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)
She raises her arms, wanting me to join her. But I have other plans. “Yoga pants off,” I tell her.
She obeys like a good girl, and I watch as she undresses for me. She removes her panties too, and my eyes appreciate the view.
I sink to my knees for her. “Spread your legs,” I say, even though I’m already pushing her thighs apart. I drop my gaze to the junction between her legs, and lean closer. “You’re mine,” I remind her, and drag my tongue through her wetness.
She’s so fucking soaked for me, it drives me batty. Fucking batty. I keep licking her, tasting her until she’s moaning my name in a chant that urges me to go faster. Her hands fly through my hair, tugging me closer.
I squeeze her ass with one hand while the other pushes a finger deep inside her. “Amazing,” I murmur along her skin.
I keep sucking, letting my finger hook inside her and make her moans intensify. “Yes, come for me, River.” I keep working her with my fingers and tongue.
I’m not gentle by any means, in fact I push her to her limits, making her writhe and squirm beneath me. However, I keep going, sucking her clit between my teeth.
She’s so close. I can tell. She pulls and tugs the strands of my hair as she starts calling my name out louder and louder. And I’m fucking living for this.
Every sound. Every micro-movement of her body. Each and every time she quakes and shivers beneath me.
My cock’s harder than it’s ever been, and even though I’d love to just slam it deep inside her, I’m not here for that. I’m here to make her feel good. To worship her. To make her come harder than she ever has in her life.
I work her over and over, my cock pulsing and throbbing in my pants. I ignore the pain as I bring her closer and closer to her orgasm.
“Come for me, River,” I whisper against her heated skin.
She pauses, and then erupts. She’s cursing my name like she’s never had anyone better, and her hips thrust against my face. “I’m coming,” she calls out loud enough for the entire world to hear.
I smile, not letting up on the pressure of my tongue against her clit. As her orgasm fades, I wrap her in my arms, kissing her temple as she comes down from her glorious high. “I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her, and listen to the sounds of her breathing steady until she’s fast asleep.
TWENTY-FIVE
RIVER
I wake slowly. Warmth. Comfort. Safety.
Gage’s arms are around me, his chest pressed to my back, breath warm against my neck. For a few precious seconds, I forget the chaos of Cathedral, Regent, and Tasha. There’s only this. Him. Us.
But then my mind wakes fully—and all the tangled threads of danger, betrayal, and hidden truths wrap around my ribs again.
I roll over carefully, facing him. His lashes are dark against his cheek, and his mouth is soft in sleep. He looks younger like this. Peaceful.
But I can’t pretend the world outside this safe house has stopped spinning. I brush my fingers across his jaw.
He opens his eyes. “Morning,” he murmurs, voice low and gravelly.
“Hey,” I whisper. “You stayed.”
He nods. “Wasn’t going to leave you. Not after last night.”
We lie there for a while, our legs tangled, my head on his chest. I feel like I could stay like this forever, but my thoughts won’t let me.
“Gage,” I say quietly, lifting my head. “Do you think it’s Tasha?”
He’s silent. Then, “Yeah. We’re close to proving it. The USB. The therapy leaks. Regent’s access logs. All of it points to her.”
My heart stutters. “But why? We’re best friends.”
“Jealousy’s a hell of a drug,” he says softly. “You’re brilliant. You got promoted fast. You were liked. She wasn’t. That leaves marks on some people.”
I sink into the mattress, heart pounding. “It’s like…I keep trying to find logic, but it’s just this endless loop of betrayal.”
He reaches for me, pulling me into his arms again. “I know. I hate that this is happening to you. But you’re not alone in it.”
I look up at him, biting my lip. “And what about Regent? He’s the puppet master, right?”
Gage’s jaw flexes. “Yeah. He’s smart. Slippery. We don’t even know his real identity yet. But we will.”
There’s a determined fire in his voice I’ve only ever heard when he talks about protecting me. It makes something inside me flutter—something deep and visceral.
I smile softly. “Well then, hero hacker… want to spend the day with me?”
His lips tilt up. “Thought you’d never ask.”
I change, and then we head to his place so he can get ready. Then we head out. The sun’s out, air crisp. Gage wears a hoodie and jeans, casual but still hot enough that I catch three women turning their heads as we pass. I take his hand possessively. He doesn’t let go.