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MAGNOLIA

T he second our lips meet, I know I’m ready to take him back…that this is the moment everything changes.

Colt doesn’t just kiss me—he claims me, his hands rough where they grip my waist, his mouth desperate, burning, like he’s been starving for this, starving for me . And maybe he has. Maybe we both have.

I can’t breathe. I don’t want to.

I just want this .

My fingers tangle in his hair, pulling him closer, drinking in the low, needy sound he makes. His body is heat and strength and Colt , pressing into me like he’s trying to make up for every second we lost. But he doesn’t have to.

He already has me.

I press up onto my knees, into him, my nightgown slipping further off my shoulder, baring more skin to the warm summer air. The moment his fingertips skim my bare thigh, the growl in his chest deepens, reverberating through me, curling low in my stomach.

He shifts, scooping his arm around my waist to lower me to my back—then his body is hovering over mine, one arm bracing against the mattress, the other sliding beneath the hem of my nightgown, slow and reverent. His breath shudders against my lips, like he’s holding himself back, like he’s still giving me a chance to change my mind.

Like he doesn’t know I need this just as much as he does.

I tug at his shirt, my nails scraping lightly over his stomach, feeling the way his muscles twitch beneath my touch. “Off,” I murmur against his mouth.

His breath hitches.

Then, without hesitation, he grips the back of his shirt and yanks it over his head, tossing it to the floor.

The moonlight kisses over his bare skin, highlighting every silver line of him, the scars I’ll get to know like my own body, the mysterious tattoos we can interpret together. My heart slams against my ribs, heat curling hot and sweet beneath my skin as he settles between my thighs, his hard cock pressing against me through his jeans.

Colt groans, dropping his forehead against mine, his hands framing my face, thumbs tracing my cheekbones like he’s memorizing me. “ Angel ,” he rasps, his voice thick with need.

I tip my head back, letting my thighs fall open around him, welcoming him closer, heat pooling between us. “I’m yours.”

His mouth crashes into mine, his hands gripping my hips, his body pressing against me, and I know— tonight, there’s no more waiting .

Tonight, we take back what was always ours.

Our lips part as he kisses his way along my jaw, down my throat. One big hand tugs down my nightgown to take my breast into his mouth…and it feels out of control, incredible, like this is the one thing I’ve needed for weeks. I clutch his head to my breast, gasping, and he uses his free hand to gently cover my mouth and look up at me.

“Gotta be quiet, angel,” he smirks.

Then he starts touching me again…tasting, teasing, making his way lower.

I’m not wearing anything underneath my nightgown, my pussy already wet with slick from the full moon, my heat sneaking up on, overwhelming me. He puts both hands on my thighs and slides them to my hips, baring me to him. Colt makes a deep, approving noise low in his throat, lips parting.

"God, you're perfect," he murmurs, his voice hoarse with desire. His palms glide up and down my thighs, spreading them apart as he lowers his head, his breath hot against my sensitive skin. His tongue teases me, circling around my clit before delving into my heat. I grip the sheets beneath me, biting my lip to keep from crying out as he devours me, drinking me in like a man starved.

“Hush, angel,” he growls against my pussy. “I’m gonna take care of you.”

Then he slips his fingers inside me and presses against my g-spot.

Tension coils low in my belly as he works me over with his mouth, his fingers curling inside me as I arch against him. Pleasure ripples through me, so intense that it leaves me shaking. I can feel myself clenching around him, the heat building and building until I can't hold back anymore.

The orgasm hits me hard, making me see stars. My body convulses against him as wave after wave of pleasure washes over me. And through it all, Colt doesn't let up. He continues his worship of my body, coaxing me through the aftershocks as I tremble beneath him. His mouth leaves a trail of heated kisses up my stomach, over the swell of my breasts until he’s hovering over me again.

His eyes are dark with lust as he gazes down at me. “You okay?” he asks, his voice rough.

I can only nod in response, still caught up in the blissful haze. He smiles then, a slow, intimate smile that promises more.

He shifts his weight onto one elbow and reaches down to undo his jeans. The sound of his zipper is loud in the silence, making my heart race in anticipation. His cock springs free, resting on my belly, then dragging down to nudge at my entrance. I can see the tension in his muscles as he fights for control.

I reach up to grip the back of his neck, finding those beautiful blue eyes.

“Fuck me, mate,” I whisper. “Knot me.”

He reaches up to drag his knuckles down my cheek, brow furrowed. “You sure?”

“When have I ever asked you for something I didn’t want?” I ask. “When it comes to you…I know , Colt. I think I’ve always known."”

