Chapter 11
MILLER
The metallic tang of copper and gunsmoke hangs heavy in the night air as I step back inside the safe house, locking the reinforced door behind me. I’m wired, my muscles trembling with residual combat adrenaline, my mind still calculating threats.
But the second the deadbolt clicks, a soft, curvy, strawberry blonde bullet launches itself into my chest. My North Star. Her scent fills my lungs, pulling me back from the edge and grounding me right here in this moment.
Rya runs straight into my arms, slamming her lush body against mine.
Her legs instantly wrap around my hips, and her small hands grip my hair, pulling my mouth down to hers in a frantic, desperate kiss.
She’s shaking, but it’s not from terror.
Jesus, she needs me as much as I need her.
I can fucking smell the raw, unadulterated need coming off of her in waves.
"Rya... baby," I pant against her lips, trying to pull back just an inch. "I'm covered in sweat and dirt. I should get cleaned up—"
"No," she shakes her head fiercely, her beautiful brown eyes flashing behind her glasses with a possessiveness that rivals my own. "Don't you dare leave me. I love you just like this, Miller. I love the beast that just fought for me. I need all of you. I need it now."
Her demand ignites a fire in my veins as a guttural grunt tears from my throat. Any shred of my remaining control snaps. In one quick, fluid motion, I set her down and spin her around, so her back is pressed against my front and we're staring into the electric fireplace.
I nibble at her exposed shoulder, then press kisses up her neck and suck on her earlobe.
“Strip for me, Rya,” I murmur, my voice low and scratchy.
Her breath hitches, and she tips her head back, tempting me to bite her creamy throat and leave my mark.
I nuzzle into her warm skin and scrape my teeth over her pulse point, groaning when she whimpers so sweetly for me.
I suck on her sweet flesh, and nip her skin before kissing away the sting.
Rya nearly stumbles backward when I lean away from her just long enough to shed my tactical gear and clothes.
I steady her with a hand on her hip, and help her peel the rest of her clothes off.
She tries spinning around in my arms, but I hold her in place, running my hands up and down her ample curves.
I palm her breasts, kneading the sensitive flesh and pinching her nipples.
Rya gasps and presses her ass into my solid erection, nestling it between her cheeks.
A growl rumbles through my chest as I rub against her.
Jesus, I love feeling her like this, skin against skin, both of us desperate, achy, on edge, yet wanting to draw out the sweet torture even longer.
One of my hands slides down her torso, playing with the soft curls covering her mound. A muffled, pinched moan escapes her mouth as I run my fingers up and down her slit, gathering her juices and pulling them up toward her sensitive little button.
“You’re soaking wet, baby girl. Does it hurt?”
“So bad,” she moans, nodding her head.
Rya takes in deep breath after deep breath, but it only takes a few moments for her breathing to become shallower, faster, as I keep stroking her pussy in tight circles.
Her back arches and I lay my free arm over her breasts, crushing them and holding her close against my chest while blurring my fingers over her clit.
Rya trembles at my touch. I know she’s close, she’s right there, I can feel her climax rattling through her bones. Right before she comes, I thrust two fingers inside of her tight hole and grind my heel down on her clit.
“I…” She exhales on a ragged breath. “I think...oh, God, that feels so good. Miller…”
I rock my hips, rubbing my cock against her ass, and sink my teeth into her shoulder, causing her orgasm to bear down on her and overwhelm her completely. I continue pumping my fingers in and out of her spasming little cunt, curling them up and tapping her most sensitive spot with each thrust.
Rya cries out as her release pours into my hand. Each jagged breath brings her more and more pleasure until her knees give out. I gently guide her onto the soft rug in front of the fireplace, positioning her on her hands and knees before standing up and getting a good look at my woman like this.
“Fucking Christ, Rya,” I growl, dropping to my knees behind her.
I run my hand between her shoulder blades and down her spine, following the trail with kisses until I get to her juicy ass.
I bite one cheek and then the other, making Rya gasp and look at me over her shoulder.
I just grin and pull her cheeks apart, flattening my tongue and licking her from top to bottom, the way I know she likes.
