Epilogue
Emily
The sun was beginning to dip on the horizon as Carter steered the vehicle up the winding road. Emily watched as the trees passed by, their leaves shimmering with the soft touch of dusk. The thought that she would never have to go back to the facility made a heavy weight lift off her shoulders.
Megan, seated in the back, was quiet, her gaze fixed on the horizon, anticipation evident in her eyes.
As they pulled up to Carter’s parents’ home, the front door swung open and his parents rushed outside. The car had barely stopped when Megan jumped out and ran into their waiting arms.
“Mom! Dad!” she exclaimed, her voice filled with relief.
Tears streamed down her mother’s face as she held her daughter close. “We thought we’d lost you,” she murmured, her voice choked up with emotion.
Her father, his eyes glistening, cupped Megan’s face. “You’re safe now,” he whispered, planting a kiss on her forehead.
Carter and Emily exchanged a look, silently agreeing to give the family their moment.
With a nod, Carter led Emily away, following a path that wound through a thick cluster of trees and opened up to a clearing.
The vast Colorado landscape spread out before them, the mountains in the distance bathed in the fading sunlight.
The world was silent save for the gentle rustle of the trees and the distant calls of the mountain birds. Carter wrapped an arm around Emily’s waist, pulling her close. She nestled into his embrace, feeling the steady beat of his heart against her back.
For a long while, neither spoke. The shared experiences, the trauma, the danger—words seemed inadequate to convey the myriad of emotions they both felt.
Finally, Emily broke the silence. “It’s over,” she whispered, her voice filled with wonder. “These past few months have felt as if I’m living in a nightmare I wasn’t able to wake from.”
Carter tightened his grip on her, leaning down to press a kiss to the crown of her head. “Yes, it’s over now,” he reassured. “And now, we get to start anew. Together.”
Emily turned in his arms, gazing up into his deep blue eyes. “Together,” she repeated.
He leaned down, his gaze intent on her lips and without another word spoken between them, he kissed her, long and hard.
The sensation of his mouth against hers, soft yet somehow firm at the same time had never been more welcome, and she kissed him back with every ounce of emotion and passion she possessed.
It was a long while before she pulled back, searching his eyes.
“What?” he asked, a gentle smile playing across his lips. She shook her head.
“I just can’t believe…”
“Believe what?” he asked, propping himself up onto one elbow.
“Forget it,” she felt, feeling her cheeks coloring. “It sounds stupid.”
“Well, now you have to tell me.”
“I can’t believe in all the world, I found you.”
“We found each other,” he said, pulling her against his chest, and she thought she could spend the rest of her life like this, and never grow tired of it.
“Did you mean what you said before? About mates? About…us?”
“With all of my heart.” He crooked one finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his. “I love you more than I have ever loved another person. I want us to be together, forever, and I’m willing to spend my whole life proving it to you, if I have to.”
“And if I don’t need proof?” She hesitated. “If I want us to be together, forever, too?”
He drew back, vulnerability softening his face. “If you really want that, truly want it, then I can seal the mate bond between us. There is no stronger connection, but it’s forever. I’ll only do it if you’re sure it’s what you want.”
“I’m sure.”
His lips crushed down on hers and she leaned into the kiss, reveling in the perfection of his powerful body against hers.
“It feels too good to be real,” she whispered against his lips.
“It’s real,” he promised, and she could feel the very real proof hardening between his legs.
Carter gazed down at her with eyes full of love and passion, his fingers threading through her hair as he captured her lips in another searing kiss.
His hands roamed over Emily’s body, sending shivers of delight through her.
She arched into his touch, her hands slipping under his shirt to explore the hard planes of his chest and the muscles of his back.
Emily’s heart hammered in her chest as she gazed up at him, awash in a sea of emotions.
She could scarcely believe he was offering such an intimate connection, something that would bond them for eternity.
But the way he looked at her, the way he touched her.
..it felt right. She nodded, her lips parting slightly as their kiss deepened once more.
His tongue danced with hers, teasing and enticing.
She moaned softly into his mouth, gripping his shoulders as he moved one hand to cup her face, cradling it gently.
His lips trailed down her neck and she sighed softly, tilting her head to give him better access. His hot breath sent shivers down her body and she whimpered softly. “Carter,” she breathed out, arching into his touch when he nipped gently on her skin. “Please...”
He pulled back slightly to look at her again, eyes full of adoration and desire. “Are you sure?”
“More than anything,” she said, grasping at his shirt as if to hold herself back from falling into him completely.
“Then let’s do this,” he whispered before sealing his lips over hers once more in a passionate kiss that stole her breath away.
When they broke apart again, he began to remove his shirt slowly, revealing his toned chest and abs.
Emily ran her hands over them curiously, tracing patterns on his skin until they reached the smooth expanse of his back.
She felt the power in him there, radiating through the muscles underneath her fingertips as she explored him eagerly.
As their skin met again, a sizzling sensation traveled between them, and she gasped.
It felt like a hundred lightning bolts were shooting through her body as she felt his bare chest pressed against hers.
He moaned softly, his hand trailing up her side and cupping her breast, massaging it gently through her shirt.
She bit her lip, feeling his thumb brushing against her sensitive nipple.
Unable to resist the urge, she leaned into him, moaning into his neck, tasting the sweet saltiness of his skin.
Carter’s hand moved lower, teasingly grazing over the waistband of her pants before sliding inside, finding no underwear between them.
He smiled into the kiss and growled softly.
The warmth of his touch made Emily’s insides melt, sending waves of desire pooling in her core.
As they broke apart for air, he whispered against her lips. “You’re so beautiful.”
Emily whimpered into his touch, tilting her hips to grant him better access to tease her.
Her heart raced as she pushed into his caress, feeling herself getting wetter by the second.
When he slipped two fingers inside of her, she cried out, arching into his touch and grinding onto him.
“Carter...” She breathed out his name like a prayer, wanting more, needing more, and he gave her everything she desired.
She reached for his waistband, needing to feel him inside her, lifting her hips so he could pull her pants from her as she tugged his down until finally, finally, all barriers between them fell away.
She shivered in anticipation and delight, and then he covered her with his body, claiming her lips as he slid into her in one smooth motion.
They moved as one, clinging to each other and Emily knew she would never let go of him… and he would never let go of her.
“Are you ready?” he whispered, planting a tender kiss below her earlobe.
“Yes,” she gasped, arching against him, desire racing through her body as she met him thrust for thrust. His head ducked lower, planting a kiss on the nape of her neck, and then he bit down.
A sharp pain flared, heightening Emily’s senses, and then burned in a fiery arousal that shot straight to her core.
“Mine,” he whispered, his voice rough with arousal, and the hot pain and the word and the feeling of him inside her like no man had ever been before sent her tumbling into the abyss.
She threw her head back with a scream of pure, primal pleasure as he stiffened and found his own release inside her, and then they sank back to the earth together, breathing hard.
She could feel something new inside her, inside her mind, and instinctively knew it was the mate bond. A piece of Carter, of their love. With a soft sigh of contentment, she snugged deeper into his arms.
She couldn’t believe she had this wonderful man in her life, a man who made her feel cherished, and safe and protected. How could this beautiful, incredible man be hers?
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting the world into twilight. But in that secluded spot, Emily found solace in Carter’s embrace. As he wrapped her up in his arms and held her tightly against his chest, she looked forward to the dawn of a new day and the future they would build together.
The End