Chapter 19 #2
She turns back to me, eyes steady, no pity, just heat and certainty.
Her fingers find the hem of my shirt and drag it up slow.
I lift my arms so she can peel it off. The cotton hits the floor.
She pops the button on my jeans next, works the zipper down.
I kick off my boots, shove the denim and boxers down in one go, stepping out of them.
I hook my fingers under the hem of her shirt and start popping buttons one by one, slow, deliberate.
Her breath catches every time a new inch of skin shows.
When I reach the last one I tug the tails free from her slacks and push the shirt off her shoulders.
It slides down her arms and pools on the tile.
She stands there in her black lace bra and those tailored pants that hug her hips like they were made to torture me.
She reaches back for the clasp herself this time. I beat her to it, fingers brushing hers as I flick the hooks open. The bra loosens. She shrugs it forward and lets it drop. Her nipples pebble in the steamy air. I don't stare long. My hands are already at her waistband.
I pop the button on her slacks, drag the zipper down with my knuckles grazing her stomach.
She sways a little closer. I hook my thumbs into the waist and shove the pants and her black lace panties down together in one smooth pull.
They bunch at her thighs. She steps out of them, kicking the pile aside with her bare foot.
The slacks land half on the bath mat, half on the floor like they don't matter anymore.
Now we're even. Skin to skin. No more barriers.
She takes my hand again, steps into the tub first. Water sloshes as she sinks down, bubbles foaming up around her waist. I follow, careful, settling against the curved back with my legs spread.
She turns, gives me her back, and lowers herself between my thighs until her spine presses flush to my chest. My arms come around her on instinct, one banding under her breasts, the other splayed low across her stomach.
Her head drops back onto my shoulder, wet hair sticking to my neck.
The heat soaks into us both. Bubbles pop against our skin. Her fingers find mine under the water and lace tight.
She tilts her head until her lips graze my jaw. "Breathe with me, Lucky."
I do. Deep inhale through my nose, exhale slow against the side of her throat. My thumb brushes the underside of her breast, lazy circle. She arches just enough to press harder against me.
"You're not alone in this," she whispers. "Not anymore."
I don't trust my voice yet, so I just tighten my hold and bury my face in the damp curve of her neck. Her pulse beats steady under my lips. We stay tangled like that, water lapping, steam curling, letting the quiet fix what words can't.
We soak until the water turns lukewarm, bubbles mostly gone, skin pruned at the fingertips.
She's the one running her hands down my arms, massaging the tension out of my shoulders like she knows exactly where it lives.
Her world got ripped open tonight too, yet here she is, piecing me back together with soft touches and quiet words.
She's too fucking good for someone like me.
Way too good. But the thought of letting her slip away makes my chest cave in, so I grip her tighter instead.
The water sloshes as we finally stand. I help her step over the edge first, steadying her with a hand on her hip.
She reaches for the stack of towels on the shelf, pulls out two thick white ones.
Hands me the bigger one without a word. I wrap it around my hips, knot it loose.
She tucks hers under her arms, covering her breasts and torso, the terry cloth clinging to her wet skin.
I step in close before she can move away. My hands find her waist, thumbs brushing the edge of the towel. I tip her chin up with one finger so I can look straight into those honey-hazel eyes that always see too much.
"I love you, Savannah."
Her breath hitches. For a second she just stares, lips parted like she wasn't expecting the words to come out raw like that. Then her hands slide up my chest, fingers curling into the damp skin over my heart.
"I love you too," she whispers back, voice thick. "Even the fucked-up parts. Especially the fucked-up parts."
I crash my mouth down on hers. Not gentle.
Hungry. Like if I don't kiss her right now I'll shatter.
She meets me just as hard, hands fisting in my hair, pulling me closer.
The towels slip a little but neither of us cares.
My tongue finds hers and she moans low in her throat, the sound vibrating through my chest.
I break the kiss just long enough to scoop her up, one arm under her knees, the other around her back. She laughs against my lips, surprised but not fighting it.
"Bed," I mutter. "Now."
She nods, arms looping around my neck. "Yeah. Bed."
I carry her out of the bathroom, water still dripping off our skin, leaving dark wet footprints across the hardwood like we're marking our territory.
The bedroom is mostly dark, just that soft hallway glow spilling in.
I kick the door almost shut behind us, the click loud in the quiet.
I lower her onto the mattress slow, like she's something breakable even though we both know she's not.
I follow her down, never breaking the kiss.
