Chapter 14 #2
I knelt beside the bed, my hands finding the buttons of her blouse. "Let me take care of you," I said quietly.
She nodded, her breathing already shallow, and I began to undress her slowly.
Each button was a meditation, each piece of fabric a revelation.
I took my time, savoring every moment—the way her breath hitched when I brushed her collarbone, the goosebumps that rose when I slid her blouse off, the gasp when I unhooked her bra.
I wanted to memorize every detail. The freckles across her chest. The way her nipples tightened in the cool air. The slight tremor in her hands as she reached for me.
By the time I had her bare, she was trembling, and I smelled the arousal thick between us—sweet and heady and uniquely hers.
"You're beautiful," I murmured, running my hands up her sides, feeling her shiver. "So fucking beautiful, Sarah."
I smelled something else beneath the arousal—longing and heartbreak all tangled together. Like she was already mourning this, even as it was happening.
Like she felt what I felt.
I leaned down and kissed her collarbone, her sternum, the soft swell of her breast. She arched into me with a soft moan, her hands finding my shoulders, and I felt her pulse racing beneath my lips.
"Kael," she breathed. "Please."
"Not yet," I murmured against her skin. "I want to memorize you. Every inch."
I mapped her body with my mouth and hands, taking my time, learning every curve and hollow. The way she gasped when I kissed her wrist. The way she trembled when I traced her hip. The way she moaned my name when I pressed my lips to her inner thigh.
I wanted to remember all of it. Wanted to carry these moments with me forever, even after I walked away. Especially then.
When I finally settled between her thighs, she was panting, her hands fisted in the sheets, her scent so thick with arousal it made my head spin. I looked up at her, meeting her eyes, and what I saw there nearly undid me.
Want. Need. And something deeper that she was trying hard to hide.
"We agreed," she whispered, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "We agreed to the rules. No feelings. Just sex. It ends when we leave."
"I know what we agreed to." I leaned down, pressing my forehead to hers, breathing in her scent. "And I'll keep my promise. I'll walk away when we leave here. But I wish I didn't have to."
"Kael—"
"I know. I'm sorry." I kissed her softly, tasting salt on her lips. "But I couldn't let you walk away thinking this was just sex for me. That you didn't mean anything."
She made a broken sound and pulled me down to her, kissing me with a desperation that told me everything.
She felt it too.
I kissed her back with everything I had, pouring all my love and longing and grief into the press of my lips against hers. She opened for me, her tongue meeting mine, her body arching up to meet mine.
Maybe she couldn't say it. Maybe she wouldn't let herself acknowledge it. But she felt it.
"Make love to me," she whispered against my mouth, and the words nearly destroyed me. "Please, Kael. I need you."
I shed my jeans quickly, my hands shaking with emotion, and settled back between her thighs. She was so wet, so ready for me, and when I pressed inside her we both gasped.
It felt different this time. Deeper. More intense. Like our bodies were trying to fuse together, to become one instead of two.
Like if we held on tight enough, we could stop time from moving forward.
"Sarah," I breathed, my voice breaking. "Gods, Sarah."
I moved slowly, savoring every sensation—the heat of her around me, the way she clenched when I hit that spot, the little sounds she made that drove me wild. I wanted to make this last forever. Wanted to stay buried inside her, connected to her, for the rest of my life.
But time was cruel, and our bodies had their own rhythm.
I caught the shift in her scent as her pleasure built—arousal spiking, mixing with something sweeter. Something that smelled like love, even if she wouldn't say it.
"Look at me," I said, my voice rough with emotion. "I want to see you."
Her eyes opened, meeting mine, and the emotion I saw nearly destroyed me. It was everything I felt reflected back—desire and affection and grief and love all tangled together.
"I've got you," I murmured, one hand sliding between us to touch her where we were joined. "Let go, Sarah. I've got you."
"Kael." My name on her lips was a benediction and a curse. "I—"
"I know," I said, because I saw it in her eyes, smelled it in her scent. "I know, sweetheart. I know."
She shattered beneath me with a cry that sounded like my name and a goodbye all at once, her body clenching around me so tight I saw stars. I followed her over, burying my face in her neck, breathing in her scent as my body pulsed inside hers.
Mine, something primal whispered. Mine, mine, mine.
