Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
MILES
It was easy to pretend I was strong when I wasn’t around Loxley. But the moment I stepped into that house and saw her smile, every ounce of strength I had shattered. I was defenseless against her pull, lost in the gravity of everything she was.
And then she told me.
She remembered.
That fleeting moment months ago when our hands had brushed, when something unspoken but undeniable passed between us.
It wasn’t just my imagination. It had meant something to her too.
That realization hit me harder than I was prepared for, grounding me in the certainty that she was here, that she was real, that she was where she belonged.
Even if she was right about it being temporary, it didn’t make it any less profound.
Her voice was barely more than a breath, but it shook me to my core.
“I need you, Miles. I’m on birth control. I’m clean. I trust you. I’m desperate.”
The words ran through me like wildfire, igniting something primal and unrelenting. Somewhere in that confession, I heard exactly what I needed. It was her trust, her want, her undeniable surrender.
I shoved my boxers down, pressing the head of my cock to her opening.
Her thighs widened, heels pressing into my hips as she used her feet to push my shorts all the way to my ankles.
I kicked them off, never looking away. Her eyes were dark with need, her chest rising and falling with each shallow breath and the sweet, quiet sounds of anticipation slipping past her lips.
Slowly, I pushed inside, my body tightening as I watched her face, soaking in every flicker of emotion, every shift in expression.
My heart pounded as the weight of the moment pressed down on me.
My heart was racing, an intimate moment never having felt so damn monumental.
Not because of who she was, but because of who I was.
Once I was buried inside her, I stilled, both of us caught in the realization that everything between us had just changed. No turning back. No pretending we could ignore it.
When I started moving again, she moaned, and the sound went straight to my head, my body tightening with the effort to hold back.
I wrapped my arms around her, close enough to cage her in but not enough to crush her, keeping my weight balanced even as my lips found hers.
Our kiss was desperate, messy, our tongues meeting in a clash of heat and urgency.
Her nails raked down my back, sharp enough that I knew she’d leave marks, sharp enough that I almost wished she’d go deeper, because the sting was the only thing keeping me grounded, the only thing keeping me from losing control too fast.
Tearing my lips from hers, I nudged her head to the side, my mouth brushing against her ear as I whispered, “Do I need to cuff you, Miss Anderson?”
She stilled, a slow, teasing smirk curling at the corners of her lips.
“Probably.”
I thrust harder inside her, driving a gasp from her lips as her nails bit into my back once more.
I welcomed the sting, welcomed the way she clung to me like I was the only thing tethering her to reality.
Leaning in, I nipped at her ear, letting her hear every ragged breath, every low groan, making sure she knew exactly what she was doing to me.
There was so much I wanted to do to this woman. So much I wanted to taste, feel, and claim. But at that moment, I needed to stay there, hovering over her, watching as she unraveled beneath me.
“You’re so beautiful, Lox,” I murmured against her skin, my voice thick with need. “Just like this. Underneath me. Falling apart. Fuck, you’re amazing.”
Her head turned, her lips colliding with mine in a kiss that was all tongue and desperation.
She wrapped her arms tighter around my neck, holding on like she was afraid I’d disappear.
With one smooth motion, I flipped us over, settling her on top of me.
She gasped at the shift, but her lips never left mine as she took control of the kiss, deepening it, owning it.
I gripped her thighs, guiding her movements, making sure she felt every inch of me in places she never could when I was on top. She let out a sharp moan, breaking our kiss.
“Oh, fuck,” she whimpered, her breath warm against my lips.
I pushed her hair back, needing to see her face, needing to watch the pleasure consume her. Her breasts bounced with every roll of her hips, her mouth slack, her eyes heavy-lidded and lost in sensation. Just watching her nearly undid me.
She planted her hands on my chest for balance, her nails scraping against my skin, and I wished she’d claw me deeper—mark me, brand me, make sure I carried this moment with me long after she was gone.
But instead, she locked eyes with me, and I saw her unraveling, saw the silent, desperate plea in her expression.
She was close.
“Let go, Lox,” I urged, my voice a low command. “Let me see you let go.”
That was all it took.
Her movements turned frantic, her walls tightening around me as her release crashed over her. Her head fell back, hands palming her breasts, soft cries slipping from her lips as she shattered above me.
The sight of her coming undone sent me spiraling.
A deep groan tore from my chest, reverberating through the room as I met her movements, thrusting up into her, my own release hitting me like a wrecking ball.
My body tensed, my fingers digging into her thighs as I filled her, the pleasure so intense it bordered on pain.
For a brief moment, I thought I might black out from it. Goosebumps rose across my skin as I slowly came back down, my breathing ragged, my pulse hammering in my ears.
