Chapter 34 Orchid
THIRTY-FOUR
ORCHID
The room is dark and quiet when I finally drift off, wrapped in Poe’s arms, his heartbeat a steady rhythm against my back.
Exhaustion pulls me under fast, the kind that comes after too much adrenaline, too much pleasure, and too many truths all at once.
For the first time in what feels like forever, sleep is deep and dreamless.
Until it’s not.
I wake slowly to the feeling of gentle hands and the soft press of warm lips against my bare shoulder.
The bedside lamp is on low, casting a warm golden glow across the bed.
Poe’s leaning over me, his eyes soft in the dim light, his hair messy from sleep.
One of his hands is stroking slowly up and down my side, fingertips tracing the curve of my waist like he can’t stop touching me.
“Hey,” he whispers, voice rough with sleep and something deeper. “Come with me, baby.”
Before I can ask what’s happening, he slides his arms under me and lifts me effortlessly against his chest. I wrap my arms around his neck, still half-asleep, and let him carry me out of the bedroom and down the hall.
His bare feet are silent on the hardwood.
The house is completely quiet except for our breathing and the faint creak of the floorboards.
I press my face into the crook of his neck, breathing in the warm, familiar scent of him, and feel safe in a way I haven’t felt in years.
He carries me into the bathroom and sets me gently on the edge of the large tub.
The water is already running, steam rising in lazy, fragrant curls.
He must have slipped out earlier to start it.
The scent of the lavender bath oil I like fills the air, warm and soothing, mixing with the faint smell of his skin.
He kneels in front of me, completely naked, and looks up at me with those dark, intense eyes.
“You’ve been carrying so much for so long,” he says softly, his hands resting on my thighs. “Tonight, let me carry you. Let me take care of you.”
I nod, too moved to speak. He steps into the tub first and reaches for me.
I let him guide me in, settling between his legs with my back against his chest. The water is the perfect temperature, enveloping us both in heat.
My muscles relax instantly. He wraps his arms around my waist and holds me close, his chin resting on my shoulder, his lips brushing my neck.
For a long time we just sit like that, the only sound the gentle lap of water and our breathing.
His hands move slowly, reverently, soaping my arms, my shoulders, the curve of my breasts.
There’s nothing rushed about it. Every touch feels like worship.
He washes my hair with careful fingers, massaging my scalp until I moan softly and melt further into him.
The suds slide down my body as he rinses me, his hands following the trails of water like he can’t bear to stop touching me.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs against my ear, voice low and full of emotion.
“Not just like this. All the time. Even when you’re trying to scare the hell out of me.
Even when you’re being the toughest person in the room.
I see you, Orchid. All of you. The strong parts.
The soft parts. The parts you try to hide.
I see them all, and I love every single one. ”
I turn my head slightly, and he kisses the corner of my mouth, slow and tender.
“I love you,” he says, simple and sure, like it’s the most natural thing in the world. “I know it’s messy and complicated and probably the worst timing in history, but I love you. I have for a while now. I just didn’t know how to say it until tonight.”
The words settle over me like warm silk. My eyes sting, and I turn fully in his arms, straddling his lap in the water. I cup his face with both hands, thumbs brushing his cheeks, and look into his eyes.
“I love you too,” I whisper, the truth of it blooming bright and terrifying and perfect in my chest. “I love you, Poe. Even when I was trying so hard not to. Even when I told myself it was impossible. I love you.”
He kisses me then, slow and deep and full of everything we’ve been holding back. The water laps gently around us as our bodies press closer. His hands slide down my back, cupping my ass, pulling me tighter against him. I can feel him hardening between us, hot and ready, but he doesn’t rush.
He takes his time, kissing every inch of me he can reach.
My neck, my collarbone, the swell of my breasts.
He lifts me slightly and takes one nipple into his mouth, sucking gently until I moan and rock against him.
His other hand slips between my legs, fingers stroking me with perfect, unhurried pressure, sliding through my wetness.
“I want to make love to you,” he whispers against my skin. “Slow. Like this. I want to feel every second of it. I want to be inside you while I look at you. I want you to know you’re mine, and I’m yours.”
“Yes,” I breathe. “Please.”
He guides me down onto him, inch by inch, until he’s buried deep inside me.
We both moan at the same time. The water makes everything slick and smooth.
He holds me close, arms wrapped around my back, and we move together in a slow, rolling rhythm.
It’s nothing like the frantic, commanding sex we’ve had before.
This is tender. Emotional. Every thrust feels like a promise, every kiss like a vow.
“I love you,” he says again, voice rough as he kisses my throat. “I love the way you fight. I love the way you take control. I love the way you look at me like I’m worth something. I love you, Orchid.”
I rock against him, taking him deeper, my arms wrapped around his neck. “I love you too. I love how you see me. I love how you let me be both soft and strong. I love how safe I feel with you.”
The pleasure builds slowly, steadily, until it crests in long, rolling waves. I come with his name on my lips, clenching around him as I tremble in his arms. He follows right after, burying his face in my neck as he spills inside me, holding me like I’m the most precious thing in the world.
We stay connected in the cooling water, kissing softly, whispering quiet words against each other’s skin. Eventually he helps me out, dries me with a warm towel, and carries me back to bed. He pulls the covers over us and tucks me against his chest again.
“Sleep, baby,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I’ve got you.”
I close my eyes, safe in his arms, and for the first time in years, I let myself believe that maybe we can have this. That maybe love can exist even in the middle of war.
But even as I drift off, a small voice in the back of my mind whispers the truth I can’t ignore forever.
Tomorrow we go back into the fire.
Tomorrow we face Serafina.
And I can only hope that our love is strong enough to survive what is coming.