Page 46 of Salvation

Her blue eyes lifted to mine, and the heat I saw there made my breath catch. “I want you to take me to bed,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I want you to keep me there.”

The honesty in her words, the direct way she looked at me as she said them, sent electricity shooting down my spine. This was still new territory for us -- being able to want each other openly, without hesitation.

“You sure?” I asked, needing to hear it again.

Instead of answering with words, she rose on her toes and kissed me, her hands fisting in my shirt to pull me closer. The kiss was hungry, desperate, full of two weeks of careful restraint finally breaking free. I groaned against her mouth, my arms tightening around her as I deepened the kiss.

When we broke apart, both breathing hard, her eyes were dark with desire. “Take me to bed, Kye.”

I didn’t need to be asked twice. I swept her up in my arms, carrying her toward our bedroom as she laughed breathlessly, her arms winding around my neck. The afternoon sun streamed through our windows, painting everything in golden light as I laid her gently on our bed.

“We have all the time in the world,” I murmured against her ear, my hands already working at the buttons of her shirt.

“Then don’t waste it,” she whispered back, her fingers finding the hem of my T-shirt. We quickly stripped out of our clothes.

I looked into her eyes as she watched me, her breathing shallow and quick. “You’re so beautiful,” I whispered against her lips before capturing them in a searing kiss. My hand slipped between her thighs and brushed against her throbbing clit, feeling her shudder in response.

She moaned into my mouth, grinding her hips against my hand. I pulled back slightly to look at her, taking in the flush on her cheeks and the desire burning in her eyes. “You’re going to beg for it, aren’t you?”

“Please, Kye,” she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper, the flush in her cheeks even darker than before. “I can’t wait anymore.”

With that word of permission, I leaned over her, caging her beneath my body. My cock throbbed painfully as I leaned down to take one of her perfect nipples in my mouth, sucking hard while running my fingers along her wet pussy. She arched off the bed with a moan, begging for more.

“On your knees,” I commanded softly, watching as she obeyed without hesitation. I positioned myself behind her, running my rough hands along the lines of her body before gripping her hair tightly and pulling back her head. “Look at me,” I growled into her ear, enjoying the shudder that ran through her at my dominance.

She met my gaze without flinching, her eyes dark with need. “Please, Kye. Don’t hold back.”

Without another word, I thrust myself inside her from behind, filling her up completely and claiming her as mine. She cried out in pleasure at the forcefulness of my entry but didn’t protest. Instead, she pushed back against me and moaned louder as I began to pound into her from behind.

“You’re mine,” I grunted out between harsh breaths as I held onto her hips roughly and pumped myself deeper inside of her with each thrust. She responded by calling out my name like a prayer while we fucked furiously. Our bodies slid together in a rhythm neither of us could deny as sweat beaded on our skin and our hearts raced in unison. And when she came apart underneath me, I followed right after.

* * *

I woke to sunlight filtering through the curtains, painting warm stripes across our tangled bodies. Yulia slept peacefully in my arms, her hair spilling across my chest, her breathing deep and even. This wasn’t the first morning I’d woken with her beside me, but it was the first where I didn’t have to worry about our teenage daughter coming in, or someone calling to ask for something. The entire club had given us space.

I studied her face in the golden light -- the softness that sleep brought to her features, the dark sweep of her lashes against her cheeks. The memories of her kidnapping still lurked at the edges of my mind, but they seemed more distant this morning, pushed back by the warm weight of her body against mine, the certainty of her safety in my arms.

Her eyes fluttered open, blue and deep as the sky outside our window. For a moment, confusion clouded them -- the same momentary disorientation I’d seen during those first days after the rescue. Then recognition dawned, followed by a slow, sleepy smile that hit me straight in the chest.

“Good morning,” she murmured, her accent thicker with sleep, the sound warming me from the inside out.

“Morning,” I replied, my voice rough as I brushed a strand of hair from her face. “Sleep well?”

She nodded, stretching slightly against me like a contented cat. I pressed a kiss to her forehead, unable to find words for the emotions surging through me. She seemed to understand, her hand coming up to rest against my jaw, thumb stroking along the stubble there.

“Clover doing okay?” she asked, referring to our daughter’s overnight stay with Cyclops and his family.

“Beast texted at some point last night saying she was all settled. I guess Cyclops hadn’t wanted to bother us, but the Pres had a feeling we’d want to know how our girl was doing. Said Cyclops’s daughter is thrilled to have her there.” I smiled, picturing Clover, an only child, suddenly surrounded by three other kids. “They’re planning to take everyone to town for lunch.”

Yulia nodded, satisfaction evident in her expression. “Good. She deserves some normal teenage fun after everything.”

She sat up slowly, the sheet falling away to reveal the bare curve of her shoulder, the delicate line of her collarbone. I watched, transfixed, as she slid from the bed and padded across the room to where my T-shirt lay discarded on the floor. She pulled it over her head, the fabric swallowing her smaller frame, hanging to mid-thigh in a way that somehow managed to be more enticing than full nudity.

Sunlight caught the ring on her left hand as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun, the pink diamond sending tiny reflections dancing across the wall. The sight of it -- that physical proof of our new reality -- sent a surge of possessive satisfaction through me.

She felt my gaze and looked up, catching me watching her. A faint blush colored her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “What?”

“Just enjoying the view,” I said, allowing a smile to tug at my lips. “You in my shirt. Like something out of a dream.”

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