But she wasn't mine. Not really. Not beyond this moment.
For a long time, we just lay there, tangled together, our hearts racing in sync. I felt her trembling beneath me, and I wasn't sure if it was from pleasure or emotion or both.
Probably both.
"Kael," she whispered finally, her voice thick with tears she was trying not to shed. "We should—"
"I know." I pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then carefully pulled out and rolled to the side, gathering her against my chest.
She curled into me, her face pressed against my neck, and I felt the dampness of tears on my skin. Silent tears that broke my heart more thoroughly than any words could have.
"Don't cry," I said softly, my hand stroking her hair. "Please don't cry."
"I'm not," she lied, her voice muffled against my throat.
I held her tighter, my own throat tight with emotion I couldn't name. How was I supposed to walk away from this? From her? How was I supposed to return to my life and pretend these past few days hadn't changed everything?
How was I supposed to live with this mate bond—or whatever it was—pulling at my chest every moment, knowing she was out there somewhere, close enough to touch but forever out of reach?
Rule three: It's over when we leave the mountain.
I'd agreed to that rule. Had promised I could handle it.
But lying here with her in my arms, her scent surrounding me, her heartbeat steady against my chest, I knew the truth.
I couldn't keep that promise.
I was devastatingly in love with her. And walking away was going to destroy me.
But I'd do it anyway. Because I'd promised. Because she'd asked me to.
And I would take what I could get. These stolen moments. These precious few days. The memory of her touch and her smile and the way she said my name like it mattered.
It would have to be enough.
Even though I knew it never would be.
We lay there for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, neither of us willing to move. To acknowledge that this moment—this perfect, terrible moment—was ending.
Finally, Sarah stirred, pulling away. Her eyes were red-rimmed but dry, her expression carefully neutral as she sat up.
"We should get dressed," she said, her voice steady despite everything. "We need to leave soon."
I watched her slip out of bed and start gathering her clothes, rebuilding her armor piece by piece. The lawyer was back—professional, controlled, untouchable.
But I'd seen beneath that armor. Had held the real Sarah in my arms. Had heard her gasp my name and felt her tremble with pleasure and seen the vulnerability in her eyes when she looked at me.
Had seen something that looked like love, even if she'd never say it.
I'd carry that with me forever.
Even if it killed me.
"Sarah," I said as she buttoned her blouse.
She paused, looking at me warily. "Yeah?"
"Thank you." The words felt inadequate, but they were all I had. "For everything. For fighting for me. For... this."
Her expression softened, just for a moment, and I saw a flash of the woman who'd been in my arms minutes ago. The woman who'd trembled and gasped and looked at me like I was something precious.
"You don't have to thank me, Kael."
"Yes, I do." I stood, pulling on my own clothes. "You risked everything for me. Your career, your freedom, your reputation. I'll never forget that."
"I'd do it again," she said quietly, meeting my eyes. "In a heartbeat."
The weight of everything unsaid hung between us—thick and choking and impossible to ignore.
Then she looked away, breaking the moment. "Come on. We have a judge to convince and a sheriff to defeat."
I followed her out of the bedroom, watching as she did one final sweep of the cabin—checking that we hadn't left anything behind.
Erasing our presence like it had never existed.
Like we had never existed.
The drive down the mountain was quiet. Sarah focused on the road, her hands steady on the wheel, her expression unreadable. I stared out the window at the trees rushing past, watching the elevation drop with each mile.
With every mile we descended, I felt the real world closing in—the weight of responsibility, the threat of Dawson, the reality of what came next.
And with every mile, I felt Sarah slipping further away. Slipping back into the controlled, protective shield she wore like a blanket.
By the time we reached Franklin, she was fully back in lawyer mode—discussing strategy, reviewing arguments, preparing for battle. The woman who'd gasped my name and trembled in my arms was gone, replaced by the fierce, brilliant attorney.
I wanted to reach for her hand. Wanted to pull over and kiss her one more time. Wanted to tell her again that I loved her, that I didn't want this to end, that I'd fight for her if she'd let me.
But I'd made a promise.
Rule three: It's over when we leave the mountain.
So I kept my hands to myself and my mouth shut, and I let her go.
Even though it was killing me.
Even though I knew I'd never be the same.
The mountain was behind us now.
And so was everything we'd been.