Chapter 40
ELLIE (PRESENT)
Nate’s face transforms before me. He’s no longer a man, he’s an animal, a predator.
And I’m his prey.
He stalks toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. It’s too late to stop this. Too late to change my mind. That man is going to have me. He’s done waiting. Done playing this game, dancing around our feelings. He’s going to show me who I belong to.
Him.
It’s always been him. It will always be him. When we leave this cave, it’s done. No more demands, no more pain, no more anger. We let it all go.
We become Nate and Pip, again.
The hurricane outside might be racing toward landfall, but there is an even bigger storm brewing inside this cave.
The charged atmosphere creates a threatening sort of intimacy, triggering chills to creep up my spine.
The whistling wind coils through the trees, and raindrops drum against the cave walls, skillfully serenading Nate’s advances.
The perfect soundtrack for my complete undoing.
My utter ruin.
Katie is mourning the loss of her sister and fiancé, and I’m preparing to give him my body.
She still wears his ring, but I get the rest of his life.
She’s crying over the loss of him, as I reclaim the heart she thinks belongs to her.
I stand feet away from him, dying to feel him thrust inside of me, knowing she is missing him—missing me—at home.
I am about to cross a line I can never uncross.
I should feel regret. I should feel reluctant.
At the very least, guilt. But the only thing I am feeling now is impatience.
It seems to take him hours to cross over to my side of the cave.
His strides are slow, as if he’s hunting me.
His eyes trail my body in a way that sets my skin on fire.
They linger below my waist, growing darker as his pupils dilate.
His gaze is locked, his nostrils flaring as his tongue peeks out, wetting his bottom lip.
Finally, his eyes flick back to mine. There is a hunger there, a beast demanding to be fed. His hands fist at his sides as he tries to rein in the monster lurking below the surface. He’s ready to attack, and once he catches me, there will be no mercy…no escape.
He’s starving.
And I’m a feast.
I feel a flush spreading down my face, down my chest, right down to my core. His abs flex as he prowls toward me. The look on his face should frighten me. Instead, it excites me. He’s going to devour me, and I am going to love every second of it.
I move backwards as he stalks toward me. I don’t even mean to, it’s purely instinctual to try and flee the danger in front of me. My back connects with the cave wall, trapping me in place as Nate gets closer. The side of his mouth lifts in a cocky grin. He’s got me right where he wants me.
Next thing I know, he’s in front of me, caging my body against the cold, damp wall.
A predatory smile appears as he bares his teeth, giving him an animalistic appearance.
The corners of his mouth twitch as if he can sense my anxiety.
His eyes fill with amusement as I press myself harder against the cave wall.
The anticipation is making me jump out of my skin.
A strange buzzing sensation prickles my fingers and toes.
His stare alone ignites a spark deep inside me.
If he doesn’t make his move soon, these heightened emotions are going to cause me to blackout.
“I asked you a question,” he growls, causing an electric current to zap straight to my core.
“Wha—what?” I stutter. I can’t even remember my name, let alone the last question he asked me.
“What happens…” His hands reach the bottom of my tank top, sliding underneath while gripping the material.
His fingers caress my stomach, causing me to shiver when a chill travels up my body.
“After I…” He starts to lift my shirt, passing my belly button and reaching the underside of my breasts.
“Take your…” He uses the material to yank me forward, away from the cave wall.
He lifts the material higher, baring my full breasts for his eyes to feast on.
His chest heaves, his nose flares, and I’m pretty sure he growls as his eyes focus on my erect nipples.
“Shirt off.” He jerks the tank top over my head, his movements rough as his desire takes over.
He isn’t going to be gentle. What we are feeling now goes beyond lovemaking. This is going to be carnal.
Without waiting for my answer, he dips his head and latches on to my taut nipple. He draws me into his warm mouth, and I can’t help the moan that slips out. I slide my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer. He groans his approval, opening his mouth wider around my ample breast and sucking hard.
“Oh God,” I whimper as he switches sides, giving my other breast the same attention. His five o’clock shadow scrapes against my skin like rough sandpaper, intensifying the pleasurable pain of his forceful sucking.
