Page 100 of When Hearts Surrender

“Fuck,” I mutter and snake one hand between us, my fingers finding her swollen nub. “Come for me, Belle, drench my cock with your juices.” I pinch her clit.

She screams, her voice probably traveling to other parts of the house, but I couldn’t care less. Her pussy strangles me as wetness gushes out of her.

I swallow her sounds with my mouth, our tongues swiping, joining with each other like our bodies below, and I fall off the cliff, the pleasure an avalanche, wiping away every worry, every doubt as I release ropes of cum inside her, my orgasm never-ending.

My body covers her, flesh against flesh, every inch of us entangled as I rain a thousand kisses on her lips.

A kiss for all the kisses I’ve withheld in the past because I was afraid of what they’d do to me…to my heart.

AndI was right.

My heart swells and collides against my rib cage, surrendering to the woman in front of me, the person who has always felt like a kindred spirit from the moment we met. The other half I never realized I was searching for.

We break apart for air. I gently brush her hair sticking to her sweaty forehead, and I stare into her beautiful eyes. I can’t look away.

I want to stare at her forever.

Her lips curve in a breathtaking smile and wetness pools in her eyes until they overflow and slide down her cheeks.

I know how you feel.I want to tell her all the emotions coursing through me, a cathartic release I’ve never experienced before. But I don’t, a tendril of fear for her safety unfurling in my mind.

But I know she knows.

She continues to smile, the whites of her teeth blinding.

“I’m home,” she whispers.

Closing my eyes, I kiss her tears away, and I hope…I just hope…if the curse is real, if it needs to take a life, please take mine instead.

Chapter 36

I’m so happy.

The storm is simmering outside, the icy gale still wreaking havoc on the barren trees, but I barely notice.

Instead, a potent warmth spreads throughout my body as I lay there on the bed, curled up against him, my head on his chest.

My husband. My Silas. MyMaxwell.

After our soul-shattering sex, Maxwell carefully tended to me before shutting the French doors and lighting a fire in the hearth, imbuing the dark room with a warm glow. Now, I’m listening to the reassuring rhythm of his heartbeat as he plays with my hair with one hand, his other hand trailing over my arm. It’s like we can’t stop touching each other now that the dam has broken and the walls have fallen.

“You know,” I whisper, fighting a smile, “we totally bailed on our own party.”

Maxwell chuckles, his deep voice rumbly, and I splay my leg over his torso and snuggle closer. “I’d much rather be in here, having a party with you. Melody and my siblings can handle it.” He punctuates the sentence with a kiss on my hair.

“Me too.” I prop myself up on my elbows and stare at him. I know we need to have a talk about what this means to both of us. “Just so you know, before you start overthinking…I don’t regret this. Us.”

His fingers still on my body and he rakes in a harsh breath. “Belle, the curse—”

I put my finger over his lips. “Shh… Let me finish, and you can have your turn, then. Maxwell, I understand you believe this curse is real, asdoes your family. It’s hard to question something you’ve been taught since you were young. But I’m an outsider to all of this and let me tell you, there are no such things as curses.”

Doodling my finger over his hard chest, I continue, “I think it’s easy for us to create stories to explain the tragic events in our lives because if bad things happen for no reason, what hope is there for us? We could live our best life one moment, only for everything to be taken away the next second.”

Maxwell’s throat works and his lips part, heavy emotions clearly swirling in those mesmerizing eyes of his.

“I look at it differently. Because life is so unpredictable, shouldn’t we try to live with no regrets during the short time we’re here? Instead of trying to explain the tragedies in the past, shouldn’t we try to create more joy in the future?”

Leaning down, I press my lips to his, relishing his soft inhale as he kisses me back, his hand trailing reverently down my back.

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