Page 50 of Code Name: Grit

The conversation flowed easily—no talk of the Belcastros; just the getting-to-know-you exchange that normal couples might have. Favorite books, childhood memories, small confessions of habits and preferences.

After dinner, I stoked the fire while Lumi washed dishes, both of us stealing glances at each other across the room.

She joined me on the couch, curling against my side as if she belonged there. And maybe she did.

“I have a house in Cold Spring,” I said, remembering how badly I’d wanted to tell her about it during the drive.

She looked up at me. “You do?”

“I bought it seven years ago. I’m not there as much as I’d like to be.” I looked around the camp. “It isn’t much bigger than this place, but it sits on two acres overlooking the Hudson.”

“Will you show it to me someday?” she asked.

“I’d like that.” The thought of Lumi in my personal space—walking the paths through my woods, sitting on my deck at sunrise—felt right in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

She traced patterns on my chest, quiet for a moment. “There’s something you should know about me.”

“What’s that?”

“I don’t do anything halfway.” Her eyes met mine. “If we’re doing this, I’m all in.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

When her lips found mine again, the tentative exploration of earlier was gone. In its place was certainty and a mutual understanding of what we were choosing.

My hands slid beneath the hem of her shirt, tracing the warm skin of her lower back. She gasped against my mouth when my fingers brushed along her spine.

“Bedroom?” I suggested, voice rough.

She nodded, then stood and held out her hand. I took it, following her down the short hallway.

The room was simple—a queen bed with a handmade quilt, wooden nightstands, and a dresser beneath the window. I moved slowly, giving her every opportunity to set the pace. My hands framed her face as I continued kissing her, then I trailed my lips down her neck to her shoulders.

“Tell me what you want,” I murmured against her skin.

“You,” she said simply. “Just you.”

When I pulled back to look at her, the vulnerability in her expression made my chest ache. This wasn’t just about physical desire—it was about trust.

“I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you,” she confessed.

“I’ll go as slow as you need.”

Her smile was both shy and determined. “I don’t want slow right now.”

Her fingers unfastened my buttons while I traced the curve of her waist. When my shirt fell open, her hands explored my chest with an almost reverent curiosity.

I drew her closer, my lips finding the sensitive spot below her ear that made her shiver and her hands clutch my shoulders as I guided her toward the bed.

“Are you sure?” I asked one last time.

Her answer was to scoot out from under me, then grab something from the pocket in her bag. She returned and handedme a condom before lying on her back and arching her body to meet mine.

I set the packet on the bed, then undressed her slowly, taking in every inch of bare skin I uncovered with my eyes before touching it with my lips and tongue. Soon, Lumi was writhing, begging me for more, but there was no way I’d rush this. I kissed her almost everywhere, except between her legs, knowing that, once I did, things would get intense quickly.

After removing her panties, the last thing covering any of her body, I took off my own clothes. “Later,” I said when she reached out to touch me. “Let me do this.”

Her eyes met mine, and she nodded when I rested each hand on the inside of her thighs. I eased my fingers up, spreading her folds.

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