Page 142 of Thorns of Silence

Finding his eyes, I mouthed, “Don’t hold back.” I wanted his everything. Ineededit.

He didn’t need to be told again. In the next breath, his hands were everywhere. Grabbing fistfuls of my hair to angle me the way he wanted, kissing me hard and gripping my hips to thrust harder, deeper. He nipped my neck and throat, never breaking the rhythm as he slid in and out of me, pounding into me.Hard.My moans and whimpers vibrated in my throat.

He wasn’t giving me a single break from the assault. It was too much. Not enough. It all felt devastatingly good.

His pelvis ground against my clit and I came so hard spots flew behind my eyes. The fire inside me burst, spreading a tingling sensation throughout my body and leaving a languid sensation of heat behind. He swallowed my moan in his mouth, and with a punishing last thrust, he shuddered above me while I held on to him.

He slumped on top of me, the warmth of his body a heavy blanket, and my eyelids grew heavy.

For the first time in years, I felt content. I pressed my face into his neck and breathed him in. There was nothing but us and Skye and our future.

FIFTY-SIX

DANTE

Nix tried to remain awake, but it was useless. She fell asleep with me still buried deep inside her, and for the first time in my life, it felt like it was exactly where I should be.

I pulled out of her, careful not to wake her. I went to the bathroom and returned with a wet towel to clean her up. Then I lifted her up, pulled off the ruined sheets, and wrapped her in the thick duvet.

After ensuring she was comfortable, I slid into the bed next to her and kept her close. I knew sleep wouldn’t find me, not until I was physically and mentally exhausted. Deep sleep had evaded me for… five years or so. It was the need to always be fully aware of my surroundings, ready to spring into action.

I’d never allow myself to be captured and tortured again. As I lay there next to my wife, open and more vulnerable than I could ever remember, that feeling from the hospital came back—the lingering thought that I had lost something irrevocably important.

The scent of spring rain lingered all around me and I stared up at the ceiling, letting my mind wander into oblivion.

My vision started to blur, past and present colliding as the memories closed in.

I was happy. The happiest I’d ever been.

It had to be illegal to feel this way. We hadn’t talked about either of our fathers, but I knew I was ready to take her and make her mine. I had enough from my inheritance from my birth mother to allow us to live comfortably for the rest of our lives.

Our days were filled with happiness and hope for the future, but we hadn’t discussed any of the details. Not yet.

Amon kept asking what was holding me up. I made up some bullshit story about searching for new vineyards. He bought it because he knew the droughts from the last year had majorly hindered production. And I sent Cesar home, much to his dismay. I didn’t want anyone to know about Phoenix Romero yet. Not until we made things official.

I checked my watch as I sat on my bike, waiting for her. Nix should be coming out any time now, sneaking out of her boarding school outside Lake Tahoe. We’d coordinated her classes with my business meetings, and we had a good routine going. We always left our late afternoons and evenings open for each other.

But this time, we’d have the entire weekend to ourselves. It had taken some scheming, but it would be worth it. Her school believed she was visiting home, and she told her sister she was going away for a workshop with her music program. It helped that Reina took extra classes so she could graduate early. And I… Well, I had nobody to answer to.

The two of us at my cabin at Lake Tahoe sounded almost too good to be true.

The familiar petite brunette, wearing skintight yoga pants and an oversized yellow sweater, came into view. I grinned and jumped off my bike.

She waved from across the parking lot, and even from here, I could see the way her eyes shimmered with affection.

It never got old, seeing her at the end of the day. Even if it was sometimes just for five minutes, it soothed me. I relished the quality time. She ran up to me and I caught her as she jumped into my arms.

Yeah, this would never ever get old.

Her legs wrapped around my waist and I spun us around as my lips found hers. She moaned against my mouth, her body moving against mine as I kissed her, taking my time and savoring each kiss. I eventually set her down, happily dazed.

“Hop on,” I told her as I handed her a helmet and moved to straddle the leather seat. She got on behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist tightly. I revved the engine and she glued herself against me, her soft curves molding against my hard back. I loved taking her out on rides, with nothing but the wind in our hair and the sun in our faces, we connected on a different level.

I always took the long way to my cabin when I rode the bike, so when we finally pulled up, I had to tap her hand lightly to make sure she hadn’t fallen asleep strapped to me like a koala.

Once I parked, she hopped down and stretched her legs, taking in the cabin and its surroundings with an awed expression.

I watched her with awe of my own before I could no longer stand the lack of proximity. I closed the distance between us and lifted her lithe body, throwing her over my shoulder and giving her ass a squeeze. She shrieked and laughed as she tried to wriggle away, and my lips curved into a wide smile.