Chapter 27 #2
"I'm not putting River in the middle of this shit."
"She's gon' be straight," I promised. "Trust me."
"Fuck!" he hissed, tugging at the end of his braid. "Ight, but I need to talk to her first."
"Cool."
"Let me go holla at Chosyn's ass too," Wolfe added.
They headed upstairs, leaving me with Rize.
"You already know I'm pulling up off the strength of all the shit you've done for me."
"'Preciate that," I said, dapping him. "I'm proud of you, too. Not just how you're handling business in Ember Hills, but who you are as a man. Raising your siblings can't be easy."
"It's not, but they're all I got, and I'm all they have."
"Trust me, I know that better than anyone. That's why you gotta do right by Kyree. Even if it's just a friend thing, treat her with the utmost respect 'cause I'm sure she's holding your family down when you're pulling long nights."
"She does," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "You mind if I tell her and Kysre to pull up? Four being pregnant makes me feel like she needs extra bodies near her."
"Smart. Go handle that."
Rize nodded and headed upstairs. A few seconds later, Navy walked into the basement wearing the same disappointed look she'd been wearing since our argument.
"Why is Wolfe and Chosyn upstairs arguing about a dinner with Lucian?"
"You tell me," I said. "You were just up there."
"Honor, don't fuck around with me. Apparently, Choyce told her about the dinner, and she volunteered to go, but she didn't know her presence was requested."
"Lucian wants everyone there to celebrate my taking over and the merger of our families."
Her nostrils flared. "And when were you going to tell me?"
"As soon as you fixed your mouth to say some to me."
"Whatever, Honor," she snapped, turning to walk away.
Before she could take a full step, I caught her waist and pulled her between my legs. She sucked in a heavy breath but didn't fight me. Her stomach was eye level, and thoughts about our son… about the parents we never got to be, hit me in waves. I pressed my lips to her stomach.
"Honor," she whispered as my hands slid along her hips.
"Don't deny me this," I rasped against her skin. "I need you."
My teeth grazed her gently.
"Stop," she breathed, the word fragile like loving me was starting to scare her.
I leaned back, running a hand over my face. "My bad. I just… I missed you."
Our breathing felt like it was the only thing left in the room until she stepped closer.
"Shhh," she hummed.
Her fingers hooked into the waistband of my sweats, easing them down slowly, her eyes never breaking from mine. There was something in them I'd never seen before when she looked at me.
Grief.
Like she could feel us slipping through her hands and was trying to anchor us with skin and breath. Like if she etched the shape of me tonight, it wouldn't hurt as badly tomorrow.
Slipping out of her leggings, Navy climbed onto my lap, gripping the base of my dick as she lowered herself onto me in one smooth motion.
"Fuccck!"
"Mhmm!"
We exhaled at the same time as she pressed her forehead to mine.
"I wanna make love to you," she whispered against my lips, sounding honest and fragile.
"Same," I uttered thickly.
She moved slowly, bouncing up to the tip, then grinding down hard.
Every shift of her hips, every throb of her walls, every shuddering moan of name felt like a goodbye she wasn't brave enough to say out loud.
My hands slid up her back, holding her in place as I ground my hips upward and buried my face in her neck.
"Honor." She shivered.
I ignored her, still grinding into her depths and still breathing her in like I was trying to brand the scent of her into my lungs.
"Look at me." She hushed the words into my skin.
I brought my eyes to hers.
"I love you," she moaned softly.
It had been a long time since I'd heard Navy say it like that. It didn't sound automatic. It didn't feel like something she said out of habit or to calm the storm whenever I told her, I need to hear it.
She pulled it from her soul and the curve of her heart, meaning every syllable.
Breathing life into every vowel as if it cost her to let it out.
And it's been even longer since I felt that shit.
I felt it in the way her fingers dragged my shirt over my head just to feel my skin beneath hers, and in the way her voice trembled at the edges because loving me wasn't simple.
It required so much of her, and that fucked me up the most because when Navy loved, she didn't do it halfway.
She gave it fully, even when it bruised her in the process.
"You always feel so good inside of me," she breathed against my ear. Her pussy gripped and stroked my dick with every bounce, every twirl of her hips.
"Fuck me. Give me all that pussy," I gritted, pressing my lips to hers, wanting to taste her affection.
Navy threw her ass down, slamming it against my thighs, her pussy gushing, riding my dick it better than a stripper working the pole on her best night.
This was what that morning was supposed to be.
Her on top of me, pussy dripping, eyes glossy, muttering her name like a prayer and memorizing everything about her.
The sound of her voice when it dropped low in ecstasy.
How her lips parted when she looked at me like I was the only place her eyes wanted to be.
I engraved Navy into my memory bank, so I'll always have her. In life and in death.
"I love you more than anything," I murmured against her mouth, letting her have her way and praying this moment would turn into a life with eyes as soft as hers.