13. Ava
Ava
Morning light filters soft and golden through the small cabin windows, chasing away the last shadows of the Idaho night.
I wake up slowly, cocooned in the heavy quilt.
My body feels deliciously sore in all the best places.
A pleasant ache between my thighs reminds me of everything we did last night.
The way his fingers and mouth drove me wild.
The stretch and fullness of him inside me for the first time.
The way he claimed me so completely. Heat blooms across my cheeks even now as I stretch under the covers, my muscles protesting in the most satisfying way.
I turn my head and see him still asleep beside me.
Jax looks so strong and peaceful like this.
His broad chest rises and falls steadily.
Dark stubble shadows his jaw. One arm rests across the bed as if even in sleep he needs to keep me close.
My heart does a silly little flutter. This growly US Marshal has completely ruined me for normal life.
How am I supposed to go into WITSEC and pretend any of this didn’t happen when every inch of me still tingles with the memory of him?
I slip out of bed quietly, the wooden floor cool beneath my bare feet.
The cabin air carries the faint chill of morning but the fire still gives off a gentle warmth.
I pad toward the small bathroom, wrapping my arms around myself.
My skin feels sensitive everywhere his hands and mouth touched last night.
I catch a glimpse of myself in the foggy mirror.
Hair tousled, lips a little swollen, eyes bright with something new and sparkling.
I look like a woman who’s been thoroughly loved by her mountain man protector.
The thought makes me giggle softly. My inner librarian is already drafting the scene in her head.
Chapter Five: The Morning After, Where the Shy Heroine Discovers She’s Addicted to Her Marshal's Touch.
The shower calls to me. I turn the water on hot and step under the spray once it warms. Steam fills the tiny space quickly, carrying the clean mineral scent of the mountain water.
Hot water cascades over my shoulders and down my back, soothing the delicious soreness.
I tilt my head back and let it soak my hair, rivulets running down my face and chest. My nipples tighten under the heat and I brush my hands over them lightly, remembering how Jax sucked and bit them last night.
A soft moan escapes me. Even alone my body responds to the memories.
I lather up with the soap, the rich cedar scent wrapping around me like his arms. My hands glide over my breasts, down my stomach, and between my legs where I’m still a little tender but already growing wet again just thinking about him.
The slickness mixes with the soap and water.
I wash gently, exploring the places he claimed.
It feels intimate and naughty all at once.
My racing mind supplies a running commentary.
Note to self: Add shower scene with extra steam and longing to the next library romance recommendation list. I rinse off thoroughly, enjoying the way the water pounds against my skin and chases away the last traces of sleep.
When I finally turn off the faucet the silence feels loud except for the distant wind outside.
I dry off with one of the thick towels, the soft terry cloth rough against my sensitive skin.
It smells faintly of him too. Everything in this cabin does.
I wrap it tight around my body, tucking the end between my breasts, and step back into the main room.
Jax is awake now. He sits up against the headboard, the quilt pooled low around his hips.
His chest is bare and magnificent in the morning light.
Muscles carved from years of protecting people and fighting bad guys.
His eyes snap to mine, darkening with that deep, claiming hunger that always leaves my knees weak.
The towel suddenly feels too small and too thin.
"Morning," he says, voice still rough with sleep but already laced with heat. "You look good enough to eat wrapped in that towel like that."
Heat floods my face and lower. I bite my lip, suddenly shy but also bold in a way I’ve never been before. "Hi."
He grins, eyes full of heat. "Get over here, Ava. That towel needs to come off."
I climb onto the bed with shaky legs, the mattress dipping under my weight. The quilt feels warm from his body heat. I crawl toward him and he reaches for me, large hands settling on my hips as he pulls me into his lap. The towel slips loose and falls away, leaving me completely bare against him.
Our mouths meet in a deep kiss. He tastes like morning and pure male desire.
His tongue strokes mine with savage hunger, hands sliding up my back before dropping to cup and squeeze my ass, lifting me slightly so I can feel exactly what I do to him.
I moan into his mouth, pressing my breasts against his chest. The friction of his skin on my nipples sends sparks shooting through me.
He groans and squeezes my ass cheeks, spreading them slightly as he grinds me down his thick length.
"Fuck, you’re so soft and perfect," he growls against my lips. "Been lying here thinking about this tight little pussy since I woke up. You sore, baby?”
"A little," I admit, rocking against him experimentally. The pressure feels incredible. "But I still want you. I want more, Jax. Show me how to ride you."
His eyes flare with heat. He shifts us so he leans fully back against the headboard, pillows stacked behind him.
The position gives me a perfect view of his powerful body.
