Page 125 of Thorns and Ashes
“Is this the part where I say we saved each other?” I tease, though my blurry vision betrays me as I blink and the tears fall.
“Of course not.” He grins, a look of mischief suddenly filling his jade-green eyes before they darken with intent. “This is the part where I show you exactly how much I love every part of you.”
Levi rolls me over onto my back, pinning me underneath him all in one motion, making my pulse jump in excitement. He hooks his fingers into the hem of my shirt, his shirt, and lifts it slowly until my arms rise with it. In one smooth motion, he pulls itover my head, leaving me in nothing but my underwear, before those are quickly discarded too.
He wastes no time dropping his mouth to the most sensitive parts of me, lighting up every nerve in my body until it feels as though I’m on fire. His hands are relentless as they peruse every curve, his mouth sucking and nipping every piece of my flesh as he goes. His tongue laps at my clit, his face making a home between my legs until they are shaking and I’m crying out, gasping to catch my breath.
There’s no pause, no time between my pleasure and undoing as he presses into me. His thrusts grow deeper and build in momentum with every plunge that threatens to send me over the edge. My body still shakes with aftershocks and spasms as one orgasm turns to two. Still, he continues like a man crazed, and my body gives him everything he demands from it, every gasp, moan, every cry of ecstasy belongs to him. To this man, determined to love me, not my body alone, but my mind, heart, and soul. He slams into me one final time, his grip tightening on my hips, as he finds his release, and somehow, again, I follow behind.
Tears fall from my eyes as his hand cups the back of my head and his lips claim mine, the kiss deepening, unyielding, like a man who’s held the world and now refuses to ever let it go. He wraps me in his arms like he’s afraid that any bit of space between us is too much, and I let myself melt into him because thisis where I belong.
This grizzly, grumpy, willing to run into fire for me, mountain man, is the man I love.
Now, because of him, I have everything I could ever want, and more than money could ever buy.
Ellie hops onto the bed and curls up at our feet as my eyes grow heavy.
Yeah, this... this is so much more.
Epilogue
Tris
“Go on, El.” I point to the firehouse as I open the door of my new Volvo for her.
She hops out and runs inside, navigating the station that’s become a second home to her with ease ever since the fire a few months ago. We’re not sure what changed, but shortly after Ellie became the picture-perfect firehouse dog, the kind that she was always born to be. We’ve speculated back and forth. Maybe watching Levi rescue me made a difference. Maybe she grew tired of always being at the hotel. At least here she gets to ride the truck. They’ve even made her a cute Official Firefighter Doggy bandana. Whatever the reason is, everyone loves having her around.
I hit the lock on my keys and follow after her, pulling my scarf closer around my neck. With the weather around here in January as cold and unpredictable as it is, I figured it was time to get some wheels. Luckily, with the money I saved plus my new business endeavor, I was able to afford a lease on the cutest Volvo XC40. It’s not a Ferrari or Lamborghini, but it’s mine, and I’ve worked hard for it, which makes it even better.
I step into the station and am greeted by a bunch of friendly hellos and a big bear hug from Levi.
“Hey there, beautiful,” he says before planting a kiss on my lips. “How you feeling today?”
“Fine.” I smile, but he raises a brow, not convinced.
It makes sense that he’s worried. Yesterday was rough. After watching them find Mr. Arias guilty in court, it was my father’s turn. I hadn’t seen him since they revoked his bail and sent himback to jail. I thought it would be better if we spoke in person, so with some guidance on what I was and wasn’t allowed to say, I went to visit him for the first time.
When he saw me, it was like he already knew. The look in his eyes was cold, and for the first time, he looked at me like I was a threat, but he also finally saw what he had been blind to all my life.
That I’m a woman capable of anything.
“How’d you do it? How’d you figure it all out?”
He didn’t ask me why. He only wanted to know how. How could I outsmart him? How could I beat him at his own game? What was insulting was that his question insinuated, at the very least, that he never believed it was something I was capable of doing.
“The truth doesn’t matter. What matters is what you can make people believe,” I tell him and watch as his face turns red with rage.
“When did I become your enemy?” he spits at me, his hand banging on the glass that separates us.
I raise my hand to the guard who begins approaching to let him know it’s fine.
I’m fine.
I keep my composure, the way the man in front of me taught me how. Funny that now it’s him who is losing his. The truth of who he really is beneath the surface is finally being exposed. I lean back in my chair, all composure and claws, even though my heart beats so loud I can hear it in my ears.
“When you decided that money is worth more than the lives of innocent people,” I answer firmly, eyes unwavering as I stare him down.
His cold laughter echoes, settling somewhere in the back of my mind where I know it’s sure to burrow.
