Page 64 of The Founder's Power

I arch up, digging my nails into his back, overwhelmed by the sheer force of his love. He’s fierce, uncompromising, even worshipful.

He doesn’t relent. When I arch into him, breath ragged, he grips my hips with both hands, holding me fast as he burrows deeper, every stroke precise and unyielding. His mouth finds mine in a fierce kiss—teeth grazing my lower lip, tongue pressing insistently—before he pulls back just enough to murmur against my lips, “That’s it. Only for me.”

His eyes blaze as he leans down, catching the echo of my moan on his lips, and then he drives into me again, harder this time, each thrust measured and demanding. My nails rake across his shoulders as he grips the back of the mattress, anchoring himself to me. The headboard rattles.

He shifts, pressing my hips into the mattress, taking full control of our rhythm. “You feel so good,” he growls, voice thick with desire. “Look at me when you come.”

I do. My vision blurs around the edges with heat and want, but his eyes are clear, fierce, loving. He traces the curve of my mouth with gentle worship even as his body moves with relentless purpose. When I tip over the edge, I do so with his name on my lips, back arching as another release crashes through me.

“Say it,” he growls, his pace unrelenting. “Say you’re mine.”

“I’m yours,” I gasp. “God, Damian, I’m yours.”

That’s when he breaks.

He groans—raw, guttural, undone—and with one last deep, shuddering thrust, he buries himself inside me and lets go, spilling into me as his body pulses, his breath catches, and everything about him goes quiet and tense and reverent.

His arms wrap around me instantly, pulling me flush against him as he rides out his own ecstasy, each pulse of release a testament to the depth of feeling driving us both.

When he finally stills, he buries his face in the crook of my neck, his breath hot and ragged against my skin. His hands roam over me—gentle now, caressing, as if to reassure himself I’m still here.

“Jesus,” he whispers, voice hoarse. “Every time with you is more than I can handle.”

I cup his face and kiss him softly. This kiss is a little less about claiming and more about keeping.

“I love you,” he whispers into my ear, voice husky, “more than anything.”

I wrap my arms around him, holding on tight. “I love you too.”

CHAPTER34

DAMIAN

She’s asleep in my arms when it hits me.

It’s not the sex, or the sweat cooling on our skin, or the soft rhythm of her breath against my chest.

It’s the silence.

The peace.

For the first time in my life, I’m not calculating the next move. I’m not planning three steps ahead. I’m justhere—in this moment, in this bed, with her.

And it’s everything.

I run my hand slowly through her hair, feeling the way her body fits perfectly against mine. Like it was made to rest here. Like this was always the point. Not the empire. Not the money. Not the game.

Her.

I kiss the top of her head.

She stirs, eyes fluttering open, that soft, sleepy smile tugging at her lips. “You’re thinking again.”

I laugh under my breath. “A little.”

“Something wrong?”

“No,” I whisper. “Just sleep, love.”

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