Page 78 of Rook
“And you’re mine,” she replied, her legs wrapping around him.
Her second release came first, her body clenching around him, pulling him deeper. He followed moments later, spilling into her with a quiet groan, holding her through the waves.
Noah eased away gently, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He rose and stepped into the adjoiningbathroom, the faucet running with a soft trickle. Returning with a warm washcloth, he tended to her with care, wiping away the traces of their union, his touch tender.
When he lay beside her again, she rested her head on his chest, his arms encircling her like a promise.
“Noah?” she whispered.
“Yeah?”
“I’m not running.”
He exhaled a long, shaky breath and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Good,” he murmured. “Because I’m done letting you go.”
And in the quiet of his room, wrapped in his arms, Avery realized she was home.
Chapter 24
Avery
Avery woke slowly, drifting up from sleep like rising through warm honey.
The room was still, wrapped in that soft, early-morning quiet that felt almost sacred. Warmth pooled around her, the kind that seeped into her bones and made her want to sink deeper into the mattress. The sheets smelled faintly like cedar and smoke — like him — and the pillow beneath her cheek held the lingering heat of his body. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the low hum of the clubhouse waking up: a door closing, muted footsteps, the faint clatter of someone in the kitchen.
But here, in this small pocket of morning light and warmth, everything felt suspended. Safe. Whole.
Last night drifted back to her in soft, blurred pieces — the way he’d touched her like she was something breakable, the way he’d held her like he’d been waiting years to breathe again. She’d fallen asleep with her head on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, and for the first time in a long time, her body hadn’t been tense. She hadn’t been bracing for something to go wrong. She hadn’t been shrinking or apologizing or trying to make herself small.
She’d felt… wanted. Safe. Seen.
The kind of safety she didn’t realize she’d been starving for until he wrapped his arms around her and everything inside her finally went quiet.
The memory softened, fading into the warmth pressed against her now.
The first thing she felt was heat. The second was strength. The third was Rook’s breath against the back of her neck, warm and steady.
His arm was wrapped around her waist, heavy and protective, his hand splayed over her stomachlike he’d spent the entire night making sure she didn’t drift even an inch away.
She shifted slightly, and his grip tightened instinctively.
A low, sleepy rumble vibrated against her spine. “Don’t move yet.”
Avery stilled, her breath catching at the rough edge in his voice. He pressed his forehead lightly between her shoulder blades, exhaling like he’d been holding that breath all night. His arm tightened around her waist, not possessive, grounding. Like he needed the contact as much as she did.
For a moment, he didn’t say anything. Didn’t move. Just breathed her in, slow and steady, like he was memorizing the shape of her against him.
When he finally spoke, his voice was softer than she’d ever heard it. “I didn’t sleep much,” he murmured. “Kept waking up to make sure you were still here.”
Avery’s chest pulled tight. “Noah…”
He shook his head against her back, a small, almost embarrassed motion. “Didn’t want you seeingthe mess in my head. Didn’t want you knowing how hard it hit me when you fell asleep on me.”
She reached down, brushing her fingers over the back of his hand where it rested on her stomach. “You don’t have to hide from me.”
She shifted in his arms, turning slowly until she could see his face. “You’ve been up awhile.”