He shoves his boxers down and kicks them off, freeing his cock.
It stands thick and hard, flushed dark and already leaking at the tip.
I wrap my hand around him, marveling at how big he feels. Velvet steel under my fingers.
"Climb on," he commands, voice thin and threadbare. "Straddle me. Let me watch you take every inch."
I position myself over him, knees on either side of his hips.
The head of his cock nudges my entrance, hot and slick from how wet I already am.
I sink down slowly, gasping at the stretch.
He fills me so completely, pressing against every sensitive spot inside.
My hands brace on his shoulders as I take him deeper.
"That's it, Ava," he praises, hands gripping my ass firmly. “Gentle at first. Feel how deep I am?"
I moan loudly, the sound echoing in the cabin.
The sensation is overwhelming in the best way.
Fullness, heat, and that delicious ache mixing with pleasure.
I rock my hips, finding a rhythm. Jax helps me, strong hands on my ass lifting and guiding me up and down his length.
The wet sounds of our bodies joining fill the air, obscene and intoxicating.
"Oh, Jax," I whimper, head falling back. My hair cascades down my back as I move faster. "You feel so big like this. So deep."
He groans, fingers digging into my soft flesh. "Ride me. Use me. Bounce on this cock like the good little virgin who got ruined last night. Look at you. Taking every thick inch so beautifully."
His dirty words make me clench around him.
I brace my hands on his chest and start moving with more confidence.
Up and down, grinding my clit against him on every downstroke.
Pleasure builds fast and hot in my core.
The cabin air feels thick with the scent of us.
His hands knead my ass, spreading me wider as he thrusts up to meet me.
The slap of skin on skin mixes with the crackle of the distant stove and our heavy breathing.
Jax sits up straighter against the headboard, one arm wrapping around my waist while the other stays on my ass.
He pulls me down harder, driving deeper.
His mouth finds my breast, sucking my nipple hard as I ride him.
I cry out, fingers tangling in his hair.
Every sensation crashes together. The drag of his cock inside me, the pull of his mouth on my breast, the visceral grip on my ass.
"You’re so fucking tight," he growls around my nipple, teeth grazing the sensitive peak. "This pussy’s squeezing me so good. Gonna fill you up again. Make you drip with my cum all day."
"Yes," I gasp, bouncing faster. My thighs burn but the pleasure overrides everything. "I want that. I want all of you, Jax. Please."
He releases my breast with a wet pop and captures my mouth in a filthy kiss.
Tongues tangling as he starts thrusting up harder, using his hold on my ass to control the pace.
I feel completely claimed. Owned. Adored.
The headboard thuds softly against the wall with our rhythm.
I’m completely lost in the heat and the stretch and the way he looks at me like I’m everything.
"Touch your clit, Ava," he orders between kisses. "Rub that pretty little button while you ride me. Want to feel you come all over me.”
I reach between us, fingers finding my swollen clit. The extra stimulation sends me spiraling. My movements grow erratic, desperate. Jax takes over more, holding my ass firmly and pounding up into me. Deep, powerful strokes that hit exactly where I need him.
"Come for me," he growls right against my ear. "Let me feel this tight pussy milk my dick. Be a naughty girl and soak me."
The orgasm crashes through me hard and bright.
I cry out his name, body shaking as waves of pleasure pulse around him.
My walls clench rhythmically, drawing him deeper.
He groans loud and primal, thrusting through my release until he follows me over the edge.
Hot spurts of his cum flood inside me, filling me so full I can feel it leaking out around his cock.
We stay locked together, panting and trembling. His hands stroke my back and ass soothingly now. I collapse against his chest, cheek pressed to his heartbeat. The scent of him surrounds me completely.
"Perfect," he murmurs, kissing the top of my head. "You’re so fucking perfect, Ava."
I smile against his skin, happiness bubbling up despite everything waiting outside this cabin. "That was even better than the books. Real life with you is way steamier."
He chuckles and holds me tighter. The morning light grows brighter outside. The world waits with its dangers and decisions, but right here in his arms I feel safe, claimed, and utterly alive.
We stay like that for a long time, bodies joined, hearts beating together.
I trace lazy patterns on his chest with my finger while he strokes my hair.
Every touch keeps the heat simmering between us.
My mind wanders to how we’ll face whatever comes next, but for now I just want to savor this.
The ravenous man who makes me feel like the heroine of my own wild romance.
Jax eventually eases me off him gently, cleaning us both with a warm cloth from the bathroom. He tucks me back against him under the quilt, his large body spooning mine protectively. The soreness between my legs feels like a sweet reminder. I’m his now. And he’s mine.