Chapter 26 #2
Her lips parted, but no sound came, so I kissed her again, slow and deep.
When her hands tugged at the hem of her own shirt, my fingers wrapped gently around her wrists.
“Let me,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
Selene hesitated, her lashes fluttering as she searched my face. For a moment I thought she’d argue. Then, with a small exhale, she let her arms fall back to the bed.
Trust.
The word echoed in my head like a bell.
I leaned down, brushing my lips across her temple, her cheek, the corner of her mouth, before trailing lower—down her throat, across her collarbone. Her fingers flexed against my bare shoulders, nails biting just enough to make my breath catch.
“You’re killing me,” she whispered, her voice breaking the hush of the room.
“Not yet,” I murmured, nipping lightly at her skin. “But I plan to.”
Her quiet laugh morphed into a gasp when my hands slipped under her shirt, palms splaying against the warm skin of her waist. I took my time, inching the fabric higher as my thumbs traced slow, lazy circles over her side.
“God, you’re beautiful,” I said reverently.
The words seemed to unravel something in her. She arched slightly, her hands threading into my hair as if to anchor herself.
“Say it again,” she breathed.
“You’re beautiful.” I kissed the underside of her jaw, letting the words sink in. “Perfect. You feel like—” My voice faltered as I met her gaze, my chest tightening. “You feel like home, Selene.”
Her lips trembled like she wanted to reply, but instead she tugged me down for another kiss, her hands desperate now, pulling at my shoulders like she couldn’t get me close enough.
I didn’t mind. I didn’t ever want her to stop.
The quiet of the house pressed heavier around us as my hands traced the length of her thighs, slipping beneath the fabric of her shorts, mapping out every inch of her like I had all the time in the world.
I’d never had anything like this. And I already knew—if it all ended tomorrow, I’d still spend the rest of my life remembering how it felt to be here.
With her.
Selene’s fingers tightened in my hair as I kissed down the curve of her throat, tasting the faint salt of her skin. Her breathing hitched, soft and shallow in the stillness of the room.
“Austin . . .” Her voice trembled like she wasn’t sure whether it was a plea or a warning.
I drew back just enough to see her face, brushing a thumb over her flushed cheek. “What is it?”
Her lips parted, but she hesitated, lashes lowering like she was trying to hide.
“Selene,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Look at me.”
It took a beat, but her eyes finally lifted to mine. There was vulnerability there—naked and staggering—but she didn’t look away.
And, Christ, she was devastating.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered. “Every second. Every inch. I’ve got you.”
Her fingers loosened in my hair, sliding down to my shoulders as if surrendering was the only choice left.
I tugged her shirt up slowly, giving her time to stop me, but she didn’t. When the fabric cleared her head and fell to the floor, my breath caught.
She was . . . everything.
“Fuck, Selene.” My voice broke around her name.
Her hands came up to cover herself on instinct, but I caught her wrists gently, pulling them aside. “Don’t,” I said, my voice low. “Let me see you.”
A shiver ran through her, but she nodded, her chest rising and falling like she’d just run a mile.
My palms moved down her sides, thumbs tracing the delicate line of her waist. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
The words seemed to sink into her skin, softening the tension in her shoulders. Her hands cupped my jaw, pulling me down for a kiss that was hungry and sweet all at once.
Her shorts followed her shirt, my fingers curling in the waistband as I worked them down slowly. She arched her hips to help, and the faint sigh that slipped from her lips nearly undid me.
When she lay bare beneath me, I had to pause—just for a second—because the sight of her like this wasn’t something I could rush.
“Selene . . .” Her name was a reverent murmur on my lips as I pressed kisses along her collarbone, down her sternum, across the soft skin of her stomach.
Her hands threaded into my hair again, her hips shifting restlessly as a quiet sound escaped her throat.
“Please,” she whispered.
I looked up at her, my chest tight. “Please what?”
“Don’t make me say it,” she breathed.
A slow smile curved my mouth. “I want to hear you say it.”
Her fingers tightened in my hair. “Please touch me.”
I was there to worship her.
I shifted higher, my hands mapping every curve as I kissed her again, slow and deep. Her thighs parted under my touch, her breath stuttering when my fingers teased her gently—just enough to make her gasp against my lips.
“You’re already so wet for me,” I murmured, my thumb stroking lazily through her pussy.
Her nails bit into my shoulders as she arched into my hand, her voice breaking on a quiet moan.
“Shhh,” I soothed against her ear. “We have to be quiet, baby.”
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip to stifle another whimpering sound. The restraint in her made my heart pound. She held so much in, but I could feel her unspooling.
“That’s it,” I whispered, my fingers working her higher, my mouth tracing her jaw. “Let go for me, Selene.”
Her body trembled as she broke apart beneath my hand, her cries muffled against my shoulder.
I held her through it, murmuring quiet praises until her breathing slowed, her muscles loosening as she melted into the sheets. When her eyes fluttered open, there was something raw and unguarded in them.
