Page 69 of Rook

“Right here, Aisling.”

And then I’m thrusting home, locking us together, knotting her.

I can’t breathe, can’t breathe, all I can think is her.

The world shrinks to nothing but the heated cocoon we’ve spun around ourselves. The hum of voices outside, the scent of the spa—they fade into insignificance. Here, in this nest, Aisling and I move together, healing the raw edges of a past that’s tried to cut us apart.

“Perfect,” she breathes, her hands tracing patterns on my back, “just like this.”

“Only for you,” I rasp out, every thrust a promise, every moan from her lips a balm soothing the scars we both carry. We’re lost in a rhythm that’s as old as time, the primal dance of two souls intertwined.

Her heat rises again, crashing over me in waves that drag me under. I can’t fight it; don’t want to. The need to claim her, to sink into her warmth, overrides everything else. Our bodies are slick with sweat, sliding against each other as if made for this very moment.

“Fuck, Luka…” Her voice is a siren call, luring me deeper into the abyss.

“Yours, always fucking yours,” I grunt, my control slipping. There’s no going slow now. It’s just instinct, need, the pure truth of what we are.

“Need you…just like that,” she gasps, her hips rising to meet mine in urgent demand.

“Got you, Aisling…I’ve got you.” My face buries in the crook of her neck, breathing her in, my teeth grazing her skin.

This isn’t the island.

This isn’t fear and pain.

This is us taking back the night, reclaiming every stolen piece of our damn souls.

She clings to me, her legs wrapped around my waist, pulling me deeper. We lose ourselves in each other, fucking through the relentless pull of her heat, each movement erasing the lines between where she ends and I begin.

“Love you…so much,” she whispers against my ear, her body trembling with the force of what’s building between us.

“Love you more,” I reply, my own voice rough with emotion. We’re spiraling together, reaching for that peak that promises oblivion.

And when it hits, it’s cataclysmic, shattering the remnants of our restraint. We fall, tumbling into the ecstasy that obliterates thought, reason, everything but the pulse of her heart against mine.

Chapter twenty-nine

Rook

I take the steps two at a time, each one echoing off the sterile walls like the ticking of a bomb. My heart’s doing this jackrabbit thing, pounding against my ribs as if trying to bust out. The heat spa is just an elevator ride away, but it feels like I’m heading into enemy territory.

Or worse, a place where all my self-control gets shredded to bits.

“You don’t have to fuck her, Rook,“ I mutter under my breath.

It’s useless telling myself that…when I really, really want to fuck her.

The elevator dings, and the doors slide open with a hiss. I step inside, jabbing the button for the spa level. The descent is smooth, too smooth, and I tap the tips of my boots against the steel floor, needing some noise to drown out the thoughts screaming in my head.

When the doors open again, it’s like stepping onto another planet. Two beta females man the front desk, clad in these crisp, white outfits that scream ‘clean’ and ‘pure’. But the atmosphere? It’s soaked in sex, thick enough to cut with a knife.

And damn it, Aisling’s voice is cutting through it all, unmistakable even among the symphony of moans and gasps echoing down the hall.

“Shit,” I hiss, feeling that familiar twist in my gut. My blood heats up, my body reacting despite every mental command to stand down.

This is Aisling, the Stargazer, and she’s setting off fireworks in my head without even being in sight. I rake a hand through my hair, though the action does nothing to cool me down.

I’m not a damn alpha. I can control myself.

---