He’s going to decorate me with his mark.
He’s claiming me.
He lifts his head, and I hardly recognize the man standing in front of me.
He’s feral, untamed…perfect.
We’re actually going to do this. We’re going to have sex for the first time in eight years.
It only took three days after crashing on this island before letting this man have me again.
Three days to break a promise that I never should have made, not when he belongs to me.
His heart belongs to me. His soul belongs to me.
His body belongs to me. He’s mine to love, mine to keep, mine to fuck.
The thought of another woman’s hands on his skin makes me absolutely feral.
He stands in front of me, stripped down to his tented boxers. I reach out and caress his hard cock through the thin material. He leans forward, hiding his face in the crook of my neck as he groans. I can feel his smile against my skin as I move my hand back and forth, stroking him from root to tip.
He bites down. Hard. Sucking my sensitive flesh into his mouth. He laps the skin with his tongue, easing the sting, and trails his tongue up the side of my throat. His breath tickles as he reaches my ear, his tongue licking the lobe before gently nipping.
“Stop,” he growls in a low whisper against my ear.
His hand finds mine, removing it from his rock-hard cock.
“I’m in control here, Pip. The nights I spent dreaming about the tightness of your wet pussy, the sound of your moans, the taste of your come…
this isn’t going to be quick. I’m going to taste you…
feel you…fuck you…over and over until you can’t take it anymore.
Until your body is exhausted and the pleasure I give you edges toward pain.
And then I’m going to make you come one more time just to make sure you know that… You. Are. Mine. Nod if you understand.”
I nod.
I nod a lot.
I want all of that. All of him. Every bit of the boy I once knew, and every inch of the man standing before me. He’s different, but the same. His touch feels familiar. His kiss feels like coming home. He is still my Nate. He’s just…bigger.
Everywhere.
I relinquish the reins, tucking my hands at my side to ensure I keep them to myself.
Nate’s lip lifts on one side, appreciating my submission.
Almost as if rehearsed, we close the distance between our lips, meeting in the middle.
Our kiss is urgent, yet soft. The gentle exploration quickly deepens as our desire takes over.
I wrap my arms around his neck, unable to keep them at my sides, while his hands slide down to my waist. He lifts me up, slamming my back into the wall as my legs wrap around his hips.
He positions us just right, his cock aligning with my core, and then thrusts against me, letting me feel how much he wants me.
The booming thunder matches the beat of my heart and my body’s response to Nate as he drives into me.
Our movements become erratic, venturing on desperate.
My core is soaked, and I know that he can feel it through his thin boxers.
He moans his approval, and slips his hand inside my leggings, expertly finding his way to my bundle of nerves and circling it with his thumb.
I flood his fingers and press harder against him.
I need to feel him inside of me, but I’m so close that I can’t help but chase my climax.
“Take what you need, baby. Use me and make yourself come,” he demands.
I feel the telltale spark as tension builds in my core.
My cheeks flush as the pressure grows higher and higher.
My body begins to shudder as a wave of pleasure explodes, sending euphoric tingles throughout my body.
I come hard, whimpering as the shockwaves set me on fire, a feeling almost too intense to handle.
“Nate…Nate…fuck…” I chant as I climax, arching against his hard cock and relentless fingers.
I barely come down from my high before he sets me back on my feet, kneels in front of me and yanks my leggings down.
My legs wobble, weak from the intensity of my orgasm, but Nate pins me in place with his forearm so that I don’t slide to the ground.
“I need to taste you,” he snarls, like he’s infuriated that I came anywhere but in his mouth.
He forces my legs apart with his free hand, and grabs one of my legs, pulling it over his shoulder.
I am open and bare to his gaze, and I can tell the moment he sees my dripping release.
His eyes flare with a hunger I’ve never seen before.
He leans forward, his breath hot against my bare skin, and takes one long swipe of his tongue, ridding me of the sweet mess.
“Mm.” His moan vibrates against my clit seconds before his lips clamp around it. He sucks me hard into his mouth, and I cry out from the sensitivity.