“I love you.” The confession comes easier this time. “More than sanity. More than the empire I built. You're the only thing that matters.”
Tears glisten on her lashes. “I love you too. So much it terrifies me.”
I kiss her softly, pouring everything I can't articulate into the press of lips. She melts against me, her fingers threading through my hair.
“No more secrets,” she whispers against my mouth.
“No more running,” I counter.
She pulls back just enough to meet my eyes. “Deal.”
44
EPILOGUE
LIA
One year later, and I’m back in the maze.
This time, though, everything’s different.
The orgy room pulses with sounds of flesh against flesh, moans layering over desperate gasps, the wet slide of bodies finding their rhythm. I lean back against Vane’s chest as he sits on one of the low couches, his cock buried deep inside me while we watch the chaos unfold.
“Fuck, this is better than last year,” Knox groans from somewhere to our left, where Bianca rides him with abandon.
He’s not wrong. Xavier opened this year’s Hunt to the carnival crew after months of dinners that inevitably ended with half of us naked in someone’s living room. Turns out we’re all a bunch of voyeurs who get off on being watched and fucking in the same room.
Across the room, Lars has Alice bent over a bench, her gorgeous curves on full display as he drives into her from behind. She’s watching Cade and Lily—Lily’s suspended in some kind of rope contraption, and Cade devours her with single-minded focus.
“Christ.” Vane’s grip tightens on my hips as I roll against him. “Look at them.”
I follow his gaze to where Flora’s sandwiched between Colt and Nash, both men moving in perfect synchronization. Her cries pierce through the ambient noise, raw and unfiltered.
Heat coils tighter in my belly.
Vane’s hands slide up my body, cupping my breasts as I continue rocking on his lap. His teeth graze my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine.
“See how beautiful they all are, wildflower,” he whispers against my ear. “Everyone is finding exactly what they need.”
My gaze drifts through the haze of bodies. In the center of the room, Tyson has Sofia bent over an ornate table. The carnival ringmaster grips her hips with possessive hands, whispering something that makes her moan and push back against him harder.
“They’ve been together four years,” Vane murmurs. “Two kids at home with a sitter, and they still fuck like they can’t get enough.”
Near them, Eden kneels between Remy’s legs, her eyes locked on his as she takes him into her mouth. His hand fists in her hair, controlling her movements.
Phoenix has Tilly pressed against one of the mirrored walls, her legs wrapped around his waist as he drives into her. Their movements have the easy familiarity of longtime lovers who know exactly how to please each other.
Across the room, Keira writhes between the Dexter twins, Ace meticulously binding her wrists while Cyrus kisses her deeply.
Xavier has Mira on his lap in a throne-like chair, her back arched as she rides him slowly. Beside them, Landon has Sadie bent over an ornate bench, his hands tangled in her hair.
Elliot and Julian occupy one of the plush sofas, moving together in a passionate embrace that seems almost tender amid the carnal chaos.
In the far corner, surrounded by black silk drapes, Cora luxuriates in the attention of three men—Dominic directing the scene while Liam and Ryder pleasure her.
“Everyone getting exactly what they need,” I echo, feeling Vane harden further inside me.
“Off. Now.”