Not sharp.
Something deeper.
Something ancient.
Something marrow-deep and final.
I rubbed slow circles along her back while trying to gather enough coherent thought to speak without sounding completely insane.
Not an easy task considering I was seconds away from dragging her beneath me again and spending the rest of eternity inside her.
“Your thoughts are so loud, Sten,” she whispered sleepily, echoing words I’d once spoken to her.
A grin tugged helplessly at my mouth.
“Smart ass,” I growled softly before pressing a kiss against the crown of her head.
I felt her smile against my chest.
And gods—that tiny little smile undid me.
Something inside me loosened painfully.
Like I’d spent years carrying bitterness and rage and loneliness packed tightly inside my ribs only to realize there was suddenly no room left for any of it now that she existed here with me.
Contentment spread through me in slow heavy waves.
Not surface-level satisfaction.
Something deeper.
Bone-deep.
Soul-deep.
Like my entire body had finally stopped fighting itself for the first time in years.
And I needed to know if she felt it too.
Did she feel this impossible tether wrapping tighter around us with every breath?
Did she feel the way my instincts practically knelt before her?
Did she regret giving herself to me?
The thought made something sharp twist beneath my sternum instantly.
Because if she regretted this—no.
Absolutely fucking not.
I couldn’t even finish the thought.
Not after claiming her.
Not after feeling her body open for mine.
Not after hearing those sweet sounds she made while wrapped around me.
