Page 25 of The Delta’s Rogue (Crescent Lake #4)

Sebastian’s arms encircle me, his warm, solid chest pressing against my back as he clings to me with all his might. Even in his sleep, he’s conscious of the inevitability of my departure, keeping me as close to him as he can for as long as he can.

My cheek rests on his biceps, my hands stroking his forearms where they wrap around my chest and waist. With his nose buried in my hair, his deep breaths fan the strands with each exhale. He’s sound asleep and has been for a while now.

But I am wide awake.

I asked him to hold me until I fall asleep, but I can’t sleep. Not with what I know is coming, what I know I must do. My throat tightens, and I swallow against the swelling to shove it away.

I won’t cry. Not yet.

I continue stroking his arm, soaking in the feel of him and memorizing the way he holds me, the way his skin warms mine everywhere we touch, every time we touch. I snuggle back into him, letting his body hide and protect mine as we curl up together in my tent.

My fingers lace with his, and I squeeze them then lift his hand into my line of sight.

I trace over his palm with my fingertips, marveling at the size of it.

Of them—his massive, powerful hands that have brought unparalleled and forbidden pleasure to my body.

Hands that can snap the neck of a grown werewolf without breaking a sweat, then caress me with irresistible tenderness and tempting sensuality.

Hands that have held me and guided me through countless orgasms, through the complexities of our pretend and then not-pretend relationship, that have woven poignant threads of passion, trust, and companionship around my heart and into my soul.

Hands I must now leave behind.

I close my eyes and press my lips to the middle of his palm. Then I spin in his arms, wrapping mine around his middle as I rest my forehead on his chest. He shields me from everything—the world, the future, my duty—and I long to stay like this with him forever. Para siempre .

But I can’t. I’ve already stayed here for too long.

I couldn’t bring myself to leave—even as I avoided him after Christmas—finding any and every reason to remain just one more month, one more week, one more day.

Excuse after excuse, until they all ran out and I couldn’t postpone my departure any longer.

I have no one to blame but myself. I knew the risks of getting too close to him.

I knew it would damage my heart in the end.

But like he said, I couldn’t stay away. I saw him standing there, stalking our camp to get a closer look, and my instincts took over, creating a domino effect of events that led us to this moment.

The moment I say goodbye.

My nose nuzzles against his chest. To temporarily ease the growing pit of sadness in my soul, I take in gulps of his scent—lemon and cedar, and a hint of mint.

The same as always. The same as the first time I laid eyes on him.

It calls to me, drawing me to him and wrapping around my heart like glittering strands of life.

It’s seductive, and sweet, and purely him. All him.

My first. My only. My end and my beginning.

Mi Sebastián . My Sebastian.

My lips replace my nose, and I kiss across his chest to his heart, liquid pooling in my eyes during my journey. I kiss and kiss and kiss, until no surface of his chest remains untouched, and a lone tear falls from my eye. I brush it away with my shoulder before it hits his skin.

My breaths tremble as I try to calm myself, and I whisper to his heart as quietly as I can, “ Te esperaré, mi vida, no importa cuanto tiempo pase. Nada ni nadie nos mantendrá separarados .” I kiss him again, punctuating my declaration. “ Te lo prometo. ”

“You know,” Sebastian mumbles groggily, voice deeper than normal in his half-asleep state, “of all the languages I’ve learned, Spanish surprisingly isn’t one of them. ”

I cover my mouth with my fingertips, and he peeks at me through a half-opened eyelid. Upon seeing my teary, pain-filled expression, both his eyes immediately snap open and he props himself on his elbow. The blanket pools around his waist, and he cups my cheek.

My lip quivers. I close my eyes, turning my face into his palm as I press my hand against my chest to soothe the ache within.

“Sarina?” He leans over me, his body taut with concern.

“ Lo siento ,” I choke out. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” he soothes, covering my body with his. His thumb strokes my cheekbone and his other hand my hair. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

I inhale shakily and open my swollen eyes to meet his—gray and quiet, like a cloudy day. They hide so much from the world, much like the skies they resemble, and yet I find peace within their stormy depths.

I reach for his face, tilting my chin higher as I do. “ Bésame ,” I whisper, tugging his face towards mine. “Kiss me.”

He closes his eyes, and our lips meet in comforting, amorous kisses. I soar across the sky with each one, falling through the heavens, one of two spiraling, dancing stars barreling through existence.

