Page 10 of Among the Sins of my Father

But I don’t. To cry like this without the overwhelming flashes running through my mind, without the twisting knife in my gut, feels like freedom. It feels as though someone has lifted a weight from my chest and let my heart soar.

“Goddammit, Berkley.” Jericho leans down and peels my fingers from the legs of the chair. He pulls me up and to his chest, letting me sob against him.

Desperation floats through my veins. I want to crawl under his skin. I want to drown in him. I want every inch of my body singed by his touch. Peppering kisses over his chest, I claw my way up his torso, digging my fingers into his shoulders before I sink onto him.

He moans low and slow as he fills me. And then I just cling to him, grinding my hips in a slow circle, breathing in his scent, tasting his sweat, stabbing my nails into his flesh.

“Don’t ever doubt me,” he says, as I ride him. “Don’t ever doubt how I feel about you. Don’t ever pull away from me.” He runs his mouth over me, his lips dragging against my skin. “Do you hear me, Berkley?”

I nod, barely able to muster the strength to concentrate on anything but the feel of him.

“I need to hear you say it. I need to hear you say that you know I’m yours.”

“You’re mine,” I breathe as ecstasy tingles deep inside.

“No one else’s,” he says.

“No one else’s,” I repeat.

He holds me tight as he rises from the chair, keeping himself firmly planted within me as he lowers us to the ground. And then he holds me, my back propped up by his embrace as he drives inside deeply. My body shakes with each thrust until I erupt and convulse, my flesh turning to jelly as he continues his punishment until he too comes undone.

Once our breathing returns to normal, he presses soft kisses to my skin, over my forehead, my cheeks, my lips and my neck. “You’re mine, Miss Berkley. You’d do well not to forget it.”

chapter five

BERKLEY

Jericho rolls onto his back and pulls me with him, sprawling us both over the dance studio floor. I snuggle against his chest, contentment washing over me at the stillness of my mind. His naked flesh is warm beneath mine, still flushed by the heat of our encounter.

I could fall asleep like this. The steady thud of his heart echoes in my ear. The pressure of his hand holds me in place. And he smells like home. Propping my chin on his chest, I grin, dizzy with delirium.

“What?” he asks, noting the way I’m looking at him.

I laugh. “My ass is rather warm.”

Jericho chuckles and moves his hand down my back, rubbing across the tender flesh. “You should have told me to stop.”

“I didn’t want to.” I move, placing my cheek back on his chest and start tracing lines on his skin, connecting the floating feathers. “For some reason, I like the way it feels. But I don’t at the same time. I mean, it hurts, but I like that it hurts. I like that I cry. Afterward, I feel like I’m clean again.”

Jericho doesn’t say anything. He pulls me closer and presses a kiss against the top of my head. I don’t want this moment to end. I just want to stay here with him forever, lying on the floor, wrapped in his arms. It’s safe here. I’m happy here. Even if I don’t fully understand why.

Jericho clears his throat and the sound rumbles in my ear. “So, are we good now?”

I nod, my cheek rubbing against the hairs of his chest. Right now, it’s hard to remember a moment when we weren’t good.

“I promise I will tell Hope about us.”

“There’s no hurry,” I say. “I was just feeling a little fragile, I guess. But we need to give her time. She’s been through things most people couldn’t even imagine.”

“But she needs to know. Otherwise, it’s just delaying the inevitable.”

“She does,” I agree. “But not right now.”

Then Jericho curses. “Fuck, I wasn’t wearing any protection.”

“Don’t worry,” I mumble against his skin. “I’m on birth control.”

“Good, because fuck that felt amazing.” Letting out a sigh, Jericho moves, encouraging me to move too.

---