Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ender
The water was already hot by the time I stepped under it.
Steam filled the bathroom, fogging the mirror and blurring the sharp edges of the morning.
I braced one hand against the tiled wall and let my head drop forward, water beating against my shoulders, my neck, my back, trying to wash off the restless energy that had been sitting under my skin since I woke up.
Clove was still asleep when I slipped out of bed.
Curled on her side, hair fanned across the pillow, breathing slow and deep like she finally trusted the world not to pull the rug out from under her again. I’d stood there for a long moment just watching her, fighting the urge to climb back in and wrap myself around her like I had all night.
Last night had been… good.
Quiet.
When we got back to the clubhouse, the common room had been mostly empty. Junior and Arlo were the only ones around, both of them tipping their heads at us without comment before going back to whatever the hell they’d been doing. No questions. No looks. No bullshit.
We’d gone straight to the room.
We’d kissed slow, lingering, stolen like it was still a secret even though everyone knew. We’d fallen asleep tangled together with her leg hooked over mine, and her hand tucked against my chest like she belonged there.
I didn’t want to rush her.
Didn’t want to rush us.
This wasn’t something we could fuck up and just walk away from. Our lives had been braided together since before we knew what that meant. If this went wrong, it wouldn’t just be awkward, it would be catastrophic.
That mattered.
“Ender?” her voice drifted in through the steam.
“Yeah, baby?” I called back.
“Can you sing?”
I laughed, loud and unrestrained. “No.”
“Yes,” she said, amused. “I need to go to the bathroom.”
I shook my head and belted out two intentionally awful verses of Happy Birthday just to make her laugh.
“You can stop now,” she called when the toilet flushed.
“Sleep good?” I asked.
Silence.
“Clove?” I tried again.
Nothing.
I frowned and reached up, pulling the shower curtain back and nearly lost my damn mind.
She was standing there.
Naked.
Steam curled around her body like it was trying to hide her from me, but it didn’t stand a chance. My eyes dragged over her without permission, heat slamming into me so fast my breath punched out of my lungs.
She was beautiful.
Soft curves. Smooth skin. Confidence in the way she stood there like she knew exactly what she was doing to me.
And my body reacted instantly. “Goddamn,” I growled.
Her lips curved. “Want some company?”
My jaw clenched. “Clove,” I said slowly, deliberately, “you’ve got five seconds to put your clothes back on.”
“And what if I don’t?” she asked.
The words ripped out of me before I could stop them. “You’re mine.”
She should’ve run.
Should’ve laughed and backed away.
Should’ve done anything except what she did next.
She stepped forward, slid into the shower, and pulled the curtain shut behind her.
“I think I like it right here,” she said softly.
My control snapped.
I caught her wrist gently but firmly, and my eyes locked on hers. “This is your last chance.”
Her gaze didn’t waver. “I don’t want a chance.”
That was it.
I hauled her against me, my mouth crashing down on hers, the kiss nothing like the careful ones we’d shared before. This was hunger. Heat. Want I’d been holding back for days.
She gasped against my mouth as her fingers dug into my shoulders, and her nails scraped my skin as she kissed me back just as hard. Water poured over us, slicking our skin together, and steam trapped the heat between us.
I pressed her back against the tiled wall, my body covering hers completely. My mouth moved from her lips to her jaw, and then to her neck. She tilted her head back instinctively, giving me access and trusting me without hesitation.
“Ender,” she breathed.
Hearing my name like that nearly undid me.
My hands mapped her body like I’d been waiting my whole life to learn it. Every curve. Every line. She melted into me, moaning quietly, as her body responded to mine like it had always known how.
Her mouth found mine again, slower now but deeper. Our tongues slid together in a way that made my knees weak. She wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer, and her body fit against mine like this was where she was meant to be.
I groaned low in my chest and shifted my stance, lifting her just enough to press her fully against the wall. Her legs instinctively wrapped around me, and her forehead dropped to mine.
“Clove,” I whispered.
“Yes,” she breathed, like she’d been waiting for me to say her name again.
“I need you.” It wasn’t a want anymore. I knew if I didn’t have her, I wouldn’t be okay.
Her hands slid up my chest, nails dragging just enough to make my breath stutter, and when she moved against me, when her body lined up with mine like it had always known exactly where to be, I groaned so low it surprised even me.
The sound echoed off the tile, swallowed by the rush of water, by the steam, by the way she fit so damn perfectly against me it felt like something inside my chest finally clicked into place.
“Ender,” she breathed, my name breaking on her lips like she’d been holding it back.
That was it.
I gripped her hips, my fingers digging in, and my cock filled her tight pussy.
“Fuck,” I muttered, as my forehead dropped to hers.
“You feel—” The words dissolved into a groan as she moved like she’d been waiting for this just as long as I had.
Water slicked down my back, and steam curled around us.
Her hands fisted in my hair, tugging just enough to make me curse again.
“Don’t stop,” she whispered, voice wrecked, and desperate in a way that made my grip tighten. “Please.”
That word from her shattered whatever restraint I had left.
I moved with her, deeper into the moment, into the heat, into the sounds we couldn’t stop making. Her breath came fast and broken, my name spilling from her mouth as she needed it to hold on, and every time she said it, my control slipped another notch.
“That’s it,” I growled, voice rough, barely recognizable as my own. “I’ve got you. I’m right here.”
She cried out, body tensing, and shuddered against me.
The way she clung to me, like I was the only thing keeping her upright, sent me over the edge with her.
The release hit hard and fast, ripping through me with a groan I didn’t bother holding back.
I held her through it, arms locked tight, riding it out together as the water kept pouring down around us.
When it finally eased, we stayed like that.
I kissed her slow and easy. Just… us.
“You okay?” I murmured, brushing my thumb along her cheek.
She nodded, smiling softly, eyes still dark with heat. “Yeah.”
I knew without a doubt this was something I wasn’t letting go of. Ever.