Chapter 10-Tank
I just came, and I’m still hard.
Still pulsing.
Still inside her.
Dani’s breathing starts to even out, her lashes fluttering against her flushed cheeks, and I do the only thing I can do—I lean in, wrap my hands gently around her throat, thumbs resting on the sides of her neck, and kiss her.
I. Kiss. Her.
Not soft. Not timid.
Deep. Hungry. Claiming.
My dick twitches.
Her pussy squeezes in response.
And I start to move again, grinding my hips into hers, keeping my thrusts shallow but relentless.
“How?”
Her green eyes glitter with wonder, and it slays me.
She slays me.
“Want you, Dani. Want you all the fucking time,” I confess, licking back into her mouth like she’s my favorite fucking treat.
Newsflash: she is.
My hips swivel and grind. Small, slow pushes that drag every inch of me along her slick walls.
Every motion stokes the fire between us, builds it hotter, wilder, until we’re just heat and breath and skin.
Because if I know anything, it’s this one thing.
This woman was made for me.
I know I fucked up before. I don’t know how, but I did.
I know I owe her an apology, an explanation, a thousand words I haven’t said yet.
But first?
I need to feel her sweet pussy convulse around me one more time.
Need to make her come.
To fill her with my seed.
To mark her in every primal way my body knows how.
Fine. I’m obsessed.
But who wouldn’t be?
Dani is so sweet and perfect. She thinks I don’t know her, but I do.
I’ve watched her at work, cool and professional with everyone on the team.
I’ve seen the way Finley adores her and can’t function without her.
I know the sound of her laugh when it’s real or forced.
I’ve memorized the way her nose crinkles when she’s frustrated, and the little crease between her brows when she’s thinking hard.
And the way I feel now? She’s a perfect fit in my life.
I need her.
I want her.
Fuck, I’m about ninety-nine percent sure I’m in love with her.
And right now, I plan to woo her with everything I have—starting and not ending with this.
My hand slides up to cradle her face, thumb brushing her parted lips as I drive just a little deeper, a little harder.
She moans, back arching, nails scraping across my shoulders.
“Hudson!” she cries, her voice breaking, walls fluttering tight around me.
“That’s it, Sweetheart,” I rasp, forehead pressing to hers, sweat mingling between us. “Let go. Let go, and I’ll catch you.”
It’s a powerful sentiment. And I don’t make it lightly.
I want to be the one to catch her always. She just has to trust me. To trust us.
Her eyes lock with mine, wide and shining, and I can feel her teetering on that edge.
Every muscle in my body tightens as I hold myself back, waiting for her to shatter.
Because this isn’t just about me.
It’s about her.
About us.
And when she finally breaks—when she clenches around me so hard I groan and spill into her—I know the truth down to my bones.
I’m not just making love to Dani.
I’m vowing something.
Something I intend to keep.
Dani’s breath is warm against my chest, soft and steady.
Her fingers twitch a little where they’re curled near my ribs, and I shift just enough to press a kiss to the crown of her head.
God, she’s everything.
Strong and stubborn and sensual as hell, with a mouth that drives me crazy and a heart she guards too well.
Right now, she’s naked in my arms, limbs tangled with mine, our bodies still slick with sweat and sex.
And all I can think is don’t move.
Don’t fuck up, Tank.
Don’t you dare do anything to break this spell.
Outside, snow flurries drift past the cabin windows, catching in the glow of the firelight like glitter.
The world is quiet. Still. Peaceful.
Perfect.
She shifts just slightly, her voice a whisper against my skin.
“No promises,” she says.
My chest tightens.
Not because of the words.
But because I can hear the ache behind them.
“Not here,” she continues, “Not when we’re in this perfect little snowed-in scenario.”
She draws a breath, and I feel her hesitation like it’s my own.
“Let’s just have Thanksgiving weekend. Then, when we go back to reality, we’ll take it slow. I won’t hold you to any promises you make here, okay? I just—I just want to enjoy this.”
I close my eyes.
And fuck me, it breaks my heart a little.
Because I get it.
She’s scared.
Of getting swept up.
Of believing in something only to watch it disappear.
But what she doesn’t know—yet—is that I’m not going anywhere.
Still, I nod.
Just once.
Because I can wait.
I can work hard and earn her trust.
I will do that.
So yeah, we’ll enjoy this weekend.
This moment.
This little snow globe of a world we’ve fallen into.
“I hear you,” I murmur, stroking my hand gently down her back. “No promises. Just this. Just now.”
She exhales like that was the answer she needed, and snuggles a little closer, her nose brushing my collarbone.
“Will you tell me what I did?”
“What?” she asks.
“The first time I fucked this up. What did I do wrong?” I ask, needing to know.
She looks embarrassed, biting her lip, but I smooth the flesh away from her teeth with a kiss.
“You-you compared me to a Scooby snack. Said I was one of the best. Like I was just a number, and look, I get it, you’re a professional athlete—”
“I’m so fucking sorry, Dani,” I say, pressing my forehead to hers.
I don’t want her to go on, because I know what I did. In my postcoital bliss I ran my idiot mouth.
“I didn’t mean to make you feel like one in a line. You’re not that. Never that to me, do you understand?” I ask, begging her to believe me.
“Alright, Hudson. I accept your apology, but no more declarations, okay? Let’s just be here in the present.”
“Okay, Sweetheart. Okay, for now,” I whisper and hold her close.
I look down at her, all sleepy and soft in my arms, and yeah—maybe I won’t fret too much. Maybe I’ll just be here in the moment with her, that is until I convince her our moment is going to last a lifetime.
That thought settles me and I kiss her temple softly.
The snow’s still falling.
The fire’s still crackling.
My girl is right here, where she belongs.
This is okay for now.
But in my bones, I know the truth.
I’ll make her see I mean it.
And when we go back to reality?
I’ll prove I’m her man.
I’m the only man for her.
I’ll show her.
One play at a time.