“Come here,” she whispered.
I didn’t hesitate. I kissed her as I shed the last of my clothes, her hands roaming my chest like she couldn’t decide where to touch first.
When I gripped my cock and settled between her thighs, her breath caught.
“I ache for you,” I said, my forehead resting against hers.
“Yes.” Her voice was sure now. “Please.”
Sliding into her felt like coming home. Her warmth surrounded me, pulled me under, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from losing it right then.
We moved together slowly at first—deliberate, savoring. My hand cradled her jaw, my lips brushing hers with every thrust.
“Look at me,” I whispered.
She did and it wrecked me.
“Selene,” I groaned, my voice breaking as I pressed deeper into her heat. “You feel like everything I didn’t know I was missing.”
Her nails dragged down my back as her hips lifted to meet mine.
“Faster,” she whispered, her voice desperate.
“Anything you want,” I promised, my pace quickening as her moans grew harder to contain.
We were careful—so careful to stay quiet—but the headboard gave a faint creak with every roll of my hips, her breath stuttering into the curve of my neck.
“Please don’t stop,” she begged, her voice breaking.
“I won’t,” I vowed, kissing her temple as I thrust harder. “Not until you fall apart for me again.”
She came undone beneath me a second time, her body clenching around me as I followed her over the edge, her name a groan on my lips.
When I collapsed beside her, my chest still heaving, I pulled her close—tucking her against me like I could shield her from everything outside these four walls.
Her fingers traced lazy patterns over my chest as our breathing slowed in tandem.
The room smelled faintly of vanilla and clean linen, the air still heavy with the warmth of skin and whispered pleas. Selene’s breathing had settled into a slow, even rhythm, her head nestled in the hollow of my shoulder like she’d been made to fit there.
Her hair spilled across my chest in a soft wave, strands catching on my stubble as I tilted my head, brushing my lips against her temple. She smelled like her shampoo and a little like me, and something about that gave me a full body rush.
The sheets had cooled, but her body was still warm against me—one leg tangled lazily with mine, her arm draped across my stomach like she owned the right to be there.
I shifted slightly, careful not to jostle her, and drew the blanket higher over her bare shoulders. My fingers brushed her skin as I tucked it in around her, and I felt her sigh—a quiet, contented sound that made my throat ache.
I could get used to this.
The thought came fast and uninvited, sharp enough to leave a hollow echo in its wake.
I could get used to her sleepy weight on my chest, to the faint crease between her brows smoothing as she drifted off. To the sound of Winnie’s giggles in the morning, barrettes clutched in her small hands as she demanded another round of “practice” on my hair.
I could get used to being part of something.
A real part. Not just the fun guy or the temporary fix or the one who made it easy to forget.
Selene shifted slightly, her hand dragging across my stomach, fingers curling in the edge of the sheet as she murmured, “Don’t leave.”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly tight. “I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered back, kissing the crown of her head.
Not tonight.
Not if it killed me.
Her breath hitched as she hummed, but she didn’t stir, her body relaxing deeper into mine. I traced my thumb down her spine in a slow, absent pattern, memorizing the feel of her—every curve, every inch of soft skin that still carried my touch.
This felt so damn good.
My hand drifted to her hair, tucking a loose strand behind her ear so I could see her face. She was beautiful like this—unguarded, lips parted slightly, lashes resting against flushed cheeks.
The room’s dim glow pooled over her shoulder, catching on the faint freckles I hadn’t noticed before. My fingers itched to trace them, to map her like I had all the time in the world.
Because that was what I really wanted.
Time.
More mornings with them. More nights tangled in her sheets, her laughter in my ears, her daughter’s tiny hand tugging mine toward some imaginary kingdom.
My nerves tightened into knots.
I’d spent my whole life trying to be the guy everyone wanted around—the one who kept things light, easy, fun. But sitting here, I couldn’t shake the weight pressing in. The ache of wanting too much, of holding too tightly to something that wasn’t mine to keep.
It felt too good—too close to perfect—and deep down I hated how easily I could believe I’d earned it.
Like I deserved her, deserved Winnie, deserved this quiet life.
It was a gnawing fear I’d never measure up—that no matter how much I wanted to be their constant, their safe place, wanting wouldn’t be enough.
Selene shifted again, her breath warm against my skin.
I held her closer. I wasn’t ready to let go, but deep down, beneath the buttery quiet and her soft sighs, I felt it—the truth pressing in and taking hold.
This wouldn’t last, because nothing this good ever did.
I shut my eyes. I tried to ignore it and to hold the moment tighter, but the words lingered anyway.
She hummed and murmured in her sleep, “I like when you stay.” Her words, almost too soft to catch, were a punch to the gut.
I smoothed her hair back, my thumb brushing the delicate curve of her cheek. I swallowed hard against the lump expanding in my throat.
“I’ll stay as long as you’ll let me,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure if I meant it as a promise or a plea.
Because deep down, I knew I’d already fallen too far to pull myself back.