He finally begins to move, his hips rolling in a rhythm that makes me moan into his mouth. Each thrust is deep, dragging pleasure through me like a tide I can’t fight.
His lips never leave me, kissing my mouth, my jaw, my throat.“You’re everything, baby,” he says between kisses. “Every dream I didn’t know I had.”
Tears sting my eyes, the kind that come from being too full of love, of him, of everything. I arch against him, wrapping my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
“Never,” he rasps, kissing the wetness from my cheeks. “I’ll never stop.”
His fingers lace tighter with mine, anchoring me, grounding me, as the world narrows to his eyes and the heat of his body inside mine.
“Come for me, baby,” he whispers against my lips, voice trembling with tenderness. “Let go for me.”
My orgasm pulses through me, pulling me under as I sob his name, clinging to him like I’ll never let go.
He follows right after, burying himself deep with a groan that shakes through me, his release warm and overwhelming as he kisses me through it, whispering how much he loves me over and over until the words blur with the sound of our breathing.
We collapse together, tangled and trembling, his body heavy and safe against mine, and his lips still brushing mine like he can’t stop.
In that moment, every part of me knows.
I want forever like this. With him, always with him.
It’s quiet, but our breathing, tangled together in the sheets. Carter doesn’t roll off immediately—he stays inside me, pressed close. His lips brush over my hairline until my pulse finally slows.
He finally pulls back, and I whimper at the loss. He hushes me immediately, his voice low, gravel softened with affection.
“Shh, baby. I’ve got you.”
He disappears for a moment, the mattress dipping as he gets up. I hear the faint sounds of the faucet in the bathroom, drawers opening, and the shuffle of him moving around.
He’s back, warm washcloth in hand, as he kneels by the bed.
“Let me take care of you,” he says, brushing damp hair from my forehead before gently cleaning between my thighs.
I bite my lip, watching him, my chest aching with something bigger than words. “You don’t have to?—”
“I do,” he cuts me off, meeting my gaze with that quiet intensity. “You’re my wife, Catalina. I’ll always take care of you.”
Tears prick my eyes again, but I swallow them down, because if I start crying, I’ll never stop.
When he’s finished, he tosses the cloth aside, then slides back into bed, tugging me against him until my head finds its place on his chest again. His arm comes around me, holding me close, his fingers tracing lazy patterns on my shoulder.
“Feel okay?” he asks softly, pressing a kiss into my hair.
“Better than okay,” I whisper, snuggling closer, breathing him in. “I feel… loved.”
His chest rumbles with a quiet laugh, but when he speaks, his voice cracks just a little. “Good, ’cause I don’t know how to do anything else when it comes to you.”
I press my lips against his chest, right over his heart, and close my eyes. Wrapped up in him, safe in the circle of his arms, I know I’ll never want to be anywhere else.
CHAPTER 9
Carter
Morning light slips through the curtains, and Catalina’s half sprawled on top of me, her hair a mess, the bow long gone, and her lips swollen from the way I kissed her awake not ten minutes ago.
I should let her sleep. I should get up and start the day.
But fuck no.
