Page 182 of Shots & Echoes

It felt like nothing I had ever experienced before. Like every nerve in my body was on fire, every sensation amplified by the connection between us. The way she fit around me, so tight and perfect, was almost too much to bear.

I could feel every inch of her, every quiver and tremble as I moved inside her. It was like we were one, like there was nothing separating us anymore.

I wanted to lose myself in her, to drown in the feeling of being inside her. But I held back, keeping the slow, agonizing pace, watching her face as she came apart beneath me.

It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

The way her eyes fluttered closed, the way her body arched, the way she cried out my name as she came. It was like I was witnessing something sacred, something pure and untouchable.

“Fuck, Iris.” I groaned against her mouth, my fingers digging into her hips as I thrust deeper. She was so tight, so wet, and I could feel every inch of her clenching around me. I couldn't get enough.

I grabbed her leg and rested it on my shoulder, pushing myself even deeper. She gasped, her nails digging into my back as I hit that spot that made her eyes roll back in her head.

"Mine," I growled, my voice low and possessive. "Always fucking mine."

She nodded, her breath coming in short pants as I continued to move inside her. "Yours," she whispered. "Always."

I could feel myself getting closer, my muscles tensing as I fought to hold on just a little longer. But Iris was right there with me, her body trembling as she met me thrust for thrust.

"You fucking better come, Evans," I ground out, my voice strained. "I can't... I'm going to..."

She cried out, her body convulsing around me as she came. It was all I needed to push me over the edge. I buried myself deep inside her, my own release washing over me like a tidal wave.

For a moment, everything was white-hot and blinding. I saw stars, my vision swimming as I struggled to catch my breath. Iris was still trembling beneath me, her body limp and sated.

I pulled out slowly, my cock still twitching as I collapsed onto the desk beside her. She rolled over, her head resting on my chest as we both tried to catch our breath.

"Fuck," I muttered, running my fingers through her hair. "That was... incredible."

She smiled, her eyes still closed as she snuggled closer to me. "Yeah," she agreed. "It was."

For a while, we just lay there, our bodies entwined as we basked in the afterglow. I could feel my heartbeat slowing, my muscles relaxing as I drifted toward sleep.

But before I could fully succumb to the darkness, Iris spoke up again.

"Knox?"

"Hmm?" I murmured, my eyes still closed.

"I love you."

I smiled, my heart swelling in my chest. "I love you too, Evans," I said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Always."

I pressed my forehead against hers, breathing like I had just gone to war. Maybe I had.

Every battle—every fight to keep her at arm’s length, every moment spent pretending this wasn’t inevitable—had led us right here. And now, standing on the other side of it, I realized something terrifying.

I never stood a fucking chance.

She shifted beneath me, her hands still resting on my skin, reluctant to pull away. Neither of us wanted to break the moment—to shatter the fragile, sacred thing we had just built between us.

Slowly, we got dressed, but it wasn’t just a routine. It was deliberate. Like we were memorizing each other.

Her fingers skimmed down my forearm as I reached for my hoodie, lingering there for just a second too long. I trailed my palm over her thigh as she pulled on her sweats, the warmth of her skin branding itself onto me.

She smiled at me then—soft and knowing, like she could see straight through me. Like she knew, even before I did, that this wasn’t just another night. This wasn’t something I could walk away from.

And when she slipped that Team USA jersey over her head, my chest tightened.

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