Page 101 of The Alien in the Archive

“We have two weeks,” I tell her. “And after that…I’ll have to come out into the light. There’s no way around it, I’ve hidden away for too long?—”

“And we’re going to figure this out so you can just…move in with me,” she says. “Then we won’t have to hide. Please, let me believe that for now.”

I sit up, the blankets pooling around my waist as I reachup to swipe my hand over my face. Page follows me, resting her head on my shoulder.

“Talk to me,” she whispers.

I glance at her. “I’ve been reading the book you brought me,” I murmur. “It’s been…difficult.”

She frowns, but she listens.

“The essays,” I continue, “they’re raw. Brutally honest. I knew some of those people; argued with them, lectured to them, learned from them. And reading their words now…it’s like they’re haunting me. Most of them died for what they believed in. Executed, hunted down, erased from existence.” I pause, swallowing hard. “And I ran.”

“Yousurvived,” she corrects. Her hand covers mine.

“Surviving doesn’t feel like something to be proud of,” I say, my voice tight. “Not when it came at the cost of so many others. I should have done more. I should have been braver, smarter…better.”

Her fingers tighten around mine, grounding me. “You did what you could.”

“I don’t know if that’s true,” I admit. “But what I do know is that I can’t keep hiding. Not from my past, not from my guilt…and not from you.”

Her lips curve in a half-smile. “I see you quite clearly,” she says, reaching out and brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

She shifts forward, and I barely have time to brace myself before her lips meet mine. It’s soft at first, tentative; like she’s offering me a choice. I choose to kiss her, Ialwayschoose her. My hand comes up to cradle her face, pulling her closer as I deepen the kiss.

Her warmth presses against me, the soft curve of her body fitting perfectly against mine. Her fingers curl into my hair, tugging gently, and a low sound escapes me—half-growl, half-sigh. I let her take the lead, savoring her sweetness,the way she tilts her head to fit against me more completely, the way her breath hitches when I slide my hand to the small of her back, holding her steady.

She moves into my lap, straddling me. I can feel her cunt against my quickly hardening cock, wet and ready.

“We’re going to figure this out,” she says. “And until then…and after, and forever…I’m not going anywhere.”

I let my hands roam, one brushing up her back, the other slipping to her waist, holding her close. My lips trail down her jaw, tracing the line to her neck, where I press an open-mouthed kiss just below her ear. Her soft moan sends a thrill through me.

“Thorne,” she breathes.

I pull back slightly, just enough to look at her. Her cheeks are flushed, her lips swollen, her eyes half-lidded but shining.

Gods, she’s beautiful.

She reaches between us and grasps my cock, stroking me. I close my eyes and rest my forehead against hers, brow furrowed as she gets me ready.

“I don’t deserve you,” I rasp.

“Shut up,” she replies.

Then she sinks down onto me.

I take shallow thrusts at first, Page taking her time. Our last encounter was rough, intense; and I realize with more than a little shame that I hurt her. She’s sore, taking me in slowly because I was too fast, too much…

“It’s a good kind of sore. Averygood kind of sore,” she breathes, responding to my thoughts. She takes another ridge, sighing.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, touching her hip with a gentle caress. “I didn’t realize.”

Page leans forward to nuzzle my neck. “I liked it,” she whispers. “I like that I can still feel it, and that just means we need to go…a little slower…”

She rocks against me, still taking it slow. I focus on the feel of her wet heat wrapped around me, the way her skin feels against mine. Her hips begin to match my rhythm, her breath catching in her throat as she rocks against me.

“God,” she groans, squeezing me tightly. “You are so fucking big.”

---