His expression softens, a tender smile curving his lips. He leans in to kiss me again - slow and sweet, cherishing every touch, basking in the moment with me. "Then I'm yours, angel," he murmurs against my mouth.

With a gentle push, he eases into me. I gasp, my back arching off the mattress as he fills me slowly. His grip on my hips is firm but careful, waiting for my body to adjust to his size. Our gazes lock together, trapped in the intimate connection we share.

Pleasure courses through me as he slides deeper, taking him in inch by devastating inch. His breath hitches in his throat, his eyes fluttering shut as he savors the sensation of being enveloped in my warmth. My hands explore his back, tracing the ripple of muscles beneath his skin, cherishing the feeling of him against me. His knot bumps against my entrance, but I’m so wet it almost slides right in.

“Not yet,” he growls in my ear. “Wanna make you come again before I’m locked in.”

His voice is a low, intoxicating rumble, a promise I know he'll keep. His thrusts are slow and measured, taking his time to drive me wild with anticipation. I wrap my legs around him, pulling him deeper with each stroke. He buries his face in my neck, his breath hot and ragged against my skin as he fights for control.

“Colt…” I moan, clutching at his shoulders. He groans in response, the sound vibrating through me, fueling my need for him.

He lifts his head to look at me, his eyes glowing in the moonlight. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he says, voice thick with desire. His thumb brushes over my bottom lip before he captures it in a searing kiss.

He changes the angle of his thrusts just slightly, and suddenly he's hitting that sweet spot inside me with every movement. I bite down on my lip to keep from crying out, my eyes squeezing shut.

“Please, please come for me, angel,” he rasps, voice hoarse. There’s an honesty there that feels out of place, strange…like he needs my pleasure to survive. “Gotta feel you come on my cock.”

My body responds to his plea with a force I can't control, a wave of pleasure that surges through me. I come apart beneath him, clenching around him. My nails dig into his back as I buck up against him, lost in the overwhelming sensations.

Colt groans, feeling the spasms of my orgasm tightening around him. His thrusts become erratic, his control slipping away. He buries his face in my neck, teeth grazing my collarbone as he fights the urge to come.

“Colt,” I whimper, my fingers threading through his hair. “Please…I need you to…”

“I know what you need,” he murmurs against my skin. His words are punctuated by another hard thrust that makes me gasp.

With a groan, he pushes in deeper, the knot at the base of his cock pressing against my entrance. He pauses for a moment, eyes meeting mine. There’s a question there, a silent request for permission.

I give a small nod, my hands moving to his hips to urge him onward.

Then he’s there.

He slides his knot inside me with a smooth thrust that leaves us both breathless. My body tenses as I accommodate his size, the unique sensation sending another ripple of pleasure through me. His eyes are on mine, watching me carefully for any discomfort.

His hand moves to cup my cheek as he leans in to press his lips against mine, swallowing any sounds that escape from between my lips. There's a tenderness in the way he kisses me, a softness reserved for me alone.

And one day…one day soon, a softness he’ll show our child.

The thought makes my head spin, my heart stutter—and I start crying without meaning to, without realizing it.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" Colt pulls back immediately, his expression filled with concern as he watches me. Knotted inside me, he can’t pull out now—so his hand gently wipes away my tears, his thumb caressing my cheek in an attempt to soothe me. My pussy clenches around him and we both shudder, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment.

"I'm fine," I manage to say between sobs, a weak smile pulling at my lips. His eyes are filled with worry, and I hate that I'm the cause of it. "I'm just...happy."

"Happy?"

Colt’s gaze softens. He understands, somehow, he always does. "Shhh, it's alright," he murmurs against my lips. "I've got you."

His hand comes up to cradle the back of my head as he holds me close, his body a warm, comforting presence against mine. I feel safe in his arms, cherished and loved in a way I've never felt before.

Then…then the heat surges, Colt holds me tight…and he moves.

Our lovemaking is deliberate, careful, deep…a slow grind that draws a gasp from my lips. His breath hitches, the rhythm of his heart thumping against my chest increasing. He's trying to control himself, to prolong the moment for us both. But his body is betraying him, his hips instinctively rocking into mine with each groan that escapes him.

Colt’s knot swells inside me, putting consistent pressure on my g-spot as my body falls into a long, endless orgasm—the kind I only seem capable of on the night of the full moon. My hands grip at his back, nails digging into the flesh as another wave of pleasure crashes over me. I’m shaking, trembling beneath him as he growls low in his throat.

"Christ...you feel so incredible," he wrenches, his voice shaking with the effort to keep himself under control.

I can barely breathe, let alone respond. The fullness, the connection between us is all-consuming, immersing me in a world where only Colt exists.

“I want you to come inside me,” I gasp.

