Chapter 59 #2
Rachel smiled despite the ache building inside her, despite her own desperation for release. She leaned down, lips brushing his ear. "Good."
Then she picked up the pace again, faster now, harder, the sound of their bodies meeting filling the quiet afternoon.
The friction, the heat, the fullness, it was overwhelming.
Her breath came in sharp gasps. Her thighs burned.
The pressure inside her climbed higher and higher, almost painful in its intensity.
"Logan—" she choked out, the name breaking on a gasp. "I can't—I need—"
He growled and surged upright in one fluid motion, never breaking their connection.
His mouth crashed into hers, swallowing her gasp.
One arm locked around her back, holding her tight against him.
The shift in position changed the angle again, and suddenly he was hitting deeper, in a way that pulled a cry from her throat.
"I've got you," he muttered against her lips. "Let go, baby."
Then his free hand slipped between them, fingers finding her clit with unerring precision. He circled it once, twice, three times, firm, steady pressure that jerked her whole body.
The pressure inside her reached a breaking point. She was right there, teetering on the edge, every nerve ending screaming for release.
"Logan, " His name came out as a sob.
"Let go," he commanded. His fingers moved faster, his hips driving up to meet hers. "Come for me."
Rachel shattered.
Pleasure tore through her, consuming and absolute.
Her head snapped back, a cry ripping from her throat as her body arched against his.
Wave after wave crashed through her, stealing her breath, stealing her thoughts, leaving nothing but pure sensation.
Her inner muscles clenched around him, pulsing in rhythm with the aftershocks rolling through her.
She heard him curse, felt his whole body go rigid beneath her.
His fingers dug into her hips hard enough to bruise as his control finally broke.
He thrust up into her one last time, deep and hard, and then he was coming too.
His release poured into her as he groaned against her shoulder, his arms locked around her like he'd never let go.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. Rachel just stayed there, wrapped around him, breathing hard. Her forehead rested against his shoulder, her whole body still trembling with aftershocks. She could feel him still inside her, softening slowly, their bodies still joined.
She didn't want to move. Didn't want to break this connection.
His chest rose and fell beneath her, each breath deep and steady.
His heart hammered against her ribs where they pressed together, gradually slowing from its frantic pace.
One of his hands stayed splayed across her lower back, holding her to him.
The other traced slow patterns up and down her spine, gentle, soothing, grounding.
Rachel lifted her head slowly, her body still loose and languid. She threaded her fingers into his damp hair, pushing it back from his forehead. His eyes were closed, jaw relaxed, some of the tension finally gone from his face. He looked peaceful in a way she hadn't seen since before the warehouse.
She pressed her lips to his temple, a soft kiss, then another at his cheekbone, the corner of his eye, the bridge of his nose, mapping his face with gentle touches, taking her time.
His eyes opened, finding hers. Dark and soft and full of love.
"Hi," she whispered.
The corner of his mouth tugged up. "Hi, baby."
Rachel smiled and kissed him properly this time. Slow and sweet, no urgency behind it. Just connection. Affection. Love.
When she pulled back, she shifted slightly, and the movement pulled a gasp from both of them, he was still inside her, still sensitive, and the friction sent a small aftershock through her body.
His hands tightened on her hips. "You okay?"
"Yeah." She settled back down, adjusting her weight. "I don't want to move yet."
"Then don't." His arms came around her again, holding her close. "Stay right here."
So she did.
The afternoon air moved over them, cooling the sweat on their skin. Rachel shivered slightly, and he pulled her in tighter, sharing his warmth. One of his hands moved up to cradle the back of her head, fingers tangling gently in her hair.
They sat like that for a while, just breathing together. The ocean sound drifted up from below, waves hitting the rocks in steady rhythm. A constant, soothing backdrop to their own breathing, their own heartbeats gradually returning to normal.
Rachel's hands traced over his shoulders, down his arms, mapping the muscles and scars she'd felt but not really looked at. Her fingertips found the raised line of an old knife wound on his bicep. Another scar across his collarbone. Evidence of a life lived in danger, in violence.
But his touch on her was nothing but gentle.
"Thank you," she murmured against his neck.
His hand stilled on her back. "For what?"
"For this. For letting me..." She searched for the right words. "For letting me take what I needed."
His arms tightened around her. He pressed his lips to her hair, breathing her in. "Always, baby. Always."
Rachel's throat went tight. She burrowed closer, her face tucking into the curve of his neck where she could feel his pulse beating strong and steady beneath her lips.
His hand moved up her back again, those slow, soothing strokes. His lips found her collarbone, pressing soft kisses along the line of it. His breath was warm against her skin, steady now instead of the ragged gasps from before.
The tremble in his muscles had faded. He was solid beneath her, a foundation she could lean on.
He pulled back just enough to see her face. His hand came up to cup her cheek, thumb brushing gently across her cheekbone. His eyes searched hers, intense and unwavering.
Then his voice came, low and certain. "Mine."
Rachel's chest squeezed. She smiled, leaning into his touch, her body still molded perfectly to his.
"Yours," she whispered. And she meant every word.
His eyes darkened, fierce and possessive. He pulled her in and kissed her again, harder this time, deeper, with purpose. Claiming her mouth the way he'd claimed her body. The way he'd claimed all of her.
When he finally pulled back, both of them were breathing hard again.
"Say it again," he demanded.
"Yours," Rachel repeated, holding his gaze. "I'm yours, Logan."
"Damn right you are." His forehead dropped to hers. "And I'm not letting you go. Not ever."
"Good." She smiled against his lips. "Because I'm not going anywhere."
They stayed like that, wrapped around each other under the afternoon sun, the ocean breeze cooling their skin. Eventually they'd have to move. Eventually they'd have to face tomorrow and all the complications that came with Hale still out there, with Rachel's exposé making them both targets.
But for now, in this moment, there was just the two of them. Connected. Healing. Whole.
And that was enough.