“Why… why does that feel… so good?” Rya moans breathlessly.
I harden my tongue into a point and press just inside the tight ring of muscles, causing Rya to twitch and jerk forward, resting on her forearms now instead of her hands. I grip her hips and eat out her ass, loving the uncontrollable moans falling from her lips.
My hands slide down her inner thighs, pushing them wider so I can taste more of her. I dip my head down and lick her clit, once, twice, three times, then spear my tongue in her pussy over and over.
I tease one entrance, then the other, before going back to her clit again.
Rya is fucking dripping for me, her cries muffled from where her face is buried in the rug.
I stare at her perfect little pussy as it clenches and releases a wave of cream just for me.
I give my woman one last lingering lick and savor the way her entire body tenses and vibrates with the need to come.
Without warning, I slam my cock into her, setting off her long-awaited orgasm.
Her screams pierce the air, and I loop my arm underneath her hips, holding her up when her legs give out. Rya’s entire body throbs as her cunt squeezes me so damn tight. I hold myself still, wanting to feel her orgasm while buried deep inside her.
When it starts to fade, I pull back and steady her on her hands and knees again before thrusting into her over and over. I look between us and take in the sight of her pussy stretching around my thick dick, taking all of my inches like a good girl.
"Fuck, that's good, Rya. So fucking good," I grit out, wrapping my fist around her hair. I tug, causing her back to arch so she can take me even deeper.
“Ohmygod, ohmygod, Miller…”
“Yeah? This what you need? Need your man to remind you who you belong to?” I smack her ass, fucking her furiously and without mercy.
“Y-Yes. I need… I need…”
“What do you need, baby? Tell me,” I growl.
“I need you to remind me I’m real.” It’s barely a whimper, but her words completely destroy me.
I fall down on top of her, catching myself on my hands and caging her in with my body. My chest presses into her back, my arms are on either side of hers, and our fingers are locked together. I rut into her, grinding down, and filling up every single inch of her wet, silky heat.
“You’re real, Rya. You’re safe. You’re free. You’re mine,” I say in between powerful thrusts.
“Yours, yours, yours,” she chants, throwing her head back and resting it on my shoulder as I tear her apart in the way she needs. In the way we both need. I want to rip out all her painful, lonely, dark memories, and replace them with pleasure, joy, and light.
“That’s right, love. Feel this with me.”
“Miller,” she gasps, pressing her tear-stained cheek against mine. “Miller, I’m gonna…”
“Fuck yes, come for me,” I groan, absolutely overwhelmed by how perfect and complete this moment feels.
Rya inhales sharply and holds her breath as her whole body goes stiff.
I pull out as far as I can from this angle and hammer into her as her pussy spasms and floods with her orgasm.
I feel her gushing for me, the sloppy sounds we’re making topped only by the broken whimpers Rya lets out with each breath.
My vision goes white as I wrap an arm around her hips and hold still inside of her.
Rya squirms and squeals, both of us crying out our release together, her slick cunt sucking up thick ropes of my cum.
I keep coming, squeezing my eyes shut as her pussy locks up, pulsing, fluttering, and creaming all over me yet again.
It lasts for fucking ever. She keeps coming, and when it seems as though I’ve taken everything she can give me, I lean back and grip her hips, fucking myself with her limp body.
“I love you,” I grunt, transfixed as I empty the last of my cum and pull out of her, my dick messy with our combined releases.
I collapse next to Rya on the rug and roll her over, draping her trembling body over my chest and wrapping her up in my arms. She snuggles closer, kissing my chest and tucking her face into the side of my neck.
We stay like that, curled up together, letting the sweat dry on our skin as the fire keeps us warm.
“You are real, Rya. You are the most real thing in my life. I’ll be here to remind you every day for the rest of our lives,” I whisper.
She props herself up on my chest, her hair a beautiful mess, her brown eyes warm with satisfaction, and the knowledge she is loved. I want her to always look at me like that. I’m damn proud I make her feel this way.
“It’s hard to believe, you know?” she says softly. I lift an eyebrow in question. “That we found each other. That we’re right here, right now. How lucky am I?”
