Page 101 of Silence and Surrender

“There were moments.” I rolled her beneath me, loving her soft gasp of surprise. “The way you studied manifests, brilliant and fierce. How you stood up to the board, never backing down. The night you fell asleep at your desk and I brought you coffee—you looked so soft, so human.”

Her hands slid into my hair as I kissed down her throat. “And when did you stop fighting it?”

“When they took you.” The memory still burned. “When I thought I’d lost you before I ever really had you. Before I could tell you...” I raised my head to meet her eyes, “That I loved you. Everything about you. Your strength, your stubbornness, your incredible mind.”

She arched as I found sensitive spots, remembered from our night of exploration. Her fingers tightened in my hair when I lingered in places that made her gasp.

“Colton.” My name was half-plea, half-demand.

I took my time, relearning every inch of her. Cataloging each response, each shiver, each soft sound. Her skin tasted like vanilla, warm and sweet under my tongue. When I finally moved back up her body, her eyes were dark with need.

“Please,” she whispered.

I caught her hands, pinning them gently beside her head. “Let me love you properly this morning.” I kissed her deeply, swallowing her moan. “Let me show you exactly what you do to me.”

Her legs wrapped around my waist as I moved into her, slow and deep. Different from last night’s passionate reunion, this was about savoring, about connecting, about proving how perfectly we fit together. Every thrust was measured, deliberate, drawing soft sounds from her throat that drove me wild.

“Look at me,” I murmured when her eyes fluttered closed in pleasure. “I want to see you.”

Her gaze met mine, pupils blown wide with desire. One hand cupped my cheek while the other went to my shoulder. The intimacy was almost overwhelming—no barriers between us, no fear, no hesitation. Just pure trust and love.

I kept the pace slow, though her body begged for more. Each roll of my hips made her gasp, her nails digging into my skin. When she tried to speed things up, I caught her hips, holding her still.

“Not yet,” I breathed against her throat. “Let me have this. Let me remember every second.”

She shuddered beneath me as I kissed down her neck. Her pulse raced under my lips, matching the thunder of my own heart. When I found that sensitive spot behind her ear, she arched with a cry that nearly broke my control.

“You’re everything,” I told her between kisses. “Everything I never knew I needed. Everything I never want to live without.”

Her hands tangled in my hair, pulling me up for a kiss that stole what little breath remained. “Show me,” she demanded against my mouth. “Make me feel it.”

I gave her what she wanted then, driving deeper, harder. Her legs tightened around me as pleasure built between us. Each thrust brought us closer to the edge, but I fought to maintain control. To make this last. To brand this moment into both our souls.

When she finally came apart, it was with my name on her lips and tears in her eyes. The sight of her pleasure undid me completely. I buried my face in her neck as my own release crashed through me, overwhelmed by the intensity of our connection.

I held her close while our hearts steadied. Her hair tickled my chest where she lay draped across me, one leg tangled with mine. My hands traced idle patterns on her back, memorizing the feel of her skin.

“I love you,” she murmured against my chest. “So much it terrifies me sometimes.”

I tightened my arms around her. “No more fear. No more doubt. Just us, facing everything together.”

She raised her head to look at me, and the love in her eyes took my breath away. “You’re so different, you know. From that rigid lawyer I first met.”

“You changed me.” I traced her cheekbone with my thumb. “Made me want to be more than protocol and procedure. Made me want to be worthy of you.”

“You always were. Even when you drove me crazy with your rules.”

Sunlight painted everything in morning gold, making her skin glow. Soon we’d have to rejoin the world—face the bank’s darkness, plan our revenge, protect what was ours. Yet all I wanted to do was to bask in our shared love.

“Sometimes I dream about that night. About what could have happened if you hadn’t found me in time.”

I caught her hand, pressing it over my heart. “But I did find you. I’ll always find you.”

“My warrior.” She smiled softly. “So far from that annoying lawyer who used to lecture me about protocols.”

“That man died the night they took you.” I rolled us so she lay beneath me again, my body covering hers protectively. “Everything changed when I realized I couldn’t live without you.”

Her legs parted instinctively as I settled between them. I kissed her deeply, pouring everything I felt into it. Every fear I’d faced when she was missing. Every joy when we found she carried my child. Every promise for our future.

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