Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 77051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Good,” I growl, helping her pull it off and toss it aside.
Her fingertips skate over my chest, memorizing every line, every scar. “I keep thinking about that first night… when you taught me how to throw a punch.”
I smirk. “You kept swinging too wide. I almost let you knock me out just to see how smug you’d look.”
She laughs into my mouth, and it’s the best sound I’ve heard in days.
“I should’ve known it was you,” she says.
“Should’ve?”
“I think… I wanted it to be.”
That wrecks me. Completely.
I kiss her again, slower this time. Worshipful. My hands explore her body with a hunger I’ve tried to suppress for too long. Her skin is soft, flushed, and she gasps when I trail my lips down her neck, her collarbone.
We end up in her bedroom, tangled in sheets and breathless promises.
We make out like horny teens, not going all the way.
But it’s more intimate than sex.
It’s vulnerable.
Raw.
Real.
And then our kisses turn more urgent. More hungry. More everything.
“I need inside you,” I tell her, pulling my cock out of my jeans. “I need to feel you.”
“Do it. Make me yours,” she smiles, “...again.”
We make quick work of our clothing, and I push deep inside her. Our bodies move together, creating a rhythm completely unique to us.
“I don’t want this to be temporary,” she whispers.
I press a kiss to her hair. “It’s not. Not for me.”
“Good.” She pauses. “Because I think I’m already in too deep.”
I smile, even as my heart pounds in my chest. “Yeah, me too.”
I keep pushing inside her, over and over again. I’m chasing the high only she can supply, and I keep thrusting as her body trembles. I hold her close, not wanting to ever let her go.
“Fuck, River…” I’m so damn close to telling her I love her, but I can’t keep the emotions bottled in any longer. “I’ll forever want you.”
She smiles. “Same,” she whispers before her orgasm crashes over her.
Mine follows closely behind, and after we’re all cleaned up and calm, we drift into silence, the kind that feels like home.
But even wrapped in her arms, the storm brews at the edges of my mind.
Tasha.
Regent.
Andrew and Helena.
We still don’t know who the real monster is.
But I know one thing for sure.
I’d burn the whole damn system to the ground if it meant keeping River safe.
And I won’t hesitate to do it.
Even if it means losing everything else.
THIRTY-THREE
RIVER
I wake before the sun.
At first, it’s the warmth that stirs me. The kind that sinks into bones and makes everything feel less haunted. Then, it’s the weight of a strong arm around my waist and the slow, steady rise and fall of Gage’s chest against my back.
I smile.
It’s the kind of smile I haven’t worn in years—one born of safety, not performance. No filters. No armor. Just... me. And him.
His arm tightens.
“You awake?” he murmurs, voice thick with sleep and something else that curls heat low in my belly.
“Yeah,” I whisper, turning in his arms to face him.
His eyes are still half-lidded, dark lashes sweeping across flushed cheeks. He looks younger like this. Softer. But his hand on my hip says otherwise—it’s possessive and sure, anchoring me to him like he’s not willing to let go. Ever.
We just stare at each other for a moment. No words. No rush. Just that silent, heady ache of knowing we’ve passed the point of no return and neither of us regrets it.
“I want to ask you something,” he says, finally, brushing his thumb across my jaw.
“Okay,” I breathe.
“Will you be mine, River?” His voice is low, serious. “Not just while we’re dealing with all this Cathedral crap. I mean when this is over. When you're free. I want to still be next to you.”
My chest expands with a slow, sharp inhale. I don’t even hesitate.
“I already am,” I whisper. “I think I’ve been yours for a while.”
He lets out a shaky exhale and pulls me into him, burying his face in the crook of my neck. And we lie there, tangled together like threads in a stitch that can’t be undone.
But we both know the moment can’t last forever.
Eventually, he pushes the covers off and climbs out of bed, and I follow. We shower, get dressed, and start making breakfast like we’re any normal couple.
But we’re not normal. Not even close.
Because I’m still being stalked. Because we don’t know who Regent is. And because somewhere—hidden beneath my normal life—is the reason all of this started.
We sit on the couch with coffee and the remains of toast and peanut butter, and I bring it up.
“So… this party Friday.”
Gage groans. “Don’t remind me.”
“It could be a good chance,” I say, thinking it through. “To observe. To bait.”
“You sure you want to go?” he asks, brow furrowed.
“I need to. If Tasha’s going to be there, and Andrew, and Helena…”