Chapter 32 Gage
THIRTY-TWO
GAGE
The door clicks shut behind Mason and the rest of the team.
For a long moment, I just stand there. The apartment is quiet—River’s sitting on the couch, knees pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them. I know that position. It’s what people do when they’re trying to shrink themselves, trying not to fall apart.
She doesn’t say anything, and neither do I.
Because this whole case is twisting in on itself. Mason gave us breadcrumbs at best. His intel wasn’t worthless—but it wasn’t the smoking gun we were hoping for either. Cathedral is still out there. Regent is still hiding in the shadows. And River’s still the target of their twisted obsession.
I glance at her, and something inside me aches.
Her shoulders rise and fall on a deep breath. “That was a lot,” she finally says.
“Yeah.” I sink onto the couch beside her, close but not touching. “I was hoping he’d tell us something useful. Something real.”
“He’s scared.”
“He should be.” I pause, then add, “We all should be.”
She turns her face toward me, the soft lamplight catching the curve of her cheek. “I thought this would feel better, you know? Like… having someone crack. Having a lead.”
“You wanted it to be over.”
“I wanted to stop looking over my shoulder.”
“I know.”
She looks down at her lap. “And yet… here I am. Still flinching at every noise outside.”
I don’t think. I just move. I pull her gently into my arms, her body folding into mine like she belongs there. Her cheek presses to my chest, right over my heart.
“I hate this,” she whispers. “Feeling powerless. Like no matter how many leads we follow, Regent’s always two steps ahead.”
My hand slides up her back. “We’ll catch them. I swear to you, River. We’ll catch them and burn it all down.”
Her voice is barely audible. “But at what cost?”
I tilt her chin up to look at me. Her eyes are stormy and tired and so damn beautiful it hurts. “You’re not a cost,” I say, voice rough. “You’re the reason we keep going.”
Something shifts between us—no longer tension, but pure heat. A live wire strung between our mouths. And this time, when I kiss her, it’s not desperate. It’s reverent.
Slow.
Full of everything I can’t say.
She melts into me, her fingers tugging at my shirt, pulling me closer. I deepen the kiss, hand sliding into her hair as I guide her back against the cushions. Her body curves into mine like it’s meant to, like we’ve done this a thousand times before in another life.
“You make it impossible to think,” she murmurs between kisses, tugging at the hem of my shirt.
“Good,” I growl, helping her pull it off and toss it aside.
Her fingertips skate over my chest, memorizing every line, every scar. “I keep thinking about that first night… when you taught me how to throw a punch.”
I smirk. “You kept swinging too wide. I almost let you knock me out just to see how smug you’d look.”
She laughs into my mouth, and it’s the best sound I’ve heard in days.
“I should’ve known it was you,” she says.
“Should’ve?”
“I think… I wanted it to be.”
That wrecks me. Completely.
I kiss her again, slower this time. Worshipful. My hands explore her body with a hunger I’ve tried to suppress for too long. Her skin is soft, flushed, and she gasps when I trail my lips down her neck, her collarbone.
We end up in her bedroom, tangled in sheets and breathless promises.
We make out like horny teens, not going all the way.
But it’s more intimate than sex.
It’s vulnerable.
Raw.
Real.
And then our kisses turn more urgent. More hungry. More everything.
“I need inside you,” I tell her, pulling my cock out of my jeans. “I need to feel you.”
“Do it. Make me yours,” she smiles, “...again.”
We make quick work of our clothing, and I push deep inside her. Our bodies move together, creating a rhythm completely unique to us.
“I don’t want this to be temporary,” she whispers.
I press a kiss to her hair. “It’s not. Not for me.”
“Good.” She pauses. “Because I think I’m already in too deep.”
I smile, even as my heart pounds in my chest. “Yeah, me too.”
I keep pushing inside her, over and over again. I’m chasing the high only she can supply, and I keep thrusting as her body trembles. I hold her close, not wanting to ever let her go.
“Fuck, River…” I’m so damn close to telling her I love her, but I can’t keep the emotions bottled in any longer. “I’ll forever want you.”
She smiles. “Same,” she whispers before her orgasm crashes over her.
Mine follows closely behind, and after we’re all cleaned up and calm, we drift into silence, the kind that feels like home.
But even wrapped in her arms, the storm brews at the edges of my mind.
Tasha.
Regent.
Andrew and Helena.
We still don’t know who the real monster is.
But I know one thing for sure.
I’d burn the whole damn system to the ground if it meant keeping River safe.
And I won’t hesitate to do it.
Even if it means losing everything else.