32. The Phoenix
The Phoenix
Chapter 32
Three Months Later
A delicious heat unfurled within me, spreading through my veins as Tristan’s fingers danced across my skin, caressing my curves. His lips trailed kisses down the column of my neck, chasing that fire with shivers. Being with Tristan made the darkness fade, chasing away the shadows that lingered in my soul. Ever since we had been together, the wounds of my soul had begun to heal, the sharp edges softening until I could finally breathe again.
“You’re so beautiful, Superwoman,” he whispered, his breath fanning against my collarbone. I tangled my fingers in his hair and pulled his lips back to mine, slipping my tongue inside to taste him.
When I pulled away, looking into his hazel green eyes, I was breathless. “You’re not so bad yourself, Super Spy.” The side of his lips lifted in a grin that made my heart flip. He was so fucking sexy, in that ‘just rolled out of bed, hot even though he doesn’t try and doesn’t know it,’ kind of way. “And you’re a smug bastard about it too.”
He chuckled, knowing it was true. Placing one more lingering kiss on my lips, he slid down my body, kissing his way down my breasts and my stomach.
I whimpered as he settled between my thighs, nudging them wider apart, and he wasted no time giving me what I needed. He never did.
Tongue delving between my folds, he lapped at my clit with slow, languid strokes, his massive hand gripping my thigh to hold it open. Sparks of pleasure ignited within me, burning hotter and brighter with each pass of his skilled mouth. We did not discuss our past sexual endeavors, but it was clear by how he touched me that he’d had a good teacher at some point in time, or perhaps he was just a natural. It did not matter, as long as I was the only woman he touched for the rest of his life. It had only been seven months, but he was endgame for me. His ability to give me multiple mind-blowing orgasms in one night only made me want to keep him more.
Fingers curling into his hair, I urged him closer, my back rolling of its own accord. He groaned, the vibrations only sending more sensations through my core. The way he worshipped my body was truly something to be admired. It was as though he enjoyed it more than I did, which I highly doubted, but would never argue.
“Fuck, Tris—” My words broke into a gasp when his long fingers slid inside me, one followed by another, stroking that upper wall that made my toes curl. Ecstasy spiraled deep in my belly, twisting so tight that I thought I might burst. I rolled my hips, chasing the bliss I knew was coming.
With one hand still tangled in his hair, the other gripped the blanket, bringing it to my face as the sounds coming out of my mouth became louder—more desperate. It was the middle of the night, and my daughter was asleep, but the walls were not thick enough for how this felt, and I could not hold it in. The moment the fabric covered my mouth, I fractured.
White-hot ecstasy flooded my veins, my body arching off the bed as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over me. I cried out into the cotton, my eyes watering from the intensity—from the tendrils of electricity that branched out across my body like lightning.
When the aftershocks eased, leaving me limp but not nearly done, he kissed his way up my body, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, where the evidence of my orgasm still glistened on his lips. Still panting heavily, I pulled his mouth to mine, tasting myself on his tongue.
“I need you,” I said against his lips, reaching down to grip his length with my hand. Tristan shifted, nudging my entrance with the broad head of his cock.
Lifting my hips, I welcomed him in, loving how his size always filled me to the point of near pain, but a pain that made me beg for more. I dug my nails into his back, and he hissed, quickening his pace.
“Come for me,” he whispered against my lips, but I did not need him to tell me. I was already halfway there.
His strokes were powerful, and I met every one with one of my own. Sex between us was primal, the need I felt for him all consuming.
Just when I thought he could not possibly get any deeper, he gripped my hip and angled it up as he pulled out of our kiss to hook my leg over his shoulder. I clung to him, drowning in pleasure as his hips thrusted into mine, bringing my orgasm back to the surface. My eyes rolled back in my head as I moaned into the blanket, grasping his thigh for purchase, digging my nails in.
Growling my name, or some semblance of it, his gaze locked with mine, and I knew he was close. His thrusts became erratic, but my orgasm only grew stronger, the squeeze of my pussy around him bringing tears to my eyes. I pulled him back against me as his climax shuddered his movements, swallowing his moans with my mouth.
As we collapsed on the bed, sweating and sated, I smiled up at him, so many words on my tongue that I wanted to say. I had such gratitude for this man who had fought his way into my heart, for being my strength when I felt like I had none left, for seeing the real me behind the masks I wore and cherishing each part.
“Thank you.” My voice was soft, not because I did not want him to hear, but because he was close enough to hear even my heartbeat. “For loving me.”
He smiled, brushing my hair away from my face and pressing a lingering kiss on my lips. “Thank you for giving me the chance.”
Evie squealed as we entered the gates of Disney World, her eyes widening at the sight of the castle in the distance. Although her hair was still no more than a pixie cut, a sparkly crown adorned her head, and she had on a fluffy yellow dress over her T-shirt and tights. With a smile that stretched from ear to ear, her eyes shimmered, reflecting the wonder of a child who had faced down darkness and emerged into the light. My heart swelled, heavy with a love so profound it bordered on pain. Evie’s battle with Leukemia had been a tempest that threatened to swallow us whole for years, but there she was, the embodiment of resilience, ready to have the time of her life, and we were all there to experience it with her.
Squeezing Tristan’s hand, I had to blink back tears at seeing the pure joy on my daughter’s face. With my other hand in Evie’s, we allowed her to lead the way. Scarlett and Ethan walked right beside us, baby Adelaide asleep in the carrier strapped to my brother’s chest. It had been a difficult year, but we had made it through the darkness together as a family. This trip was a celebration of Evie’s one year anniversary of being in remission, a wish granted as we stepped forward into our future together, leaving the darkness of our pasts behind.
“Look, Mommy!” Evie said, her excited voice pulling me from my reverie. “We’re almost there!”
Tristan smiled down at her, flicking her button nose. “Are you excited, Captain?”
With a fit of giggles, she swatted him away. “Super excited!” Excitement bubbling over, she jumped up and down. “Mommy, do you think fairy tales are real?”
“Sometimes,” I said, unfettered joy making my heart swell. “I think life gives us our own kind of fairy tale.”
“Like ours?” she asked, her gaze scanning the five of us standing before her, sharing in her sunshine.
I nodded, reaching out to touch her cheek. “Exactly like ours.”
As we made our way toward the iconic landmark, weaving through the clusters of excited families, I could not help but think about how far our little family had come—how much we had all changed, individually and as a team. Just like Scarlett and Ethan, Tristan and I had come together against all odds, and with Evie in tow, my ex-assassin brother, bookstore owning sister-in-law with a painful past, and a brand new baby niece, we had somehow created our own version of a happily ever after…if you believed in that sort of thing.
THE END