“Yes!” she insisted, looking over her shoulder. “Please, please–”

I slammed into her.

She rocked back against me.

Then my fingers were pressing bruises into her hips, Abby’s body mine to use. I fucked her like she was an accessory for my pleasure, her inner walls clenching around me. She loved it. I loved it. I loved her, and yeah, I was fucked up, but this…it was fucking heaven.

“I’m gonna…” she whined, falling to her elbows. “I’m gonna come. Gonna come…”

“Come for me, petal,” I ordered.

Taking the cue, she shuddered and clenched, and I nearly came along with her. Fuck, she was beautiful. I was going to spend the rest of my life loving this woman, making love to this woman.

Pleasure rocketed through me, every nerve ending lighting up. I needed more from her, needed to touch her, needed…

I stripped off my shirt, pulled out. Abby barely had time to protest before I was out of my jeans and boxing her into the corner of the bed, bracing myself against the wall. I gazed into her eyes and planted a messy kiss on her lips, tasting myself, tasting her desire.

Then I was sliding home again…and I lost it. I didn’t know where we were anymore, what day it was, what year. We were here in the present and in the past, locking eyes across the counter at the Red Lantern. We were in a nightclub, grinding on the dancefloor, frantically fucking in an alcove.

We were inside my makeshift prison at 118 California, and she was drinking red wine…and I was wondering if I needed to kill her.

But then, she was there again–here, real–and I counted my lucky stars as I took her face in my hands and forced her to look into my eyes. I was right on the verge of release, I could feel it, and I knew exactly what I wanted to say.

“Love you,” I groaned. “I fucking love…”

I thrust hard, filled her–and I came, shooting ropes of hot cum inside her, making her mine. I knew it wasn’t necessary, that it was a reiteration of a sacred truth, but I needed her to know.

At the Red Lantern, I’d loved her.

At the nightclub, I’d loved her.

And at 118 California, I’d learned she was the one thing I couldn’t lose.

My hips shook as I rode out the aftershocks, Abby gasping underneath me…then our torsos were pressed together and we were kissing, kissing. It felt like the desperation would never end, but our heartrates finally slowed and steadied, and then I found her eyes. She was gazing at me, green eyes sparkling in the grey light through the window.

“I don’t know how it feels to be the serpent queen,” she murmured. “But it feels damn good to be yours.”

I smiled. “It feels damn good to be yours, too.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Nathan

Moonlight seeped through the curtains, casting a soft glow on Abby's face as she lay next to me. We were both restless, our minds racing with thoughts of what the future might hold. Our bodies may have been tangled together under the sheets, but sleep was elusive.

"Have you thought about baby names yet?" Abby asked, her voice barely above a whisper. I could tell she was trying to keep her excitement contained, not wanting to disrupt the fragile peace of the night. I understood; hope felt frightening, like we would jinx our future if we even considered the possibilities.

"Nothing set in stone," I admitted, running my fingers through her hair. "But I've always liked the name Violet for a girl."

"Violet." Abby repeated the name, letting it roll off her tongue before nodding in approval. "I like it. But…trying to think about the Mandarin translation…”

“Zi,” I offered.

“What about…” She furrowed her brow. “Zihua?”

“Like a purple orchid?”

She smiles. “Yeah.”

I ran my thumb across her cheekbone. “I think that would be perfect.”