Page 34 of Summer’s Echo

This was about us, about her, about making this moment as tender and meaningful as it deserved to be. My hands moved softly over her, caressing every quiver, soothing every chill, and kissing away each tear that slipped from the corners of her eyes.

“It’ll get better, I promise,” I offered, trying to settle her amid a storm of sensations. “But we can stop if it’s too much.”

Her response wasn’t in words but in action.

Summer lifted her head, her lips finding mine in a kiss that carried all her affections—trust, love, fear, and a muted but unmistakable plea to keep going.

Her breathing was uneven, each exhale blending with the quiet hum of the night, and her body trembled beneath mine, quivering as she began to surrender to the feeling.

I silently reassured her, letting her know I was with her every step of the way.

“Breathe, baby,” I spoke against her skin, my lips pressing tender kisses along her neck. Each kiss was laced with as much love and adoration as she poured into me.

I was completely lost in the moment, every sense heightened, yet a part of me remained focused, ensuring I was gentle, careful, and attuned to her every need.

I’d been with a handful of girls since I was fifteen, but this— she —was different.

Summer—my Sunshine—was giving herself to me, and it felt like everything.

But what she didn’t realize was thatI was surrendering to her, too, because she was everything—thesunthat warmed me, themoonthat kept me steady, thestarsthat made me believe every wish I’d made was meant to come true.

And right now, under this sky, in our sacred place,she was mine—and I was hers.

“Shit, Sun,” I moaned, my voice raw and heavy as I buried my face in the strands of her hair, inhaling her scent like it was the only thing keeping me sane.

“Echo. Echo, E.” She practically sang my name, her voice breathless and sweet, wrapping around me like a melody I never wanted to end.

That was it. I couldn’t hold back anymore.

I claimed her mouth with mine, devouring her lips with a passion that had been building for what felt like forever.

Each kiss was full of silent confessions, every stroke of my tongue a declaration of everything I felt for her.

Carefully, I moved with her, every motion calculated, as if time itself had slowed just for us.

Our bodies found a rhythm, a language of looks and touches that spoke louder than words as the tension built and our breaths quickened.

“You are so fucking pretty,” I said as my body jerked, my voice raspy with emotion because she was the only thing that mattered in the universe. And in that instant, she was. My body wasrigid, locked in place, every muscle coiled so tightly it felt like my member wouldshatter under the pressure.

“Echo,”she crooned, her voicea melody that looped my name, wrapping me in heat. Fuck. She had to stopsaying it like that. “Echo,”she murmured again, this timebreathier, almost pleading, and I lost it. Completely.

“Sunshine. Shit.”I groaned, my voice strained, the words dragging throughgritted teeth.

When we were done, Iheld her close, my arms wrapped securely around her until her breathfound its rhythm again.

Slowly, shemelted into me, the tension fading bit by bit.

When she finallysettled, I pressed a kiss to her hair and said,“Let’s head back.

” I helped her dress, moving with care, wrapping her in a blanketbefore instructing her to sit on the stoop.

She was quiet.Too quiet. And as I watched her, something worried me.

I gathered our things quickly, then wrapped an arm around her, guiding us down the moonlit gravel path back to the lodge.

The camp was silent, only the faint shuffle of our feet and the harmonic rhythm of our breathing breaking the tranquility.

It was nearly two in the morning, but I wasn’t going anywhere—not yet.

We stepped into the dim bedroom, and the warmth of the space embraced us.

Summer hadn’t said a word the entire walk.

Her silence fucked with me.Did she regret this? Did I push her too far? Too fast?

“Sun,” I said, breaking the quiet.

She lifted her head, and the faint, closed-mouth smile she gave me chased away a fraction of my doubt.

“I’m fine, E. I promise,” she said, her voice calm and reassuring, as if she could read my unspoken fears. “Do you have to leave?”

I shook my head. “Not right now. I need to be out by six, though, or Lincoln might actually kill me,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

She wasexhausted and maybe even in a little pain, judging by the slight limp in her step.

Without a word, she disappeared into the bathroom.

I waited. When she returned, her movements were unhurried, careful as sheclimbed into bed with a quiet sigh.

I wanted to ask if she was okay, but she’d just say that she was fine.

Instead, I slid in behind her, encasing her in my arms, holding her close… like she was mine.

Her warmth against me felt like home. I burrowed my face into her nape, pressing a kiss to my favorite spot, the place that always seemed to smell like spring. I knew I’d face hell if all of my plan didn’t work once I got home, but it didn’t matter. Summer was finally mine.

“Echo,” she said, so quiet I almost missed it.

“Yeah,” I answered, brushing my lips against her shoulder.

“You were worth the wait,” she said, glancing back at me, her eyes glassy but filled with joy—satisfaction.

I cupped her face and kissed her, letting the emotions I couldn’t put into words flow between us. Pulling back, I smiled and whispered, “Happy birthday, baby.”