Chapter 29 - Lila
Before we even reached the house, Astrid was fast asleep in Caleb’s arms, sleeping away the trip back home. It was a relief to see her more relaxed and at peace after everything, and while I’m sure we’ll have to talk about the things she witnessed tonight, it can wait for another day.
For now, she’s tucked away in bed, completely oblivious to the rest of the world.
I sit on the foot of the bed, dressed in sleepwear that feels far softer against my clean skin, grounding me in the fact that it’s all over now. After being forced to worry and stress about what might happen for far too long, I can breathe again, and the future seems far clearer now.
The shower eventually turns off, and a few moments later, Caleb returns to the room with a towel wrapped around his waist, dark hair still damp with water droplets scattered across his skin.
The dirt and blood are both gone now, and for the most part, it isn’t obvious that he fought for his life not that long ago. Still, he looks tired.
His eyes go to me immediately, and that exhaustion goes to the back burner as he approaches.
“You’re still awake?”
I nod, admiring him silently before glancing down at my hands. “I’m not ready to sleep yet, even if I should be.”
At that, Caleb’s expression softens with understanding, and he kneels down in front of me, placing his hands on my hips. “You’re still worried I’m mad about you using magic, aren’t you?”
The words come out gentle and almost knowing, making me feel like I’m being at least a bit silly for clinging to the thoughts. But I nod, because he’s exactly right.
“Lila, anger is the last thing I feel right now. At least, anger towards you,” he says, holding my gaze like I’m the only thing he wants to look at moving forward. His thumbs soothe over my skin, eyes raking over me briefly. “You had every right to protect what belongs to you. Just like I did.”
Something in me still wants to stew in the fact that I could’ve risked his life by interfering, even from afar, but at the way he touches me, and at the flicker of interest that settles in his dark eyes, I can’t bring myself to.
I sigh and ease a bit more into the bed, letting my hands move slowly along his forearms. “I just don’t want you to be ashamed of me for something I can’t control about myself. Or about Astrid.”
“Shame? Not even close,” he hums, seeming to lean into my touch a bit as his attention comes with an undercurrent of something warmer and more charged.
He moves a bit closer, sliding one hand up my back while the other grips me still, pressing his face against my sternum.
His words fan against my skin, “Sure, I don’t fully understand it yet, and I’m a bit hesitant to completely welcome magic into my life.
But you were fierce out there. You were and are exactly the mate I’ve always wanted. ”
My heart beat quickens at the words and his attention on me, not afraid to cling to me in the aftermath of everything. I swallow hard, gliding my palms along his shoulders. “You mean that?”
“I do,” Caleb says, softly kissing the valley of my breasts, suppressing a shiver at the way my pulse thrums in response.
He huffs quietly, as if he’s trying to regain control over his urges, but he just muffles a deep sound in his chest and kisses me again.
“And I’ll spend every day proving it to you, not because I need to, but because I want to. ”
His hand slips beneath my loose top, slowly heading upward and caressing my curves while his mouth moves lower, kissing through the fabric.
My exhaustion seems irrelevant as I melt into his touch, not willing to fight it for even a moment.
A thrill runs up my spine as he softly cups my breast, feeling the breath that escapes him at the contact, along with the way his shoulders seem tight with barely contained desire. His thumb brushes over my nipple in a reverent touch, making me inhale sharply from the rush of pleasure it brings me.
“I’ve been craving you… so deeply,” he murmurs, sounding almost breathless while he sparks more sensations through me before resuming his trail south, gently guiding me to lean back.
Propping myself up with my hands against the bed, I watch the way he kisses me and moves down my body like I’m something to be praised and worshipped. As if this is his true purpose in life. Something about it makes my skin feel hot all over.
“I never stopped wanting you,” I say, words wrapped in confession while I drink in his touch on my hips and down my stomach. My hips lift once he pulls the flimsy fabric of my bed shorts down, and the brush of his lips against my inner thigh makes me shiver. “Even back then. You were all I wanted—”
My breath hitches from the tug on my hips as I’m drawn closer to the edge of the bed, and his mouth finds the apex of my thighs with a low growl. A soft sigh escapes me at the feeling of his tongue against me, paired with his lips and his strong grip on my hips.
