Chapter 35
CALEB
I lay in the massive bed at Dominion Hall, the morning light slipping through the blackout curtains, painting gold streaks across the hardwood floor, the faint hum of a boat engine drifting from the harbor below.
Meghan was beside me, her body warm against mine, her breath soft and steady, the scent of cedar and clean linen mixing with her skin’s faint lavender trace.
My mind churned over everything that had happened—her fire, her fight, the Charleston Danes pulling me into their world, the papers waiting for my signature that would make me a billionaire.
Billionaire. The word felt like a foreign language, heavy and unreal.
I’d never had a fancy meal out unless it was on someone else’s dime, never owned more than a duffel could carry, but this—her, this place, these brothers—felt righter than anything I’d known, righter than I thought I deserved.
Yet with Meghan, I knew I deserved her, her fire matching mine, her heart a beacon I’d follow anywhere.
Her hair spilled across the pillow, dark and wild, and I traced a strand with my finger.
The weight of the past weeks pressed in—Alastair’s warehouse, his pathetic blubbering, Meghan’s fierce takedown, the notes that had haunted her.
I’d been ready to end him, to put a bullet in his skull, but she’d handled it, claimed his empire with a wink and a boot to his crotch.
That strength had me falling harder, my need to protect her blending with a need to savor her, to make her mine in every way.
I shifted, my lips finding hers, soft at first, a slow kiss that deepened as she stirred, her mouth opening, warm and yielding.
I took my time, savoring her lips, tasting the faint sweetness of last night’s shortbread, my tongue tracing hers, a low hum escaping her throat.
I moved lower, my mouth trailing to her neck, then her collarbone, the skin warm and soft under my lips. Her breasts were next, full and perfect, and I kissed each one, my tongue circling her nipples, teasing them to peaks as she arched, a soft moan spilling out.
My hands followed, cupping her, my thumbs brushing her skin, memorizing every curve.
I kissed down her stomach, slow, deliberate, her muscles tensing under my lips, her breath hitching as I lingered at her hips, my hands gripping the soft flesh, my mouth grazing the dip where her thigh met her pelvis.
I flipped her gently, her back a canvas of smooth skin, and I kissed down her spine, savoring the way she shivered, my lips brushing the curve of her ass, my hands kneading gently before flipping her again, her eyes meeting mine, dark with want.
My mouth found her center, hot and slick, and I took my time, every kiss, every lick a vow.
I tasted her, sweet and musky, my tongue sliding through her folds, slow, deliberate, savoring her like this was where I was meant to be.
Her hips bucked, her hands tangling in my hair, pulling me closer, her moans a rhythm that set my blood alight.
I licked deeper, my lips grazing her sensitive skin, my tongue swirling, drawing out every gasp, every tremble, until she was shaking, her breath ragged, her body arching under my mouth.
I didn’t rush, didn’t stop, letting her ride the edge, my hands gripping her thighs, keeping her open as she came, her cry sharp, echoing in the quiet room.
She pulled me up, her eyes wild, and straddled me, mounting me with a grace that stole my breath.
I looked up at her, her hair falling around her face, her body glowing in the morning light, and I couldn’t believe I was this lucky.
She stared down, her gaze fierce, tender, and I knew I was the luckiest man alive.
Her hips moved, slow, deliberate, her heat tight and perfect, a moan ripping from my throat.
“You’re beautiful,” I said, voice rough, and she smiled, stroking my face, her fingers soft against my stubble as she took me deeper, slower, our bodies moving together like they’d been made for this.
We came together, her eyes locked on mine, a shared release that felt like a vow, prickles shooting down my back as she clenched around me, her cry mingling with mine. No place I’d rather be, no moment I’d trade.
We collapsed, panting, her body curled against mine, the sheets tangled around us. I had no idea what living at Dominion Hall would be like, what traveling with her would look like—Oaxaca’s markets, Tokyo’s knife-sharp mornings, Sicily’s salted wind—but none of that mattered now.
I watched her, her breath steadying, her skin flushed, and knew this was enough, her fire my home.
“Can we just do this forever?” I asked, half-laughing, my hand tracing her hip.
She slapped my chest playfully, her grin wicked. “There’s work to do, Caleb. Food to eat, research to conduct.”
I laughed, the sound rough but real. “Yeah, wouldn’t be proper to fuck in every restaurant we visit.”
She smirked, her eyes gleaming. “Not Japan. Too respectful. But Italy? Maybe.”
Her endless spark was allure itself, pulling me in like gravity. The words slipped out, unbidden, raw. “I love you.”
She smiled, and for a moment, my heart stopped, thinking she wouldn’t say it back.
Then she straddled me again, her hand wrapping around my cock, stroking until it was hard, her touch a spark that made me inhale sharp.
She lowered herself, taking me in, settling deep, her heat a fire that burned away the world.
“Took you long enough,” she said, her voice low, teasing, then softer, “I love you, too, Caleb Dane.”
She rode me, slow at first, then faster, her hips rolling, her hands on my chest, nails digging in, her eyes locked on mine.
I thrust up to meet her, our bodies a rhythm, her moans a song I’d never tire of.
The room faded, the harbor’s hum gone, just her, me, and the heat between us, building, consuming, until we were lost in it, her fire my everything.