Chapter 8
Ever
I wake slowly. It’s still an adjustment to wake up without someone yelling or throwing something at me. I always half expect it when my eyes open, but there’s none of that here. No footsteps thundering overhead, no locks clicking open, or angry voices barking orders at me.
Instead, I wake because sunlight spills across the bed and because Russo’s arm is wrapped a little too securely around my waist.
A smile finds my lips before I even open my eyes. My bear stretches contentedly inside me.
Home, she sighs happily.
I still can’t believe that’s what this is. Home. The word feels new and fragile. It feels wonderful too.
I turn carefully in Russo’s arms until I’m facing him. He’s still asleep. I’m not surprised. He must be tired after everything we did last night. My face heats with a blush as I replay our lovemaking in my head.
I study Russo in his slumber. His dark hair is sticking up in every direction.
He’s impossibly handsome when he’s awake, but he’s somehow even more handsome like this.
He looks peaceful, relaxed, and happy. His brow isn’t furrowed the way it was the first day we met, and the constant tension he’s carried seems lighter now. Maybe I’m not the only one healing.
As if sensing me watching him, his eyes blink open.
“Morning,” he murmurs, his voice still rough with sleep.
“Morning,” I whisper.
He smiles immediately. “I was hoping you were still here.”
I laugh softly. “Where else would I be?”
“I was worried that it was all a dream. I’ve been waking up like that a lot lately.”
“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” I promise.
“Good.”
His thumb traces slow circles across my hip, and that now-familiar desire tugs low in my belly. I lean forward and kiss him gently. His bear rumbles faintly beneath the surface, and mine answers with a happy little hum.
I still smile every time I hear her. After twenty-three years of silence, having someone inside my mind feels surprisingly comforting, especially now that she’s constantly reminding me how loved I am.
Russo breaks the kiss and brushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “How are you feeling?”
“A little sore, but happy. I feel, I don’t know, complete. It’s like I have everything I’ll ever need.”
“You do,” he mumbles, kissing the shell of my ear.
I gasp, almost purring as his lips trace along my skin. I arch against him, sensing his desire burning hotter, matching my own.
“I’m not too sore,” I pant.
He chuckles, his lips brushing over the bite mark at the base of my neck. “Does my mate need me again?”
I nod eagerly. “Badly.”
My hand snakes between us to wrap around his stiffening cock.
He growls, rolling us until I’m pinned beneath him. “I’ll take care of you. I don’t like the thought of you in pain.”
“I’m not,” I protest. “I need you.”
His lips wrap around one of my nipples, and he sucks the stiff cherry into his mouth. I wrap my legs around his waist, rocking against his dick as he teases my breasts.
His cock is oversized like the rest of him, and I’m amazed I was able to take him last night.
“Goddamn, mate,” Russo groans as my juices coat his length. “So damn hot.”
“Quit teasing me,” I order.
He chuckles, switching to my other nipple. His hands mold my tits, his teeth scraping along the swell of my breast before he licks lower, flicking his tongue over the stiff nub until I’m writhing beneath him.
I can’t take it any longer. I angle my hips, rocking upward until the tip of his cock is positioned at my entrance. I squeeze my thighs around his waist, urging him forward until he sinks slowly inside me.
“Fuuuuccckkkk,” Russo moans against my skin. “That’s it, mate. Take all of it.”
I whine, bucking my hips as I absorb inch after inch inside my snug channel. He stretches me, filling me so perfectly. We were made to be together like this.
Once he’s fully seated inside me, I take a deep breath. My inner muscles clamp around him, causing him to curse, his body tensing above me. His forehead rests against my shoulder as he tries to regain his composure. I smirk, squeezing my pussy tighter around him.
“Fuck, Ever. You’re going to make me come before I even get one stroke in.”
“Better start moving then,” I purr.
So he does. Not slow and gentle like last night. This time, he unleashes the beast inside him, pounding into me, rutting me like an animal until I’m screaming his name and clinging to him.
“So sweet,” he grinds out. “So perfect. So mine!”
“Yes, yours, yours,” I chant, my peak growing so high inside me that I’m scared I’ll never recover.
Russo adjusts so he’s kneeling between my thighs, his hands grasping my hips, hitting my clit with each thrust.
“Oh, God,” I gasp, my nails biting into his arms.
I cling to him, my body tightening around him. My legs cinch around his waist, my arms around his neck. I hold on as he moves in and out of me, his pace faltering as he approaches his peak.
“Russo! Mate,” I cry out, my lips pressing against the bite mark on his shoulder as I splinter apart.
“Ever!” he shouts as we come together, clinging to each other as we’re washed away in the current.
My bear roars in my head as my orgasm goes on and on. Russo keeps moving inside me, and I suck in a shaky breath as I slowly come down.
Russo rolls us before he can crush me, and I snuggle against his side, enjoying the afterglow.
We’re silent as we both catch our breaths, and I smile as I burrow closer to his warmth. When I look up, I see Russo’s warm brown eyes, see how happy he looks. I love it. I love that I can make him so happy just by being me. I love that we have forever together.
“I love you,” I whisper.
He tightens his hold on me. “I love you more, mate.”
I laugh, shaking my head.
“What are you thinking about?” he asks, cuddling me against his chest.
“The future,” I answer.
“I like the sound of that.”
“I’ve never really had one before.”
“You’ve got a pretty big one now,” he whispers, kissing the top of my head. “What do you want to do first?”
“I’m not sure,” I say, mulling it over. “I want to learn things. I want to finish school. I know I’m close. All I had to pass the time were old textbooks, so maybe I can get my GED.”
“We’ll look into it,” Russo promises.
“I want to travel.”
“Where?”
“Everywhere.” I laugh. “I used to dream about seeing places and exploring them. The world is so big. I had to remind myself of that when I was locked in the basement.”
Russo’s hold on me tightens.
I smile as I make plans. “I want to see the ocean, go snorkeling, maybe learn to scuba dive.”
He smiles. “I know exactly where we’ll start.”
“I want to celebrate holidays.” “We’ll celebrate every single one.”
“I want birthdays.”
“We’ll throw the biggest birthday party this town has ever seen.”
I grin up at him as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I rest my chin on my hands on his chest and think about what else is on my list.
“I want to read every book in the library.”
“There’s one in town.”
I love how supportive he is. He doesn’t laugh at my dreams, just thinks about doing them with me.
“What do you want?” I ask him quietly.
“You.”
“You have me,” I laugh. “What else do you want?”
“I want to do all those things with you, and…” he trails off.
I nod for him to go on.
“And maybe, someday, if you want… kids.”
“You’ve thought about children?”
He nods. “Only if you want them,” he rushes to add.
I smile as I picture it. A little girl with Russo’s smile. A little boy chasing butterflies through the backyard. Children who never wonder whether they’re loved. Children who always know they’re safe.
Tears sting my eyes before I can stop them.
Russo immediately reaches for me. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad.”
I shake my head quickly.
“These are happy tears.”
He cups my face. “You don’t have to decide any of that now.”
“I know. I never really thought about kids or finding someone like you. I would daydream, but it always seemed so unattainable. But not now. It could happen.”
“It will happen,” Russo vows.
I lean forward, kissing him sweetly. “I can’t wait to spend every tomorrow with you.”
He presses his forehead against mine. “Same.”
Forever, mate, my bear rumbles happily, rolling around on her back.
She feels so free inside me. I guess it’s going to take some time for the two of us to get used to the freedom.
For the first time in my life, the future isn’t something I fear. It’s something I can’t wait to reach. No matter what is waiting for us… I already know I won’t face it alone. I have Russo, my mate, and he’ll always be there.