Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ledger
I rise from the bed, my breaths coming fast and shallow, every nerve in my body lit with raw anticipation. I move to the nightstand, pulling the drawer open with a quiet groan. My hands fumble through its contents, searching with a desperation that feels like it’s clawing at my chest.
A glint of foil catches my eye, and relief surges through me, sharp and electric. Thank fuck.
My fingers shake—not with hesitation, but with the kind of need that borders on something primal. A need I’ve felt from the moment I met Gale. She’s been in my head, under my skin in a way no one ever has. Her fire, her strength, the way she doesn’t just meet my intensity—she matches it, ignites it.
I tear the packet open with my teeth. My eyes find her on the bed, her hair spread across the pillow like some kind of celestial halo, her lips parted, her chest rising and falling in rhythm with mine.
She watches me, her gaze open, unguarded, and it hits me like a rush of adrenaline. She’s letting me see her—every piece, every crack, every unspoken moment between us. It’s more than trust; it’s her, all of her, and I want it.
I move toward her, every step driven by a pull I can’t explain. She’s not just in the room—she is the room, the air, the fire that consumes everything else. Nothing else matters. Nothing else exists. It’s just her, and I can’t get to her fast enough.
I roll the condom down my length, my breath hitching as the sensation sends a ripple of anticipation through me. It’s maddening—this need, this hunger—but it’s more than that. Every fiber of my being is focused on her, on what’s about to happen, on what it means to finally have her like this.
To feel her.
To lose myself in her completely.
To show her, with every touch, that she’s mine.
To give her everything I’ve been holding back, everything I am.
To claim her in a way that’s raw and real.
To make her feel everything I can’t put into words. That in this moment, nothing else matters. Not the past, not the future—only her. Only us.
Once I’m ready, I crawl back onto the bed, the mattress dipping beneath my weight as I move between her thighs. Her scent fills the air, sweet and intoxicating, making my pulse hammer. My hands find her face, fingers brushing over her delicate skin like she’s something sacred. I tilt her chin, bringing her mouth to mine, and when our lips meet, the kiss is deep and demanding.
It’s not just a kiss—it’s a question and an answer. It’s me telling her she’s mine and asking if she’s sure.
Her lips part for me, and everything else disappears. The world fades until there’s nothing but the heat of her mouth, the softness of her skin, the way her body yields to mine like it was made for this. For me.
When I finally pull back, her eyes are glassy, her cheeks flushed, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I rest my forehead against hers, my voice rough and low as the words tumble out.
“Are you sure about this?”
Her answer comes without hesitation, instinctive and sure. “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my entire life.”
Her words hit me like a lightning strike, leaving me breathless. There’s no going back now. Not that I’d ever want to.
I position myself at her entrance, my body trembling with restraint as I push into her, inch by inch. The sensation is everything—tight, wet, and so perfect it’s almost unbearable. A guttural groan rips from my chest as her heat wraps around me, pulling me in, claiming me as much as I’m claiming her.
“Fuck,” I grit out, my head dropping forward as one hand grips the headboard and the other her hips, fingers digging into her soft skin. The heat of her, the tightness, it’s everything. She’s wrapped around me, squeezing me like she’s meant for this, meant for me, and the feeling is enough to drive me insane.
“You’re so fucking perfect,” I groan, my voice ragged, barely holding back. “So tight, so wet . . . you feel like heaven, Gale. Like sin.” I thrust deeper, slower, savoring the way her body clenches around me, pulling me in, refusing to let me go. “You’re gonna ruin me, and I fucking want it.”
Her nails scrape down my back, leaving trails of fire in their wake, and I bite back a growl, fighting the primal urge to lose control. But I won’t rush this. Not with her. She deserves more. She deserves everything.
“You feel . . .” she whispers, her voice trembling as her walls tighten around me, gripping me so perfectly it’s almost unbearable. “You feel incredible. So deep . . . so right. Like you’re made for me.”
Her words spill out in a breathless rush, her nails biting into my shoulders as she gasps. “I’ve never felt anything like this. Never wanted anyone the way I want you.”
Her nails dig into my shoulders, her breath coming in broken gasps. “Please,” she pleads, her voice raw, desperate. “Go deeper. I want to feel all of you. Make me yours completely.”
