Chapter 34 #2
"I know it does," I murmured into her hair.
The strangeness of the moment wasn't lost on me.
Alex had been my shield, my protector. She had thrown herself between me and danger without hesitation.
Now I held her as she broke apart, my arms the only thing keeping her together.
The woman who had chosen me over her family now trembled against me, vulnerable in a way I never thought possible.
"It hurts so fucking bad," Alex whispered, her face buried against my neck.
Her body shook with each sob, and I felt the hot wetness of her tears against my skin. I held her tighter, one hand cradling the back of her head while the other pressed firmly between her shoulder blades. Her grief vibrated through me, raw and terrible.
Next to us, Kara stood motionless, her eyes on mine. Cam lingered in the doorway, while Ellie hovered just behind her shoulder. They watched in silence, giving us this moment that felt both intimate and exposed.
Alex's sobs gradually quieted, her breathing ragged against my skin. I felt the subtle shift before I understood it—her lips pressed against the curve where my neck met my shoulder. Not an accident. A kiss. Tentative and grateful.
Another kiss followed, higher up my neck, then along my jawline. Each touch of her lips felt like a question.
When she finally pulled back enough to look at me, her eyes were red-rimmed but clear. Her gaze dropped to my mouth, lingered there. The question in her eyes was unmistakable.
I answered by leaning forward, pressing my lips against hers. Soft at first, then with growing certainty.
Yes, I was choosing this. Choosing her. Despite everything she'd been, everything she'd hidden from me. Despite the danger and uncertainty that surrounded us.
Or maybe because of it all.
I kissed Alex with everything I had, trying to pour comfort into her through my lips. Her hand found my breast through the towel, tentative at first, then hungry. She tugged the fabric away, bent her head, and took my nipple into her mouth. The wet heat of her tongue made me gasp.
I opened my eyes when I felt Kara's strong hands steadying us both from behind. Her mouth claimed mine in a deep kiss while Alex continued to suck and tease below. My towel slipped completely, pooling around my feet on the cold floor.
Alex sank to her knees, her tear-stained face looking up at me with need as she gently urged my thighs apart. Her fingers slid through my wetness, making me shudder. When she pushed one finger inside me, then another, I broke away from Kara's kiss to look down.
"You're so beautiful," Alex whispered, her voice raw.
"So are you," I managed to say as her fingers curled inside me, finding that perfect spot that made my knees weak.
Alex lowered her head between my thighs, her tongue finding me with perfect rhythm. I gasped at the warm, wet pressure against my most sensitive flesh. My eyes fluttered closed as she circled my clit with the flat of her tongue, then sucked it gently between her lips.
Across the room, Cam's strong hands unhooked Ellie's bra, revealing her full breasts with dark nipples that pebbled in the cool air. They moved closer, drawn to our heat.
Kara's mouth captured mine again, her kiss deep and possessive. I fumbled with the buttons of her shirt, desperate to feel her skin against mine, but Alex's tongue sliding inside me scattered my thoughts. When she returned to my clit, licking in firm, steady strokes, I moaned into Kara's mouth.
"That's it," Ellie whispered, suddenly beside us. "Let go for her."
Cam's large hand steadied my hip as Alex sucked harder, her fingers pushing deep inside me. The pressure built until I couldn't contain it.
"Alex!" I cried out, my body clenching around her fingers as I came against her mouth.
Alex rose to her feet, her lips finding mine with a hunger that made me ache. I pulled back just enough to whisper, "Let me take care of you now."
When she hesitated, I slid my hands under her shirt, feeling the warmth of her skin, the slight tremble beneath my fingertips. "Please," I said. "I need this too."
I undressed her slowly, savoring each new expanse of skin. The tactical pants fell away, revealing black underwear against dark tanned skin. Her breasts spilled into my hands, nipples hardening against my palms.
I guided her to the bed, gently pressing her back against the sheets. Her thighs parted for me as I knelt between them. The slick pink folds of her cunt glistened in the dim light, and I lowered my mouth to taste her salt and sweetness.
"Sabine," she gasped as my tongue circled her clit, her fingers tangling in my still-damp hair.
I slid two fingers inside her, curling them forward as I sucked gently. Her body tightened around me, back arching off the bed as she came with a broken cry that sounded like surrender.
I climbed onto the bed, moving up Alex's body until I covered her like a blanket, my weight settling against her curves.
Her tears tasted like salt when I kissed them away.
When I pulled back to look at her, those midnight dark eyes that had always seemed so unbreakable now shimmered with something raw and exposed.
"You're okay," I whispered.
Her lip quivered. "Am I?" The question hung between us, fragile as spun glass.
I pressed my lips to hers, gentle but certain. "You are. I'm here."
I glanced back at the others. They moved toward us like planets drawn into orbit, settling onto the bed around us. "We're all here. We have each other."
"You don't want this, Sabine." Alex's voice was rough, barely controlled. "You had a whole life and I took that from you. I was so determined to get revenge for Ma—" Her voice cracked and fractured, the words dissolving.
"I do want this," I said. "I want you. I want all of you." My throat tightened. "I had... I have no family. I had no one but Mark." I swallowed hard against the tears threatening to spill over.
Ellie's fingers threaded through my hair while her other hand cupped Alex's tear-streaked cheek. "You have us," she said, her voice soft but certain. "We are your family, if that's what you choose." Her eyes, usually bright with mischief, held nothing but sincerity. "I think we all feel that way."
Cam settled beside me on the bed, her large hand making slow circles on my bare back. She didn't speak, but her nod carried the weight of a thousand promises.
"We all feel that way," Kara confirmed from behind us, her tone carrying that familiar calm authority that had become my anchor.
I kept my eyes on Alex, watching as vulnerability and hope battled across her face. I smiled, then turned to acknowledge each of them—Ellie with her nurturing touch, Cam with her steady presence, Kara with her unwavering strength.
"I choose you all," I whispered, the words feeling like a vow.
Alex lifted her head, her lips finding mine. The kiss started gentle, almost hesitant, but deepened quickly into something that felt like coming home.