Towels get ripped away in the scramble, hers, mine, gone. Just skin now. Hot. Slick. Needy.
Her legs hook around my waist, heels digging into my ass, pulling me in tighter like she can't stand even an inch of space between us.
I settle between her thighs, cock already hard and throbbing against her.
She reaches down, wraps her fingers around me, strokes once, slow and firm, thumb swiping over the head.
"Lucky," she breathes my name like it's the only word that matters.
I groan into her neck, teeth scraping that spot below her ear that always makes her shiver. "Tell me what you need, baby."
"You." No hesitation. Voice rough. "Inside me. Right fucking now."
I don't tease. I line up, push in slow at first so she feels every thick inch stretching her. She arches hard, nails carving lines down my back, a sharp hiss escaping through her teeth. When I'm buried to the hilt I freeze, forehead pressed to hers, both of us breathing ragged.
"You feel that?" I rasp, voice wrecked. "That's us. Not letting go. Ever."
She clenches around me on purpose, eyes locked on mine in the dim light. "Never."
I start moving. Deep, deliberate rolls of my hips that make the headboard tap the wall in a steady rhythm. Her moans get louder, breathier, turning into these broken little sounds every time I bottom out. My name spills from her lips over and over like a prayer she can't stop saying.
I hook one of her legs higher over my hip, open her up more, change the angle just enough to drag against that spot inside her that makes her eyes roll back and her mouth fall open.
"Fuck, yes," she gasps, fingers twisting in the sheets. "Right there. Don't stop. Don't you dare stop."
I don't. I give her everything. Harder. Faster. Skin slapping skin, sweat slicking between us. We're shaking, chasing it together, hearts hammering so loud I swear I can feel hers against my chest.
Her hands slide up to cradle my face, thumbs brushing my cheekbones. She pulls me down until our mouths crash together again. This kiss isn't frantic anymore. It's deep. Slow. Like we're trying to crawl inside each other's skin.
"I see you," she whispers against my lips between thrusts. "All of you. The kid who fucked up. The soldier who survived. The man who thinks he doesn't deserve this. I see every piece and I want them all."
My rhythm stutters. Something cracks open in my chest. "Savannah…"
"You're mine," she says, voice fierce even as her body trembles. "And I'm yours. No more running. No more hiding the ugly shit. We carry it together."
I drop my forehead to hers again, eyes burning. "I don't know how to be good enough for you."
"You already are." She clenches around me again, deliberate, pulling a groan out of me. "You came back to me tonight. You told me the truth. That's more than enough."
I kiss her hard, swallowing whatever else she was going to say. My thrusts slow but go deeper, grinding against her clit with every roll. She's trembling harder now, thighs quaking around my hips.
"Come with me," I growl low against her ear. "Let go, baby. I've got you. Always."
She breaks first. Back bowing off the mattress, a raw cry tearing out of her throat as she clamps down around me, pulsing hot and tight and perfect.
Her nails dig into my shoulders, marking me.
That pulls me over the edge. I slam deep one last time, come hard inside her with a guttural sound that feels like it rips straight from my soul.
We collapse in a sweaty, shaking heap. I roll us so she's on top, still buried inside her, her head tucked under my chin. My arms lock around her back like I'll fight death itself to keep her right here. Her heartbeat thuds against my chest, fast and strong, matching mine.
She presses lazy kisses along my collarbone, up my throat, under my jaw. "I love you," she murmurs. "The whole messy, broken, beautiful you."
I swallow hard, fingers threading through her damp hair. "I love you too. More than I know what to do with."
She lifts her head, looks down at me with those honey-hazel eyes that always see straight through my bullshit. "Then don't do anything with it. Just let it be. Let us be."
I pull her down for another kiss, slower this time. Softer. Like we're sealing something permanent. When we break apart she rests her forehead against mine again, noses brushing.
"We're soul mates, Lucky," she whispers. "I don't care if that sounds cheesy. I felt it the first time you looked at me like I was the only person in the room. And I feel it now. Like every fucked-up thing that ever happened to either of us was just leading us here."
My throat burns. I don't have words for how much that hits. So I just hold her tighter, roll my hips once more just to feel her gasp against my mouth, still sensitive, still connected.
"Yeah," I finally manage, voice rough. "Here. With you. That's all I want."
She smiles against my lips, small and real and mine. "Good. Because I'm not letting you go either."
We stay like that for a long time. Tangled. Breathing each other in. No rush to move. No need to talk more. Just us. Finally whole.