The Vow in the Dark
She looked at me like she didn't know whether to fight me or fall apart in my hands.
Tears clung to her lashes, her lips parted, the sheet slipping down her shoulder as if it knew I'd been staring there too long already.
I didn't give her more words. I'd already told her I wasn't walking away. Now she needed to feel it.
I slid onto the bed beside her, pulling her into my lap until she was straddling me. Her hands trembled where they rested against my chest, her body tense like she was waiting for me to break the promise I'd just made.
"Nick," she whispered, shaky and uncertain.
I brushed my thumb over her bottom lip, steadying her. "Shh. Let me show you."
Then I kissed her. Slow, deep, nothing rushed.
This wasn't the frantic heat of the night before or the desperate release we'd given into.
This was different—anchored, deliberate.
Every press of my lips was a silent vow; every stroke of my tongue was a promise written in the quiet of her childhood bedroom.
She melted gradually, her tension unraveling like a frayed rope as I held her close. My hands smoothed over the arch of her back, down her sides, memorizing the shape of her—every curve that made her mine in this moment.
When her hips shifted against me, seeking a friction I was more than willing to give, I groaned low, pulling back just enough to murmur against her mouth, "Baby girl, you undo me."
Her breath hitched, and I kissed her again, trailing the heat down her jaw, her throat, until I reached the delicate hollow of her collarbone.
I lingered there, sucking lightly, feeling her pulse flutter like a trapped bird against my lips.
Her fingers tangled in my hair, tugging gently as her head fell back, exposing the long line of her neck.
"Nick..."
"Yeah, baby," I rasped, sliding my hands to her thighs, my grip firm but reverent. "I've got you."
I guided her slowly, lining us up, and when I eased into her, it was careful, deliberate—inch by inch until she was full, stretched tight around me. She gasped, clinging to my shoulders, and I swallowed the sound with another kiss.
"Fuck," I groaned, my forehead pressed to hers. "You feel like you were made for me."
She moved, slow at first, rocking against me, and I let her set the pace.
My hands roamed over her, one gripping her hip to anchor her, the other sliding up to cup the back of her neck, holding her steady as we found a rhythm that felt as old as the hills surrounding this town.
Her eyes started to flutter shut, but I caught her chin, forcing her to look at me.
"Eyes on me, baby girl. I want you right here with me."
Her moan broke something deep inside my chest, and I kissed her again, a deep, consuming thing, like I could pour every unspoken word—every "I'm sorry" and "I'm staying"—into her mouth.
She rode me slowly, each roll of her hips dragging a trail of fire through my veins.
I let her take what she needed, my own body straining, groans rumbling out of my chest with every heavy movement.
"You're mine," I whispered hoarsely against her ear, my breath hot. "Don't care what anyone says. You and that baby—you're mine."
Her nails dug into my shoulders, her breath catching as she ground harder against me, chasing that elusive edge. "Nick—God—"
"That's it," I coaxed, my thumb finding her, brushing over her clit with a firm, steady rhythm. "Come for me, baby. Show me how much you need me."
Her cry was sharp, shattering the silence of the house.
Her body clenched tight around me as she came undone in my arms, a series of tremors that shook both of us.
I held her through it, whispering low, jagged promises against her damp skin, before thrusting up hard one last time and spilling into her with a guttural groan of her name.
We collapsed together, tangled in sweat and discarded sheets, her face pressed into the crook of my neck.
I stroked her hair, my other hand sliding instinctively back to her stomach, rubbing those soft, familiar circles there.
She trembled once, then stilled, her breathing finally evening out into a peaceful cadence.
I kissed the crown of her head, my chest tight with everything I hadn't said. I didn't need to say it. I'd just proved it. I wasn't going anywhere, even if the whole world tried to move me.