Loxley blinked down at me, dazed, then smiled. “Can we do this every day?”
I let out a soft laugh, squeezing her thighs between my hands. “Every. Single. Day.
“So much better than doing it ourselves with a wall between us.”
“We were crazy to think that’d be enough.”
“We tried,” she shrugged, stretching lazily as she remained nestled against me. “At least we can say we tried.”
A quiet moan escaped her as she shifted, her body overly sensitive.
“Speaking of showers,” she moaned, moving a little as she still sat nestled on top of me with my dick inside of her. “I need one.”
Leaning up, I kept her wrapped around me as I stood, carrying her to the bathroom without breaking our connection.
By the time I had the water warming, I finally slid out of her, setting her gently on her feet.
Her thighs pressed together instinctively, and when her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, I knew she felt me dripping from her.
“My shower isn’t missing tiles.”
She rolled her eyes, but her smile was pure satisfaction.
“Probably safer,” I continued, letting my hands roam over her skin, my voice teasing. “For the structural integrity of this house, if we both use mine.”
She hummed in agreement, running her fingers slowly down my abs.
I guided her into the walk-in shower, letting the warm water cascade over her bare skin.
Tilting her head back, I let the stream run down her back, watching the way the droplets clung to her curves.
I leaned in, capturing her lips in a slow, deep kiss.
It felt too tender, almost too intimate, but I didn’t care.
Her hands wandered from my arms down my sides, the touch making my muscles tighten under her fingertips. Then, she wrapped her fingers around my cock, already hard and ready for more.
She looked down between us, watching her own movements, her lips parting slightly as she took in the way I twitched in her grasp. Her touch was careful but deliberate, and fuck, it was doing things to me. When her gaze flicked back up, her eyes were full of something playful, something teasing.
“Say it,” I urged, recognizing the hesitation in her expression.
She bit her lip, like she was debating whether or not to speak, but finally, she let the words slip.
“Just thinking… I’ve never touched someone like this before.”
For a second, my body locked up. A thought hit me like a truck. Had I just taken her virginity without even realizing it? She’d told me how sheltered she’d been, how tightly controlled her life was under her label’s thumb. Did that mean she’d never—?
She must’ve seen the alarm flash across my face because she laughed softly, shaking her head. “Calm down, Mr. Officer,” she teased. “I’m not a complete rookie. I just… I’ve never been this intimate before. Not like this.”
Relief hit me first, but it was quickly followed by something darker.
The idea that anyone had touched her before me sent an unexpected rush of adrenaline through my veins.
I wasn’t possessive by nature. I’d never been the kind of guy to think a woman owed her body to anyone, least of all me.
But Loxley wasn’t just any woman. She was mine. At least for now.
And I sure as hell didn’t want to be just another name on her list.
I wanted to be the one she measured everyone else against. The one that set the bar so high no one would ever come close.
Maybe that made me a caveman, but I didn’t care. It was the truth.
“Me either,” I admitted, my voice thick as her grip tightened, sending another jolt of pleasure through me.
I wasn’t innocent, not by a long shot, but I wasn’t lying either.
Nothing in my life had ever felt this intimate.
I’d never showered with anyone. Never shared my bed.
My home had always been mine alone. Until Lox.
Without a second thought, I gripped her thighs and lifted her, pressing her back against the cool tile.
A sharp gasp left her lips as she clung to me, her body molding perfectly against mine.
Holding her in place with my weight, I lined myself up and thrust into her hard, the tenderness from earlier completely replaced with something raw, something urgent.
She cried out, her arms and legs tightening around me, surrendering completely as I took control.
It was insane. Less than fifteen minutes ago, I had been completely spent, convinced I couldn’t possibly need more. But Lox had turned me into a fucking fiend. Now that I knew how good she felt, now that I knew what it was like to have her like this, I knew I’d never get enough.
“Miles,” she moaned, her voice breathless, needy.
Fuck. That did something to me.
“Say that again,” I growled against her skin, desperate to hear it one more time.
For a second, she hesitated, her lips hovering near my ear. Then, finally, she whispered it again, her voice drenched in pleasure.
“Miles. Harder.”
I obeyed instantly, driving into her with two deep, punishing thrusts.
Her response was immediate. Her head fell back against the tile, her body tightening around me as she screamed, her melodic voice echoing off the walls like the sweetest fucking song she’d ever sung. The sound sent me spiraling, my rhythm faltering as pleasure tore through me, leaving me weak.
I barely had the strength to hold us up, but I didn’t let go.
Didn’t let her go.
Because at that moment, I knew I never wanted to.