Her words send a jolt through me, primal and consuming, and I grit my teeth, barely holding on as I thrust deeper, the sound of her moan driving me closer to the edge. I meet her gaze, and the vulnerability I see there hits me harder than I expected. It’s raw, unguarded, and it makes my chest ache in ways I can’t even name.
“You don’t know what you’re doing to me,” I growl, my fingers tightening on her hips. “But I’ll give you everything, Gale. Everything.”
Her walls pulse around me as I begin to move, slow and deliberate, savoring the way her body shudders beneath mine with every thrust. Each movement feels like more than just sex. It feels like a connection I’ve never known before—something deeper, something that terrifies and thrills me all at once.
Her hands find my face, pulling me down until our foreheads touch. Her breath mingles with mine, her voice soft but firm. “Don’t stop,” she pleads, her eyes locking onto mine. “Don’t ever stop.”
Her walls pulse around me, gripping me so perfectly it sends a shiver down my spine as I start to move, slow at first, drawing out every sensation. Each thrust pulls a gasp from her lips, her body trembling beneath mine with a need that matches my own. It’s more than just pleasure—it’s everything. Raw. Consuming. A connection I never thought I’d find, one that both terrifies and electrifies me.
“Never,” I rasp, my lips brushing hers as I thrust harder, deeper, the sound of her moans spurring me on. My hand slides between us, fingers seeking the swollen bundle of nerves at her center. The second I touch her clit, she cries out, her body arching into mine, and I swear I’m losing myself in her all over again.
“Like that?” I murmur against her lips, my fingers circling her in rhythm with each deliberate thrust. Her walls clamp around me, her moans turning into desperate whimpers, and it’s like nothing else exists. Just her. Just this.
“God, Gale,” I groan, my voice low and wrecked as her nails rake down my back. “You feel so fucking good. I could stay inside you forever.”
Her hips buck against mine, meeting every movement, her body chasing the edge as I drive into her again and again. The tension coils tighter between us, a heat building with every touch, every thrust, every gasping plea that falls from her lips.
She’s close. I can feel it in the way her body responds, the way her nails dig into my skin, the way her moans break into breathless cries. And I’m right there with her, holding back with everything I have, wanting this moment to last just a little longer.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur, my lips capturing hers as my thrusts deepen, my fingers circling her clit with just the right pressure to make her gasp. Her nails dig into my shoulders, and the sound she makes—a desperate, breathless moan—nearly undoes me. “I’ll always have you, Gale. Always.”
And the scariest part? I mean it.
Every word, every thrust, every touch—it’s all a promise. One I never thought I’d want to make, but now it feels inevitable. Like she’s carved her place into me, and there’s no undoing it.
I pull back just enough to meet her eyes, her gaze locking onto mine with a fire that matches the heat building between us. Her chest rises and falls, her breath mingling with mine as I move inside her, slow and deliberate, making her feel every inch of me.
The thought rises, unbidden but undeniable. I don’t want this to end. I don’t want us to end.
Forever. It’s a word that used to feel distant, untouchable, like a lie people told themselves to feel safe. But with her? It doesn’t feel impossible. It feels real. It feels right.
And for the first time, I wonder—what if this could actually be it? What if she’s it?
Her body trembles beneath mine, her nails biting into my skin as she gasps my name, her voice breaking on the edge of something she can’t hold back any longer. I thrust harder, deeper, my fingers still working her clit, and her cries push me to the brink. Her walls clench around me, pulling me under, and I let go, falling with her into the abyss.
She shatters beneath me, her body arching, her moans raw and unrestrained as she comes undone. The intensity of her release sends me spiraling after her, a guttural groan tearing from my chest as I empty myself into her, every ounce of control obliterated.
I collapse against her, but it’s not over. Not yet. My lips find hers in a kiss so deep, so consuming, it feels like drowning and breathing all at once. Her fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me closer, as if she’s as desperate for this connection as I am.
The kiss doesn’t end. It stretches, endless and everlasting, like the world itself has stopped to make room for this moment. For us.
When we finally pull back, our breaths are ragged, our foreheads pressed together, but I’m still not ready to let go. I never want to let go.
And next time? Next time, I want more.
I want to brand her, to mark her, to make sure she knows that she’s mine in every way that matters. Because the truth is, I already know I’m hers.
Hers.
Completely.
And there’s no going back from this. From us.
Not now. Not ever.