Page 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

THE FIRST THING I noticed when I woke was the warmth pressed against me.

She was curled against my chest, her breath slow and steady, her body soft and relaxed in sleep. The early morning light filtered through the window, casting golden streaks across her skin, making her look almost fragile. Almost.

Lucy wasn’t fragile. She wasn’t innocent, either. But in this moment, tucked against me, she looked like something I’d never let the world touch again.

My fingers moved without thought, sliding through her hair, tracing the strands that framed her face. Silky. Soft. Dangerous. Because the more I touched her, the more I wanted to keep touching her.

How the fuck was I supposed to go back to normal if she left again?

My eyes drifted to the dresser, to the spinner sitting there, waiting. I used to think nothing could ground me the way it did. But Lucy was starting to prove me wrong.

She shifted slightly, a small sound slipping past her lips as she stretched, her body pressing closer for just a second before she stilled. A quiet snore broke the silence.

I smirked.

Tough as hell when she was awake. Soft as sin when she wasn’t.

How could I ever let go of this?

The thought tightened my chest, an unspoken fear curling in my gut like barbed wire. I wasn’t the type to hold on to women—never had been. But Lucy? She had her fucking claws in me, and I never wanted her to let go.

As if she could hear my thoughts, she stirred, stretching like a damn cat before her eyes fluttered open. Sleepy. Beautiful.

Her gaze locked onto mine, stealing the breath straight from my lungs.

“Good morning,” she murmured, her voice husky, groggy, curling around me like a slow burn. She nuzzled deeper into my chest, her warmth sinking into my skin.

I ran my fingers through her hair, savoring the feel of her. “Mornin’,” I murmured back, my voice sounding rough.

We didn’t move. Didn’t rush. Just stayed there, lost in a peace that came from us, like the world could burn and it wouldn’t matter, not as long as we had this... had each other.

Then she lifted her head, her eyes searching mine, and something inside me shifted.

This wasn’t some casual thing.

Wasn’t just sparks and late-night heat.

This was love, rough around the edges but real as fuck.

Should’ve scared me half to death. Maybe it did.

But damned if I could pull myself away.

She didn’t speak at first, just watched me, reading me the way only she could. Then, finally, she whispered, “I want you again.”

The rawness in her voice cut through me, sharp and deliberate. She wasn’t just asking for sex. She was asking for me.

Right here. Right now.

I exhaled, slow and measured, trying to keep my grip on control. It didn’t fucking work.

In a second, I had her beneath me, my lips crashing against hers, my hands tangling in her hair.

She gasped into my mouth, but she didn’t pull back. She never did.

Her fingers dug into my skin, nails scraping down my back, demanding more. Always more.

When we finally broke apart, breathing hard, I rested my forehead against hers.

“I want you too.” The words came out rough, strained. True.

She smirked, that mischievous glint sparking in her eyes. “Then show me how much.”

A growl rumbled low in my throat as I crashed my mouth to hers again.

And just like that, I was gone.

Our bodies moved in sync with each other as we came together, it was almost as if we were one person.

Lucy let out a soft moan against my neck as I rained kisses down her collarbone. Her hands were in my hair, tugging slightly, sending delicious sparks of pleasure down my spine. Her touch was like electricity, setting me on fire and making me lose any semblance of thought.

I could taste the lingering sweetness of our night on her skin, combined with the faint scent of her that seemed permanently ingrained in my mind. I knew then that I was completely hers; every breath I took, every beat of my heart was for her and her alone.

We were making love not just fucking.

I never knew the difference until Lucy.

The room was filled with the sound of our quiet gasps and whispered words as I sought to show Lucy just how much she meant to me. Each kiss, each touch was an affirmation of the depth of my need for her.

She gripped my shoulders tightly, her nails digging into my skin as the tension began to build inside us. Her breath hitched in her throat, and I could feel her body shuddering beneath me as her orgasm clawed inside her.

And as we rode the waves of ecstasy together, I held Lucy tightly against me, trying to hold onto the feeling for as long as possible. The reality of life would undoubtedly come crashing around us soon enough, but for this moment in time, everything felt perfectly right.

I never wanted it to go wrong.