She studies me for another heartbeat, then presses her forehead to my chest. I wrap my arms around her, my hand finding the curve of her neck.
“I’m really glad you’re here,” I say.
“I’m exactly where I want to be,” she murmurs.
We stand like that for a long moment, the quiet between us deep but soft. When I finally pull back, she touches my jaw lightly, her thumb tracing a slow line along my skin.
“You should try to get some sleep,” she whispers.
I nod, but neither of us moves. Her eyes are soft and open, her fingers still warm against my jaw.
Instead of stepping away, I lean in again, capturing her mouth in a slow, searching kiss. She answers immediately, her hands sliding into my hair, pulling me closer.
It starts gentle, but there’s something deeper underneath, a shared ache, a need to anchor ourselves in each other after everything we’ve faced.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard, our foreheads resting together.
“Stay,” she whispers.
My chest tightens, that quiet invitation hitting me harder than any check ever could.
“You sure?”
She nods, her breath hitching as her body presses closer to mine, her hands gripping my shirt. My hands slide down to grip her waist, my thumbs tracing the swell of her hips.
Ava pushes me back just enough to strip my shirt over my head, her nails dragging down my chest, leaving trails of fire in their wake. I moan, my hands tangling in her long, dark hair as I crash my mouth to hers. The kiss starts slow, a savoring of lips and tongues, but it quickly escalates, her hunger matching my own.
My hands drop to her thighs, holding her steady as I lift her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around my waist. She gasps into my mouth as I carry her to the bed, her fingers fumbling with the button of my jeans.
“Jackson—” she breathes, her voice desperate, and I swallow the sound with another kiss, my hips rolling against hers so she can feel exactly what she does to me.
Her hands shake as she undoes my jeans, pushing them down just enough to free my cock. It is hard, aching for her, and I kick the rest of my clothes off while she watches, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.
My fingers hook into the top of her lace panties, dragging them down her legs with agonizing slowness. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” I growl, my voice raw with need as I spread her thighs wide, my thumbs brushing over her slick folds. She is already wet, glistening, and when I dip a finger inside her, her back arches off the bed with a cry.
“Jackson, please—”
I’m on her in an instant, my mouth replacing my fingers, my tongue dragging through her folds before circling her clit. She tastes like heaven, like sin, and I can’t get enough. Her fingers tangle in my hair, her hips bucking against my face as I worship her, my free hand sliding up to cup her breast, my thumb flicking over her nipple.
“You’re so sexy,” I murmur against her skin, the words vibrating through her, and she whimpers, “I’m right there…” before her thighs clamp around my head, her orgasm crashing over her.
I crawl up her body, my cock dragging through her wetness, teasing us both, before I line myself up at her entrance. Our eyes lock. Hers dark and hazy with lust, mine burning with something that feels like it can swallow me whole.
I sink into her in one slow, deep thrust, both of us moaning at the way she stretches around me, tight and perfect. My hips move, drawing back to press into her again, slow and deep.
The way her body moves with mine is intoxicating, her legs locking around me, her heels digging into my ass like she istrying to pull me deeper. I feel her getting closer, her walls fluttering around me, and I reach between us, my thumb finding her clit again.
“Come for me,” I murmur, voice rough. “Let me feel you, Ava.”
And she does, her back arching, her nails raking down my back as she clenches around me, her cry muffled against my shoulder. The sensation pushes me over the edge, my release tearing through me as I bury myself to the hilt, spilling inside her with a moan, my lips finding hers in a hungry kiss.
Then it’s just us. Sweaty, breathless, tangled together as I roll to the side, pulling her against me. My hand gently touches her stomach, and I press a kiss to her temple.
As we lie there, her head on my chest, her breath evening out, my heart swells with so much happiness, it feels like it could burst.
“I love you,” she whispers, her fingers tracing the lines of my jaw.
I smile, my heart swelling with a love so profound it is almost overwhelming.