Chapter 26 #2
The words sent a shock through me, but the honesty in Ford’s eyes rooted me in place and forced me to face my own feelings for him.
What had started as me resisting him at every turn had developed into the safest love I’d ever known, all because this man proved, again and again, that his loyalty never wavered.
That there was nothing I could do to drive him away, not even on my worst days.
“No,” I said softly, then stronger, “I’m done running from you.”
Ford’s eyes searched mine, cautious hope flickering there. “You sure?”
I exhaled a breath, one I felt as though I’d been holding in all my life. “I love you, Ford,” I whispered, taking a leap of faith with him. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
Ford went completely still. For a long moment, he just stared at me, as if making sure he’d actually heard me correctly. As if he was afraid to blink and find out it wasn’t real.
Then everything in his expression broke wide open. The look in his eyes ignited into something fierce and raw and devastatingly tender, like I’d just handed him the entire world and he didn’t know how to hold it gently enough.
“Violet…” he breathed, voice thick, almost shaken. “Say it again.”
“I love you,” I said, the words coming easier now.
That was all it took. He cupped my face in both hands like I was something precious, like I was breakable and sacred and his. His thumbs brushed my cheeks reverently, and his forehead touched mine for the softest, sweetest second.
Then he kissed me.
God, he kissed me.
It wasn’t rushed or greedy. It was deep, slow, claiming…
like he was pouring every emotion he’d ever had for me into that one moment.
Like he’d been waiting his whole life to finally stop holding back.
His lips moved over mine with purpose, with devotion, with promise.
I melted into him, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt, clinging to him like he was the only solid thing in the universe.
Because for me, he was.
And when I kissed him back, it wasn’t out of fear or confusion or desperation. It was love. Real, terrifying, beautiful love.
Ford made a low, broken sound against my mouth, like me kissing him back was almost too much. He deepened the kiss, one hand sliding into my hair, the other anchoring me to him. I felt him everywhere—his warmth, his strength, his steady heartbeat pressed against my chest.
Emotion surged so hard inside me it almost hurt. This was it. The moment we both finally chose each other. And for once in my life, love didn’t feel like a risk. It felt like coming home, right here where I belonged with Ford.
“Violet,” he breathed against my lips, like my name was the only prayer he knew. His hands trembled slightly as they gently held my face, his forehead resting against mine. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.”
“I think I do,” I whispered, because I’d felt it, too. That slow, relentless pull toward him from the very beginning. “Ford…”
I didn’t get to say anything else. He kissed me again, deeper, hungrier, like holding back was no longer an option.
I melted against him with a soft gasp as his tongue slid against mine.
I slid my hands under his shirt, desperate for more contact, and felt heat and firm muscle.
And when he groaned into my mouth, it rumbled through me like thunder breaking a long drought.
He backed me up against the nearest wall with his body, pressing into me, and I arched up to meet him, desire flooding through my veins.
His hands were everywhere as he kept kissing me—gripping my waist, my hips, skimming down my thighs before sliding back up beneath the hem of my shirt, fingertips dragging over my skin like he was memorizing every inch.
“Tell me to stop,” he rasped against my lips, even as he lifted me, my legs wrapping around his hips instinctively. “Or I swear to God, Violet, I’m taking you to bed right now.”
“Don’t stop,” I said breathlessly. “Please don’t stop.”
He growled softly and pushed off the wall, his hands cupping my ass as he carried me toward the bedroom like I weighed nothing. I clung to him, kissing him hard, pouring every ounce of love and longing I had into it.
Clothes started disappearing as soon as my feet touched the ground, tossed haphazardly across the floor, until we were both completely naked.
He backed me toward the bed, and when my thighs hit the mattress he lifted me easily, laying me out like I was a feast for him to devour.
He came down over me, bracing his forearms so his weight caged me in without crushing.
I hooked my legs around his hips and tugged him forward, moaning when the head of his cock slid through my already slick pussy and notched itself at my opening. He didn’t thrust like I wanted, and I made an inarticulate sound in the back of my throat.
“So impatient,” he said, his voice rough and his eyes hot. “Good. I like you impatient.” His hands found my wrists, lifting them above my head. “I also like you obedient when I ask.”
“Ask me,” I said, willing to do whatever he wanted, to get what I wanted.
He wrapped my fingers around the slats in his headboard. “I want you to keep your hands there,” he ordered. “No moving them, or I stop.”
I recognized the wicked gleam in his eyes, and knew he wouldn’t hesitate to follow through on his threat and leave me aching. I held on tight. “Yes, sir.”
“Good girl,” he murmured, his praise elevating my desire and making me throb with anticipation.
I expected him to fuck me straightaway, but instead he nuzzled his mouth against my throat and slowly, gradually, worked his way lower, like he was savoring the trail of my pulse with his lips and tongue.
“What are you doing?” I asked breathlessly.
He lifted his head and smirked at me. “You thought I was just going to get right to fucking you?” he asked, pressing my breasts together with his hands.
He licked and bit and sucked my nipples, making me gasp and squirm.
“Not yet. First, I’m going to take my time and worship you, and you’re going to be a good girl and let me. ”
No, he was going to torment me, without using our normal toys. “You’re a bastard,” I said, but there was no real protest in my voice.
He chuckled, scraping his teeth over the soft skin of my stomach, making me shiver as he inched his way downward. “My parents were happily married when they had me,” he refuted, winking up at me.
Then he did exactly as he promised. He worshipped me in a way he never had before.
Slowly. Thoroughly. He took his time kissing all over my body, toying with me, biting and licking the inside of my spread thighs, lightly squeezing my breasts in his hands until I whimpered for more.