Hot, blinding static moves through my vision, pulling a moan from me before I can even stop it. I shudder at the way he feasts on me, more like a starving man than anything else.
The pleasure is overwhelming, making me squirm and pull back to ease off it, but Caleb doesn’t let me pull away.
Instead, he loops both arms around my thighs, pinning me to the bed while he continues his ministrations, seemingly reading my body perfectly.
He knows exactly what I need, making me arch from the mattress.
“Caleb...”
He hums, softly kissing my sensitive flesh before moving his lips back to my inner thighs, nipping occasionally. “You’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted… so let me pleasure you like you deserve.”
Those words make my heart flutter, and they send another wave of desire through me. My entire body is soft and pliant for him, unwilling to go without feeling that promised bliss.
So I nod, breath unsteady.
That’s all he needs.
Caleb’s back on me in an instant, lips and tongue not exploring, but already pinpointing every perfect place and rhythm that pushes me closer and closer to the precipice only he can bring me to.
My hand goes to his hair, gripping tighter when he adds his fingers to the mix, gently coaxing me along and adjusting his speed as needed.
Before I know it, a tidal wave of heat crashes over me, hardly giving me time to brace myself.
Instead, I arch into the touch while he guides me through it, groaning against me. The sound that escapes my lips is both pleading and overwhelmed, my body contorting with the onslaught of unabashed pleasure.
Everything goes tight before the release comes, and a pleasant haze fills my head while I pant quietly through it, feeling how my heart pounds in my chest.
Caleb hums, hands still firmly on me while he prolongs my orgasm, still paying light attention to my heat.
When I squirm from overstimulation, I huff out a breath and give his hair a gentle tug. “Get up here…”
He chuckles, pressing a lingering kiss against me before moving up my body again with some reluctance, as if he’d stay down there all night if he could. The towel around his waist seems to get lost somewhere along the way.
“So quick to pull a man out of heaven,” Caleb muses, eyes dark with lust as his lips brush up my neck and across my jaw before hovering above mine. “That’s cruel.”
“You were insatiable.”
“That’s how I like to be,” he says, grinning before brushing his nose against mine.
My arms settle around his waist, keeping him near while my fingers trail along his spine, eliciting a small but noticeable shiver from him. “Then we’ll find a new heaven, but together this time.”
Interest and desire spark in his gaze again, and he presses in closer, not leaving an inch of space between us. “I would call you a woman after my heart, but it’s already yours.”
The bond between us burns brighter at that, and without missing a beat, I lean in, capturing his lips.
Caleb hums, returning it greedily while his fingers move through my hair, holding me like his very soul would ache if we were apart.
It’s all heat and eagerness, fueled by every risk we faced earlier in the night, and the need to sink our nails into everything we could’ve lost.
Then, my breath catches as I’m suddenly maneuvered, turned over until I find myself above him, taking in those lustful eyes beneath me.
My heart thrums at the sight, and I place my hands against his chest, slowly roaming downward to feel the muscled expanse of his abdomen. It’s enough to make my lower belly hot.
Taking him in, I silently admire the strong body that carried him through the fight against Dawson. The one that’s been carved with time and discipline. The one that’s completely mine to enjoy. To take.
The thought alone sends a thrill through me.
A low sound reverberates in Caleb’s chest, and his obvious arousal twitches against me. His lips pull slightly. “Your thoughts are incredibly loud…”
“I don’t care,” I murmur, brushing my hand back up his body while I lean in, finding myself face to face with him. “Not when you should hear them anyway.”
His eyes seem impossibly darker, and his hands settle on my hips, bringing me forward to slowly roll my hips against his, making us both shiver from the friction. “What was that you said about heaven?”
Grinning back at him, I gently nip at his lower lip, savoring how it feels to be skin to skin with him. “It’s yours if you want it.”
Caleb nearly groans at that, but he reaches for the back of my neck, gently coaxing me closer again as he kisses me deeply.
His mouth is greedy, taking and taking while tasting every inch of mine.
A satisfied sound rumbles in his throat.
