Page 76 of Property of Anchor

He stared down at me like I’d just rewritten the world.

And then he moved.

In one swift motion, he hauled me up off the floor and into his arms, crushing his mouth to mine.The kiss was wild and claiming, like he couldn’t get close enough.He broke away just long enough to whisper, “My turn,” before he laid me back on the bed, pulling my shirt over my head and tugging my shorts down in one breathless blur.

I reached for him, and my nails raked over the hard lines of his shoulders.“Anchor…”

His mouth found my collarbone, then lower, marking a trail across my skin that made my back arch off the bed.When he moved inside me, the stretch was slow and deep, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, wanting him as close as possible.

We moved together like we’d done this a hundred times and were still desperate for it.His hands roamed my body like he was memorizing every inch, every curve, and every sound I made.He whispered my name like it meant something holy.Like it belonged to him.

And I wanted it to.

When the tension finally snapped inside me, it felt like falling and flying at the same time.I cried out against his skin, and his own release followed seconds later.His face was buried in my neck with a broken groan, and his entire body shook above mine.

He didn’t move right away.He just stayed there, face pressed to me, breathing hard, and holding me like he couldn’t let go.

And I didn’t want him to.

Not tonight.

Not ever.Bottom of Form

Anchor

Pearl lay beside me.The sheets tangled around our legs, and the heat of her skin still clung to mine like a second layer.We were both on our backs, staring up at the ceiling as if it held answers.It didn’t, but hell, maybe we were both hoping the paint above us could whisper something, anything, that might make sense of the chaos surrounding us.

“Why does this feel like the peace before the storm?”she asked softly.

I reached for her and pulled her into my side.She came willingly and rested her head on my shoulder like she belonged there, which, at this point, she did.Whether she fully realized it or not, she was mine.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen next, doll,” I murmured and ran my hand slowly down her bare back.“But I know I’ll be right next to you.Nothing’s gonna touch you.”

She sighed, and it was heavy.Tired.The kind of sigh you let out when you’re bone-deep worn and trying not to admit it.

“Let’s talk about something else,” she said, her voice muffled by my shoulder.“I’m sick of worrying when the next bad thing is gonna happen.”

A low chuckle rumbled from my chest.I kissed the side of her head.“What do you wanna talk about?”

She turned her face toward me, eyes finding mine in the dim light.The moon outside the cabin window cast silver shadows across the room.Her smile was soft but mischievous.“What’s your name?”

I quirked a brow.“Anchor,” I grunted.

“You’re telling me your birth certificate says Anchor?”

I smirked and side-eyed her.“No.”

“Then what does it say?”

I hesitated.It wasn’t like it was a secret.Just something I hadn’t heard in a long time.“Grant.”

She blinked, surprised.“That is not what I thought you were gonna say.”

“What’d you think it was?”

She grinned and traced a lazy fingertip across my chest.“I was hoping it was something...more plain?Funny?I don’t know.I figured it had to be bad if you changed it.”

I reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.“Didn’t change it.The club did.And it didn’t happen until I became Prez.Up until then, it was just Grant.”

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