I tuck a few strands of damp hair behind her ear, loving that I made her sweat.
“It’s not about luck, baby girl. But if anyone has the right to claim luck on their side, it’s me.
I mean, look at how fucking gorgeous you are,” I tell her, my eyes sweeping over her face, lingering on her wide eyes and rosy cheeks.
“And you’re brilliant behind the keyboard, nearly putting me to shame. ”
“Nearly?” Rya teases, narrowing her eyes at me.
“Yeah. You’ll get there one day, I’m sure,” I reply cheekily. She smacks me on the chest and I wrap my fingers around her wrist, pulling her down on top of me. “I love you. All of you. Forever.”
Tears form in her golden-brown eyes, but her smile lets me know she’s not sad. “I love you, too, Miller. All of you. Forever.”
We stay like that for a few more minutes, then I stand and scoop Rya up in my arms, carrying her into the bathroom. We stand under the hot spray of the shower, gently washing the grime of the night from each other's skin, kissing sweetly between the drops of water.
Once she’s tucked safely under the heavy blankets of the bed, her eyelids drooping with absolute exhaustion, I slip out to the main room one last time to call homebase.
Easton answers immediately. "Report, Miller."
"Perimeter is clear. Six hostiles neutralized," I state, my voice rough but steady.
"They won't be coming after Rya again. Her digital trails are completely scrubbed, and the physical asset team is broken. It’s over for her. But Easton... it’s not over for the rest of us.
There are still two names left on that list."
"Good work, Miller. Keep her safe. Atlas is already on the trail of the third name on the list, Kienna. We’ll handle the next phase from here."
“Better warn him about the women on the list,” I say sternly.
Easton grunts. “What the hell are you talking about now?”
“First, Kai and Annika. Now, me and Rya. He might think he’s closed off, but I’m pretty sure Atlas will be the third Aegis man to fall ass over heels for his target.”
“Are you sure about you and Rya? I know you were possessive from the start, but–”
“She is the only real and good thing that has ever happened to me,” I snap, my voice sharp and tinged with a threat to anyone who dares to disagree.
“Down, boy. I got it. Atlas might be foolish enough to fall in love, but don’t you go on gettin’ any ideas about me. I’m stronger than all of you combined.”
“Love isn’t a weakness,” I start.
“I’m not in the mood for a lecture on fluffy feelings, Miller.
Jesus, I can’t believe I just had to say that sentence out loud.
What’s happening to the men in my crew?” Easton is mostly muttering to himself at this point, while I grin widely.
He’s going to fall hardest of all, I can tell.
Knocked completely on his ass. I can’t wait.
I disconnect the call and walk toward the bedroom, already missing my woman. The cold night air clings to my skin as I slip back into the room, but the second I touch the warmth of the bed, that chill evaporates.
I don't hesitate; I slide under the covers, drawing Rya back against me. She’s already half-asleep, a soft, welcoming weight that grounds me instantly. I pull her flush to my chest, my arms wrapping around her like a fortress she never has to leave again.
For a long time, I just lie there, breathing in the scent of her hair, listening to the steady, rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing against my ribs.
It’s quiet. A different kind of quiet than the hollow silence of my life before.
This one is full, heavy with the reality of what we have.
I think about the man I was before I found her—always waiting for the next strike, always bracing for an impact—and I realize I haven’t been truly living in years. I was just surviving.
Now, with Rya tucked against my heart, the future doesn't look like a series of tactical engagements anymore. It looks like sunrises on a porch, quiet mornings, and a life where I’m not just defending a position, but building a home.
"Miller?" she murmurs, her voice thick with sleep, her hand finding mine under the blanket and lacing our fingers together.
"I'm here, baby," I whisper, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Promise?"
"Always. We’ve got time, Rya. All the time in the world."
She lets out a contented sigh, shifting closer until there isn't a sliver of space left between us.
I close my eyes, and for the first time in my life, the nightmares don't come.
Instead, there's just the steady beat of her heart, the soft warmth of her skin, and the unshakable, burning promise that no matter what comes, I’m never letting her go.
We drift off together, anchored by each other, finally and completely home.