Chapter Nineteen – Christopher #2
He lost himself in pleasuring her, his own arousal kicking up a notch as her hips moved in a primal rhythm against his mouth.
She whimpered as he circled her swollen bud with the flat of his tongue, but those whimpers turned to a breathy moan as he drew the bud between his lips.
When he slid one finger inside her slick heat, then two, curling them to stroke that ridged, perfect place inside her, Sorcha cried out his name, her inner walls clenching around his fingers as her thighs trembled and tightened against either side of his head.
She came, but he did not relent, drawing out her orgasm until she was completely sated.
For a moment, neither moved as they caught their breath, each lost in the moment. Then she moved.
“Please,” she begged, tugging at his hair. “I need you inside me.”
How could he refuse?
Christopher moved back up her body, positioning himself at her entrance. He paused there, his eyes locked with hers, overwhelmed by the enormity of this moment.
“I love you,” he said, the words rising from the deepest part of him. “I’ve loved you even before we met.”
Tears spilled from the corners of Sorcha’s eyes, tracking silver paths down her cheeks. “I love you too,” she whispered. “With everything I am.”
He entered her slowly, watching her face as he filled her. Sorcha wrapped her legs around his waist, drawing him deeper until they were completely joined, completely one.
For a moment, neither moved, content to simply exist in this perfect union. Then Sorcha lifted her hips, and Christopher began to move within her, setting a rhythm that built gradually from gentle to urgent.
The firelight played across their bodies as Christopher drove into her with deep thrusts, his gaze fixed on where her breasts swayed with each movement.
He lowered his head, capturing one peaked nipple between his lips, drawing a gasp from her throat.
Sorcha’s hand slipped between them, fingers gently cupping and caressing him, causing him to bite down on his bottom lip as he fought for control.
In response, his thumb found her sensitive bud, circling with a deliberate pressure that made her arch beneath him, her eyes fluttering closed as pleasure coursed through them both.
“Look at me,” he urged as he felt her begin to tighten around him. “I want to see you.”
Sorcha opened his eyes and met his gaze, vulnerable and trusting and filled with such love it made his heart ache. He had never expected the night to end like this after she’d run away. He thrust harder, wanting to feel her come around him.
Her eyes widened, and her lips parted in a silent cry that finally broke into a throaty moan as her release claimed her.
Her inner walls pulsed around him in rhythmic waves, each contraction drawing him deeper.
The sight of her head thrown back, exposing the vulnerable arch of her throat, and her breasts rising and falling with each ragged breath pushed Christopher over the edge.
He buried himself to the hilt, feeling the exquisite pressure build at the base of his spine before he filled her with his seed. And the potential of a new life. A child. Their child.
They held each other, catching their breath as the last waves of pleasure faded. Christopher rested his forehead against hers, not ready to pull away. The fire popped in the grate beside them, but their skin was already flushed and warm from what they’d just shared.
“I never knew it could be like this,” Sorcha whispered, her fingers tracing patterns on his damp back.
Christopher smiled against her skin. “Like what?”
“So…complete.” She sighed contentedly. “Like finding a piece of myself I never knew was missing.”
“That’s exactly what it is,” he murmured, carefully shifting to lie beside her on the narrow sofa, keeping one arm wrapped around her to prevent her from falling. “Finding the other half of your soul.”
Sorcha nestled against him, her head tucked beneath his chin.
The firelight danced across her skin, turning it to burnished gold.
Christopher couldn’t stop touching her—her shoulder, the curve of her hip, the silky strands of her hair.
Each touch confirmed she was real, she was here, she had chosen him.
“I want this forever,” she said softly. “You and me. Together.”
His bear rumbled happily within him. “Forever,” he agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
They lay in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the pop and hiss of the fire, their breathing falling into a matching rhythm. Christopher felt more at peace than ever before. The sense of rightness, of belonging, was overwhelming.
“Do you think Gretel would mind if I moved in with you?” Sorcha asked suddenly, tracing circles on his chest. “At least until I figure out what to do about my job?”
Christopher tensed slightly, realizing there was one more thing he hadn’t told her. One more piece of himself she didn’t yet know.
“About that,” he began, his voice hesitant. “Gretel doesn’t actually…own the cabins.”
Sorcha sat up abruptly. “What do you mean?”
Christopher propped himself up on one elbow, suddenly nervous. “I own Bear Creek Cabins.”
Her jaw dropped, eyes widening in shock. “You…what? Since when?”
“Since my car broke down…” He chuckled as he threaded his fingers through her tousled hair, his thumb caressing her cheek. “Does that make me more or less desirable?”
Sorcha tilted her head, considering him with narrowed eyes. “Oh, definitely more,” she said, the corner of her mouth twitching upward. “But I would love to hear the story behind it.”
Christopher traced the swell of her breast, watching as her skin pebbled beneath his touch.
“When my car broke down and I was marooned here, Gretel helped me see the light,” he explained.
“My old life was slowly suffocating me—the pressure, the pace, the emptiness of it all. She taught me how to breathe again.”
He paused, remembering those first few weeks in Bear Creek. The gradual loosening of the knot in his chest, the way the forest had called to him, the first time he’d shifted after years of suppressing his bear. Suppressing his true self.
“When I learned that Bear Creek Cabins were for sale, I knew I had to buy them,” he continued. “Gretel was in danger of losing her job and the only home she’d ever known, along with her security. I couldn’t let that happen.”
Sorcha’s expression softened. She traced the line of his jaw with her finger, then leaned down and pressed her lips to his in a tender kiss.
“I never believed in fate,” she whispered against his mouth. “But I do now.”
Christopher pulled her down for another kiss, deeper this time, pouring all his love and gratitude into it. When they finally broke apart, both breathless, he cradled her face in his hands.
“So you’re okay with dating the boss?” he asked, his tone light.
Sorcha laughed. “I’m okay with loving the boss,” she corrected. “Though I’m not looking for a job, just to be clear.”
“So you’re going to take the job at the World Traveler?” he asked, the question he’d been afraid to voice finally escaping.
Her expression grew serious. “I need to call Doreen tomorrow. I won’t be taking it.”
“Are you sure?” Christopher searched her face. “I meant what I said. I would go with you if that’s what you wanted.”
“I know you would.” She stroked his cheek, her touch reverent. “And that’s one of the reasons I love you. But this feels right, Christopher. Being here with you. Building something together.”
His bear practically purred with contentment. “What about your writing? Your career?”
“I can write from anywhere,” she said with a small shrug. “And Bear Creek is full of stories waiting to be told. Or maybe I’ll write a book about my travels.” She smiled, her eyes bright with possibilities. “The point is, I’m choosing us. Everything else will fall into place.”
Christopher pulled her close, overwhelmed by the gift she was giving him. “I love you,” he whispered into her hair. “More than I have words to express.”
“Show me,” she whispered back, her hands already beginning to wander.
And as the fire burned low, and the night deepened around them, Christopher did exactly that—showing her with every touch, every kiss, every shared breath just how deeply, completely, and eternally he loved her.
Their bodies spoke a language older than words, a promise that transcended time and space, binding them together as surely as the stars were bound to the sky.
In the quiet moments afterward, as Sorcha dozed in his arms, Christopher gazed at her face in the dying firelight. His mate. His love. His future.
Another wish comes true, his bear said happily.
All he hoped now was that James and Daniel might also find the mates they deserved.