Heat pooled low in my belly while my pussy throbbed for relief.
He avoided where I ached the most, and bit by bit, I melted into the sensations, until I wasn’t thinking anymore.
I was just feeling. He turned me into an absolute puddle with his hands and mouth and fingers, pinching me, spanking me a little, letting that little sting of surprise pain melt straight into pleasure to keep me in the moment, but mostly just…
exploring my body. Making me feel treasured and adored in a way I’d never experienced before.
“So soft,” Ford murmured, dragging his tongue along the crease of my hip. “So perfect. And every inch of you is mine.”
I wanted to beg. I wanted to sob and plead for him to touch me where I needed it the most. To fuck me. To fill me. To ruin me. But I held back the words and just moaned, because I knew he would give me everything. He always did.
Finally, finally, Ford settled between my legs. His hands pushed my thighs indecently wide, exposing me completely. His hot, hungry gaze landed on my aching pussy.
“Look at you,” he said, voice rough as he dragged one finger up my slit but not quite touching my clit. “Dripping all over my sheets just from me teasing you.”
My breath hitched hard. “Ford…please.”
He didn’t make me wait this time.
His head dipped, his breath hot against me.
The first touch of his mouth was a slow, teasing slide that had my fingers gripping the slats and my body arching.
Then he got serious, his tongue doing obscenely sinful things to me, moving in deep, lazy strokes, then fast, devastating flicks against my clit.
I couldn’t hold back the sounds I made, the helpless catch of my breath, and the sharp cries echoing in the room as I spiraled out of control. He held my hips when I tried to grind up against his mouth, pinning me just enough to make me feel caged and cherished at the same time.
“Come for me,” he ordered, closing his lips over my clit and sucking hard. He fluttered his tongue at the exact spot that drove me absolutely wild, and I orgasmed so hard a scream flew out of me.
I shattered, hard and hot and blinding, the world narrowing to the rhythm of his mouth and the rough sounds he made when I broke for him. He didn’t rush me out of the release. He stroked me down slowly, carefully, and by the time I could breathe again my whole body was trembling.
He moved, kneeling between my thighs, spreading me open with a possessive grip. He hooked my legs over his, his thick erection brushing across my overstimulated clit and I nearly jerked off the bed.
“F-Ford—”
He leaned forward as he ran his hands up my body, one stopping on my breast to tweak my nipple, while the other slid higher, curling around my throat. I gasped, then moaned as he applied just the right amount of pressure. My eyes rolled back at the shocking rush of arousal that coursed through me.
Ford looked incredibly pleased by my reaction. “You like the feel of my hand around your throat, holding you exactly where I want you?”
I realized he’d just unlocked a kink I never knew I had. “Yes,” I whispered.
“Hmm.” He considered my answer, his thumb caressing the side of my neck, his dark eyes locked on mine. “I think I’ll have to get you a pretty collar. Maybe a leash. Treat you like my filthy little slut…or train you to be my obedient puppy.”
My entire body clenched. I couldn’t deny that both scenarios lit me up.
Before I could respond, he nudged his cock down and pushed inside, slow enough to make me feel every thick inch as he filled me.
His hand flexed around my throat. His jaw tightened. He bottomed out and stayed there, buried deep, not moving at all.
He laid his chest against mine and gently kissed the corner of my mouth. I could feel his cock pulsing inside me, just stretching me, claiming me, despite him not moving.
The heat in his gaze nearly set me on fire. “Fuck me, Ford,” I begged, already trembling.
He did, setting a rhythm that was all Ford—driving, controlling, and just ruthless enough to make me see stars. The kind of pace that said I own your pleasure and I’m going to prove it.
When I tightened around him, a broken cry slipped out of me. He caught my thigh and shoved it higher around his waist, opening me wider, angling deeper and knocking a helpless sound out of me.
“That’s it,” he growled, his voice low and savage against my lips while he pumped in and out of me. “I’m going to ruin this pussy so you never forget who it belongs to.”
He kissed me then, deep and filthy and reverent all at once, and my orgasm crashed over me.
My whole body arched off the bed, trembling uncontrollably as I cried out his name.
He fucked me right through the pleasure until I thought I might break apart entirely, then followed me over the edge straight into bliss.
His entire body shuddered as he came inside me, then stilled. I finally let go of the headboard slats. I threaded my fingers in his hair and pulled him closer, basking in the warmth of his weight and the way our bodies fit perfectly together. The way we fit together.
Something inside of me settled as I realized that for the first time in my life, I wasn’t bracing for the moment someone let go. I was safe with Ford. Loved.
Eventually, Ford eased out of me and laid beside me, pulling me half onto his chest and I didn’t resist. His fingers drew lazy patterns on my back while I listened to the steady, powerful beat of his heart.
Neither of us spoke for a long moment. We didn’t need to.
Finally, he tilted my chin up with one finger so I was looking into his eyes.
“I meant what I said,” he murmured, his tone steady and true. “I want a life with you, Violet. All of it. The laughter, the fights, the stubbornness, the chaos. The boring days and the incredible ones. I’m in, all the way.”
“I’m in too,” I promised him without hesitation, and meant it.
“Good,” he said, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “Because I’m never letting you go, so you’re stuck with me.”
I smiled against his skin, warmth blooming in my chest. “I guess there are worse fates,” I teased softly.
He chuckled, tightening his arms around me and I felt it…that rare, impossible thing. A love that stayed.
Our story wasn’t perfect, but it was real and it was ours.
And it was only just the beginning.