He somehow finds the fortitude to laugh. “A little too late for that, huh?”

I chuckle weakly. “Guess so,” I gasp, fingers digging into his back as I arch beneath him, riding the waves of pleasure.

His eyes darken as he watches me writhe beneath him. His hand moves to tangle in my hair, tilting my head back to expose my neck. His mouth descends on his healed bite mark, reminding me of the bond between us, unbreakable. His hips start to rock faster, my pussy clenching in time with his thrusts.

"I love you," he groans. "I love you so damned much."

"I love you too," I manage to gasp out, my voice trembling with the sheer intensity of the emotion. My body is on fire, every nerve ending alight with pleasure as he drives into me. He kisses me fiercely, our lips and tongues dancing together.

And then it happens.

We swallow each other’s moans as Colt comes undone, shaking and burying himself inside me. His body trembles with the force of his orgasm, so I hold him tight, a reminder that we’re together now.

That we’re not going to be apart again.

Colt collapses against me, his full weight pressing me into the mattress, warm and solid and mine . His breath is ragged against my skin, his chest heaving, his heart pounding against mine. I wrap my arms around him, my fingers drifting lazily through his sweat-damp hair, soothing him as he slowly comes back down to earth.

His knot is still locked inside me, keeping us tethered together in the most intimate way. It should feel confining, but it doesn’t. It feels right . Like we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.

For the first time in weeks, my body isn’t aching with the absence of him.

For the first time in weeks, I feel whole .

Colt shifts, pressing a slow, reverent kiss to my collarbone, then another to the hollow of my throat. “You okay?” His voice is thick, hoarse from pleasure, from exhaustion, from me .

I hum, still tracing my fingers through his hair. “Mmm. I should be asking you that. You worked hard.”

A lazy chuckle vibrates through his chest. “For you? Always.”

I feel the words settle deep, curling warm inside my chest. He’s always been like this, hasn’t he? Even when he didn’t deserve me. Even when he was trying to keep his distance. He worked for me.

For us .

I take his hand, twining his fingers with mine before shifting so he can place his hand on my stomach. His palm is warm against my belly, his fingers splaying out like he’s trying to memorize the feel of it, the reality of us .

Colt exhales slowly, his breath fanning across my collarbone. I feel him swallow against my skin, feel the way his fingers flex, like he’s trying to ground himself in the moment.

“Our baby,” he murmurs, voice raw.

A lump rises in my throat. I turn my head, pressing my lips to his hair, holding him tighter. “Yeah,” I whisper. “Ours.”

Colt doesn’t move for a long moment. He just breathes , his hand still over the barely-there swell of my stomach, like he’s trying to convince himself this is real. That I’m here. That we’re here.

Then, slowly, he shifts, lifting his head to meet my eyes. His gaze is open, unguarded in a way I’ve never seen before. He looks like a man seeing the rest of his life and wanting it .

“I’m gonna take care of you,” he promises.

I reach up, cupping his face in my hands. “I know.”

He leans into my touch, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment before he presses a soft kiss to my palm. “I can’t believe you’re mine.”

I smile. “I’ve always been yours.”

I tug him down for a kiss, wanting him again…knowing I could spend my whole life kissing him and never get tired of it. Colt groans against my mouth, his arms tightening around me, pulling me close, locking us together. His knot still holds us, still tethers us, but I don’t mind.

I don’t want to move.

This moment right here is perfect.

We stay like that for a while, tangled together, wrapped in each other, until his breathing evens out, his body relaxing fully against mine. Colt Morgan—who’s spent his whole life running—is finally at rest. For the first time since I’ve known him, he sleeps like a man who knows he’s home.

I should sleep, too. I should let my body sink into the comfort of him, into the safety of this bed, this night, this love we fought so hard for. But I can’t.

I just want to watch him .

The man who came to my den as a stranger, who made himself into my enemy, who betrayed me in a way no one ever had. And yet, somehow, he’s also the man I chose , the man who chose me back , again and again, even when it hurt. Even when it cost him everything.

My fingers trace the ridge of his shoulder, the two of us etched silver in the moonlight. His scent is all around me, wrapping around my heart, sinking into my bones. Ours. That’s what it is now. Not mine, not his. Ours.

I exhale slow, shifting just enough to press a kiss to his forehead.

“You can rest now,” I whisper.

Because this is it. Because I forgive him. Because he’s home, and I am too.

Colt stirs, just slightly, a sleepy sound rumbling in his chest as he tightens his arm around my waist. I don’t think he’s fully awake, but maybe— maybe —he heard me anyway.

I let my eyes slip shut, my heart steady, my breath even.

And for the first time in weeks, I let go.