I didn't stop. I stayed with her through every gasp, every tremble, every wave that broke over her until she unraveled, until I followed her into the dark with a quiet groan and her name on my lips.
Afterward, I stayed close, settling beside her, her head on my chest, my hand tangled in her hair.
And for a long moment, we didn’t speak. We didn’t need to.
I kissed the top of her head, her shoulder, the hollow of her throat. Then I held her like I never planned to stop.
Because I didn’t.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
NATHAN
I WAS ADDICTED.
The first time had left me craving more. I thought one taste of Elise, one night of claiming her, would be enough to satisfy the gnawing hunger inside me.
I was wrong.So wrong.
One night wasn’t even close. It wasn’t a craving, it was an obsession. Every inch of her, the soft gasp of her breath, the way her body reacted to mine, the little noises that slipped from her mouth like she couldn’t help it, I couldn’t get enough.
I looked down at her now, her hair fanned out around her head, skin glistening with a soft sheen of sweat. Elise was curled against me like she belonged there, like we’d been made for this. Elise tugged the sheet higher, tucking it beneath her chin as warmth bloomed across her cheeks.
I wasn’t her first, but hell, I was gonna make damn sure I was her last.
And I didn’t deserve her. A better man would’ve stopped. A better man would’ve told her the truth before dragging her into this mess.
But I wasn’t a better man. Never claimed to be.
Guilt flickered in my chest. I hadn’t told her the truth. And now, after every whispered moan and every tremble under my touch, I realized how much she deserved honesty and how much I’d failed her.
I should’ve been gentler with her, should’ve held back, but the second she gave herself to me, something inside me broke wide open. I didn’twantto hold back. I couldn’t. And now, I wasn’t sure I could ever be whole again.
“How sore are you?” I asked, my voice rough from hours of broken groans, heated breaths, and whispered pleas.
Elise blinked up at me with those heavy-lidded eyes, the kind of look that made my pulse spike all over again. She was so close to sleep, and I should’ve let her rest. But the idea of her not looking up at me, not having her smile at me... it twisted something dark in me.
Something possessive.
Elise shifted, stretching like a cat, and I swore my heart skipped a beat. She met my gaze, lips curling in that teasing way of hers.
“I think you broke me.” She giggled.
Her laugh, soft and sweet, shot straight through me. I couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at my lips. Slowly, I trailed my fingers over her arm, loving the way she shivered, the way she reacted to me.
“Baby,” I whispered, the words falling from my lips like a dare, “that was me taking it easy on you.”
Elise gasped, a sweet little sound that made my blood rush hot in my veins. I couldn’t resist. My fingers brushed lower, just a tease, before settling on her hip. She swatted at my chest, but I saw that smile she couldn’t hide. It was there, curling at the corners of her mouth. She liked it. I could tell.
“But don’t worry,” I murmured, leaning in close, voice husky, “I’ll let you rest. Just this once.”
Her fingers traced patterns on my chest, and I could still smell her mixed with the faint trace of my cologne. She was all wrapped up in me. Her scent, her warmth, her touch. I could breathe her in forever.
God, I wanted her again.
But she was barely hanging on. Her body was more relaxed against mine, her breathing slowing, almost in a lull.
“Only a few more days,” I murmured into her hair.
