Page 66 of Ashes of Honor

I kissed her again, slower this time, daring her to say something back. Her body tensed, and I felt a wave of heat shoot through me. Rolling to my feet, I bent down, running my hands up her waist and finding a good grip. I picked her up, one hand on the curve of her ass. “Do I need to remind you of the very words that kept me from even considering pulling out?” I whispered into her ear.

Throwing the bedroom door open, Yasmin was lost to a flurry of soft giggles. The sound music to my ears.

“You mean,I love you?” Yasmin asked, that playful sarcasm I loved coupled with my favorite words made me feral for her.

I set her on the edge of the bed then dropped to my knees. The soft give of her hips beneath my palms was a promise of happiness. I let my thumbs skim the curve of her thighs, savoring every inch. Her breath hitched as I reached for the hem of her shirt, lifting it with deliberate care. The way she fit so perfectly, so fully, against my hands and lips—it was everything.

“Yep,” I murmured, now too occupied by desire to speak coherently. “Those are the ones.”

“So, we’re doing this?” Yasmin said, propping herself up on her elbows.

“Start a life together?” My gaze locked onto hers. “I can think of nothing I’ve wanted more in this life.”

She scoffed dismissively. “We’re in the middle of a silent war in a zombie apocalypse, I can’t think of a more dangerous situation.”

My lips curled into a quiet smile. “I’d cut my way through a thousand Pansies to get to you,” I pressed another kiss to her stomach, lingering there. “To get to both of you.”

“I love you,” Yasmin said, a sultry smirk tugging at her lips. A smile that had a habit of driving me out of my damn mind.

I closed the distance between us and pulled her into a kiss that was anything but gentle. She wrapped her arms around my neck, drawing me closer as the world blurred to nothing but her. The warmth of her skin. The taste of her tongue intertwined with mine. And the best yet, the way Yasmin held me, as if she couldn’t fathom ever letting go.

I deepened the kiss, my hands roaming, memorizing. When I pulled away, it was only to dip my head, lips brushing her jaw before trailing lower, teasing the spot where her pulse pounded beneath soft skin. A teasing claim. I trailed to the side and down the valley between her breasts. They fell free at the pinch of my fingers warring with the clasp of her bra. I tossed it off the bed, desperate to see her clearly. She was a work of art. A piece I wanted to take my time studying. I could take a hundred years carving a sculpture of her and it still wouldn’t be enough time to showcase her beauty. Her perfection.

Yasmin’s body responded, a soft moan escaped her plump lips, the sound sending a rush of blood to my dick. Urging me to lose control. The encouragement drove me to her voluptuousbreasts, my mouth desperate to explore. I traced a circle with my tongue and sucked with each arch of her back.

“God, I’m lucky.” I mumbled against the spot on her chest directly over her heart. My hands fell to the zipper of her jeans and I held her stare as I tugged them down. “Lift up for me, baby.”

Eyes lined with coal darkened at my command. And like the good girl she was, she did as she was told.

Yasmin gasped at the soft touch of my fingers drawing circles over her clit. I grew frustrated at the fabric preventing me from drowning in her wetness. But this wasn’t about me, her pleasure would bring me my own, and I wanted to drag every moment of that pleasure out. Lifting her legs, I placed them over my shoulders, using my hands to pull her panties off in the same motion.

“You don’t even realize what you do to me,” I whispered, gaze lingering on her as though committing her to memory. Kissing down the side of her legs, I lowered myself, settling at her core. I dipped my fingers in her arousal and sucked them into my mouth. “The way you respond to me, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

I couldn’t resist. The whimpers she released made me crave her. I kissed her again, slow and deep, tasting the sweetness of her coconut ChapStick lingering on her lips. My hands moved on their own, tracing every curve and hollow of her body. God, she was everything—my future, my peace, my home.

Trailing back down her body, I made sure to take my time. She shivered beneath me at the sensation of my lips on the soft curve of her stomach. I settled back between her thighs and allowed myself to feast. She bucked against me, her gasps and soft moans filled the room. Pulling back, I nibbled on the skin between her pussy and her inner thigh right before she found release, taunting her, driving her mad with need. I smiledagainst her skin knowingIwas the one who could make her fall apart this way.

“Riley,” she whined.

Fuck, I loved hearing my name like that.

Yasmin shoved my shoulders back, and I didn’t hesitate as I moved, finding her entrance and joining us in one seamless motion. Her eyes rolled heavenward, mouth fixated in a silent scream. For a second, it was just us—no chaos, no danger, no war. Just her. Just this.

She felt like heaven. The way she clenched around me—tight, warm, pulling me in deeper. Yasmin’s fingers dug into my back, and her face pressed against my chest, muffling those soft, desperate sounds. Every whimper, every gasp, it fueled me. I couldn’t get enough.

I pulled out slow and teasing, finding joy in the way her body trembled at the loss. Flipping her over, my hand slid under her stomach, arching her how I wanted. She let me guide her. Pliant. Eager.

She shivered as I traced a finger down her spine, my lips following until I found her waist. I gripped both sides firmly, grounding myself as her pussy clenched against my dick as I slid back in.

“You’re so beautiful,” I said, my voice rough with a mix of awe and urgency.

She didn’t answer. Yasmin shifted beneath me as I squeezed her again and pulled her back enough for the base of my shaft to press against her wetness.

“Say it,” I murmured, leaning forward until my lips brushed her ear. “Make me happy. I want to hear you say it.”

Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I’m beautiful.”

“Yes,” I groaned with pleasure, sliding into her again, the word a promise. “You are.”

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