Nothing compares to kissing him, to being with him. I exist to receive his love and return it tenfold.

And now I have to leave him behind.

“ Sebastián …” As our lips part, I breathe out his name, my tears making it almost indecipherable. “I—”

“I know,” he says, his voice tight and forehead against mine. “You have to leave.”

“I have a little time still, but yes.”

“What did you say?” He kisses my nose. “Before. When you thought I was asleep.”

I swallow and wrap my hand around his neck, drawing him closer to me. “I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes. Nothing and no one will keep us apart.” His throat tightens, and I lean my face away to meet his eyes. “I promise.”

“Sarina…” He dives for my lips and wraps his arm around me.

Our bodies collide, much like our souls did when we met. We move together, my thighs parting and his hips aligning with mine, his cock finding my pussy with ease. I hold my breath as he enters me, slipping in gently and never letting up on his kisses .

Then we’re one.

A shuddering, rapturous sigh escapes me at the earth-shattering pleasure hurtling through me as he rocks his hips, sliding his dick in and out of me. He doesn’t stop, but he’s slow and methodical with his movements, his muscles rippling with restraint and power.

All the other times we’ve been together intimately, it’s been about him utilizing that power, that innate strength and dominance within him, and about me submitting to him by relinquishing my control and my body for him to enjoy as he sees fit.

This time, he gives me what I need. No—what we both need.

Connection. Reassurance. He takes his time loving my body, and the threads of delight winding through me brush against my soul, deepening my attachment to him.

My hands roam his chest, stroking the sculpted muscles as they tense and relax, and he groans into my mouth, heart thundering. The pace of his hips quickens to match the speed of his heart. Our kisses ebb, our breaths coming too fast to continue the long, slow presses of our lips.

I surrender to it all and open myself to the pleasure.

It’s not just physical. Our relationship was never just physical, as much as we may have pretended and convinced ourselves it was.

It’s emotional. Spiritual. It eclipses reality, transforming into something deeper, something more meaningful and more treasured than life itself.

It’s love in its purest form.

He rolls his hips, movements as smooth as velvet even with the pace we keep.

I arch against him, and his mouth finds my neck, kissing the front of my throat and across my collarbone.

My fingers weave into his hair as he kisses my pulse.

It’s soft and reserved, like an unspoken promise.

He kisses it again, and electricity shoots through me, darting across my skin and into my soul.

I shudder and rock my hips, angling them so my clit rubs his skin and his cock reaches all the secret, sensitive areas in my pussy.

He groans and kisses my pulse a third time, and a moaning sigh escapes me. It falls around us like a trail of dust from a comet. The shimmering, pleasured sound weaves through our souls and brushes across our skin, and my orgasm mimics its dance, winding through my veins like decadent caramel.

My pussy tightens around him as I finish, and he thrusts harder, groaning louder against my throat. His chest vibrates against mine, his heart pounds, and then his release rushes through him too. He pulses inside me, and my eyelids flutter as I wrap my arms around him, tugging him tight against me.

Our euphoria sweeps through and over us like a breeze from the ocean. He lifts his face to mine and rests our foreheads together as we both move through each warm sweep of bliss until all that is left are our soft sighs and our bodies joined as one.

“Promise me,” I murmur, gasping from the remnants of my orgasm. I touch his neck and chest, absorbing every bit of him I can before it’s too late. “Promise me you’ll find me again.”

“I already told you”—he kisses me between his words—“I will find you.”

“ ?Prométemelo, mi vida! ” I demand, lifting my hands to his face and digging my fingertips into his cheekbones. “Promise me.”

He covers one hand with his, moving it to his lips to kiss before he presses it to his chest again. “I promise I will find you.” His eyes meet mine, sincerity etched into their gray depths, as his words bind his vow to my heart. “I promise, Sarina,” he repeats.

“ Te lo prometo ,” I whisper, coaching him to say it in Spanish. “ Te lo prometo. ”

“ Te lo prometo .”

He rolls onto his side, removes his dick from my pussy, and wraps me in his embrace again. His heart slows, but mine thunders harder, echoing in my ears like the hooves of a thousand wild horses.

“ Sarina, ” Rune mindlinks me, her voice a whisper in my mind. “ It’s time. ”

“ A few more minutes.” I squeeze my eyes shut and tighten my arms around Sebastian.