“As much as I like the way you were looking at me, my patience is waning.”
It’s tempting to continue pushing him, but here and now, I’m in the same position as him. That longing and hunger only heighten while being this close, bare bodies perfectly slotted together. So I stifle a needy sound and rub up against him again. “That makes two of us.”
With all pretense of teasing gone, Caleb lifts my hips at the same time as he kisses me again, not making either of us wait a moment longer.
Just as I’m aligned with his aching length, Caleb lowers me, breath catching mutually as I feel him. My body parts for him, welcoming him inside without an ounce of resistance.
His eyes close and his head tips back in immediate ecstasy, trying to stifle a moan before it can get the better of him. Even as he lies back and allows me to take control, his grip on my hip never wavers, fingers flexing with restraint.
Even seeing him like this, already looking like he’s undone despite just getting started, nearly makes me dizzy. But straddling him and having him sheathed inside me is another story.
Given a rush of courage from how perfect he looks underneath me, I lift my hips, slowly moving to gain more friction for both of us.
Immediately, a groan falls from his lips, and he has to physically stop himself from giving in to his instincts. He grips me hard, but doesn’t move, and the message is clear.
He wants me to take control.
The thought stirs something in me, and without hesitation, I keep going.
I keep the pace steady and as patient as I can, feeling the way every subtle movement stirs more pleasure inside me, rushing through me with ease.
Using my hands on his chest as leverage, I move faster, drawing every shattered, desperate sound from his lips with ease.
As if to keep himself from taking control, Caleb’s hands roam my body, making more sparks scatter across my skin. He tries to keep his eyes open to watch me, even as they flutter, almost needing to close from the overwhelming sensations.
Having his undivided attention like this, and knowing I’m the one responsible for the way his hips subtly lift, seeking out more, makes me feel even more powerful than when I wielded magic earlier. Having him desperate for this is more liberating than I ever could’ve imagined.
Soon enough, our sounds both fill the room as it grows hotter and hotter, and our breath picks up to punctuate the space.
As I take what I need from Caleb, giving him the same in return, the bond feels more like it’s glowing inside me, and it doesn’t let me stop.
Even as Caleb’s grip on me tightens, lifting his legs enough to surround me completely and thrusting upward to meet my movements, I don’t slow.
I chase the euphoria just ahead, savoring every second.
We’re so close then, bodies pressed together and refusing to separate. The sensations pile higher and higher, making me lose my rhythm. But it doesn’t matter when Caleb takes over, arm wrapped around my back while his opposite hand weaves through my hair.
My moans rise in pitch as my body clenches, seeking relief. Seeking everything he gives me without hesitation. With my face against his neck, my breath hitches, and everything crashes down onto me at once.
I cry out, muffling the sound against his skin while I clench, then release. More heat fills my head, leaving me breathless and beyond satisfied as I melt into cloud nine.
Caleb’s final thrusts only prolong those incredible feelings until his hips stutter, and he groans into the crook of my neck in return.
He’s everywhere at once, drowning me in both his comforting presence and addictive scent that I’ll never get enough of. Then, he slows, relaxing his body as I slump against him.
The room is near silent, save our panted breaths now, but the bubble around us is so perfect that I don’t want to speak and ruin it.
But I know it could never be ruined. Not with him, certainly not anymore.
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to focus with you around ever again,” Caleb muses after a few moments, pressing a gentle kiss to my temple while his hands move along my skin. “Not when I love you so much.”
Those words make me hesitate, but only because they catch me by surprise.
I lift my head to meet his gaze, catching the subtle flush in his cheeks. My expression softens in subtle disbelief. “You love me?”
His lips pull at that, as if it should be completely obvious. But instead of teasing me further, he gently brushes my hair from my face. “I do. I love you more than you could ever know.”
Emotions burn behind my nose, eyes watering at the sincerity in his words. Before my throat can close up, I murmur, “I love you too.”
Looking beyond endeared by my reaction, Caleb pulls me closer, capturing my mouth with his.
It’s slow and tender, letting me feel every ounce of his feelings for me.
Then, he murmurs against my lips, “Always.”
And I know he means it.
Because I do too.