of what the future has in store, unsure of what exactly life looks like now that this chapter is finally starting to close.

“We go home,” Jax says calmly.