Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 60768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60768 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“You feel like home,” he says softly, voice rough with emotion. “So tight and warm. So perfect around me.”
He starts to move, slow, deep rolls of his hips that make me gasp with every stroke. It’s tender and intense, nothing like the rough, commanding sex we’ve had before. His hand slides up to my throat, fingers resting lightly against my skin, not squeezing yet, just holding me there, intimate and possessive.
“Is this okay?” he asks, voice low. “I want to feel you like this. I want you to know you’re mine right now.”
I nod, breathless. “Yes. Please.”
He applies gentle pressure, just enough to make my pulse jump under his fingers, just enough to make everything feel sharper, more intense. His hips keep rolling, slow and deep, hitting that perfect spot inside me with every thrust. The combination of his hand on my throat and his cock filling me sends pleasure spiraling higher and higher.
“Look at me,” he murmurs. “I want to see your eyes when you come.”
I keep my gaze locked on his, the intensity of it almost too much. His thumb strokes the side of my neck, gentle even as his fingers hold me there. The pressure is perfect, intimate, making me feel claimed and safe at the same time.
“You’re so beautiful like this,” he whispers. “Taking me so deep. So good for me. I can feel how close you are. Come for me, Orchid. Let me feel you fall apart while I’m inside you.”
The orgasm builds slow and powerful. When it hits, it washes over me in long, shuddering waves. I cry out, clenching around him, my hand gripping his wrist where his fingers rest on my throat. Poe groans my name, hips stuttering as he follows me over the edge, spilling deep inside me while his hand stays gentle on my neck.
We stay locked together for a long time afterward, breathing each other in, bodies pressed close. He kisses me softly, reverently, his hand sliding from my throat to cup my cheek.
“I’ve got you,” he whispers against my lips. “Whatever happens next, I’ve got you.”
I curl into his chest, heart still racing, and for a moment I let myself believe him.
But the secrets I’ve been carrying are still there, heavy and waiting.
And I know I can’t keep them hidden much longer.
TWENTY-SEVEN
POE
The warmth of Orchid’s body is still wrapped around me as we lie tangled in the sheets, breathing each other in. Her head rests on my chest, one leg thrown over mine, and her fingers trace lazy patterns across my stomach. The room smells like sweat and sex and her, and for a few perfect minutes the rest of the world doesn’t exist. No Serafina. No hack. No Enley waiting somewhere in the dark. Just us.
I press a kiss to the top of her head and run my hand slowly up and down her back. “You okay?” I murmur.
She nods against my chest, voice soft. “Better than okay.”
We stay like that until the sweat starts to cool on our skin. Eventually she shifts and sits up, hair messy and beautiful. “We should clean up.”
I follow her into the bathroom. The shower is warm when I turn it on, steam filling the small space. We step in together under the spray. I take my time washing her, soaping her shoulders, her back, the curve of her hips. My hands are gentle, reverent. She does the same for me, fingers sliding over my chest and abs, tracing the lines of my tattoos like she is memorizing them. We kiss under the water, slow and deep, no rush, just the simple comfort of touching each other.
After the shower we dry off and get dressed. She pulls on one of my t-shirts again, the hem hitting mid-thigh, and it does dangerous things to my heart. She slips on her black leggings and I slip into sweatpants and a clean shirt. We move around each other in the bedroom, stealing small touches, soft kisses on the shoulder or the back of the neck. It feels domestic in a way that should terrify me but instead makes something warm settle deep in my chest.
Orchid turns to me as she finishes pulling her hair into a loose ponytail. Her expression is serious now, the playful softness from a moment ago fading. “Poe, I have something I need to tell you.”
My pulse kicks up. I wonder if this is it. If she’s finally going to come clean about the FBI burner phone I traced last night. Part of me hopes she does. Part of me is terrified of what it will mean. I step closer, reaching for her hand.
Before she can say anything more, the bedroom door explodes open with a loud crack.
Tammy and Mark burst in, but they’re not alone. Two large men in dark clothes follow right behind them, guns drawn, faces hard and professional. The sudden intrusion is so jarring it takes my brain a second to catch up.