Page 206 of Intense
“Good fuckin’ girl.” His mouth finds mine in a hard, consuming kiss, swallowing the sound I make when his hand moves lower.
Every muscle in my body is taut, caught between the cold thrill of knowing she could end me and the heat of knowing he never will.
I like being choked. When Finn wraps his hand around my throat, I come alive.
But this? This is a whole new dimension.
A snake coiled around my neck. A fucking snake necklace. All while my crazy husband is on his knees, eating me out like he’s starved himself all day just for me.
And it’s kind of perfect. Walking that line between life and death. Pain and pleasure. Fear and desire.
I don’t know where the trial ends and the surrender begins.
And maybe that’s the point.
I surrender to him only.
Chapter 69
FINN
Her pulse is a drumbeat I can feel through my fingertips.
Nyx feels it too. I can tell by the subtle twitch of her muscles, the way she adjusts her coil so she’s settled high. She’s reading Stephanie’s body like I am. Watching the changes, gauging the intent behind them.
Stephanie isn’t frozen anymore. She’s leaning into me. Straining against the cuffs to close the space I deliberately keep between us.
Good.
The only truth that matters is what happens when there’s no safe distance left.
I let my fingers work deeper, slow enough to keep her on edge, hard enough to make her gasp. Every sound she makes is a confession. I’m not sure who is more vulnerable here. Because with each second that passes, she’s clawing more and more back from me.
Nyx’s head lifts slightly. I don’t move. I don’t speak. My breathing stays steady, my heart rate controlled. Telling her that it’s okay.
And then I see it—Stephanie’s eyes flutter closed, her mouth parting in a sound that isn’t fear. Her body isn’t tense for escape; it’s tense for release.
She’s not fighting me. She’s not fighting Nyx.
She’s giving herself over to both.
My chest tightens, and it’s not lust that hits me hardest. It’s that I know exactly what this means. Nyx has judged her, and so have I.
She’s mine. Not because she survived this. Not because she passed some fucking test. But because she’s sitting here, cuffed and collared by fate itself, and still choosing me.
I press my mouth to hers, claiming the sound she makes as if I’m sealing it inside me.
This is what it is to be accepted for every truth and every lie I’ve ever carried.
And for the first time in my life, I’m not just trusted.
I’m seen.
I keep exploring her mouth, tasting the surrender in her kiss.
Then I drop to my knees.
Her eyes widen, her breath catches, but she doesn’t speak. She doesn’t have to.
