Page 220 of Code Bound
“Yes,” I manage to hiss. “Come for me.”
He starts to shake and a roar rips from his throat as he slams inside me and his cock starts to jump. I come undone at the feeling of it, of his warmth filling me. I cling to his shoulders as he holds me tightly, his body curled up around me like a protective layer as I shake with my own release, my body vibrating with it.
It takes me a few seconds to come down off the high to realize the shaking isn’t just from his release, isn’t just from mine.
“Oh no,” I murmur, wrapping my arms tightly around him. “No, no, no. I’ve got you.”
The first tear drops onto my shoulder and I come undone, my chest breaking open for this man as I hold him through it.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper, over and over again, holding him so tight, I hope I can hold his pieces together. He holds me back just as tight, bruising with his strength, but I let him. He realizes how tightly he’s holding me when one of my bones pops and he tenses, easing his hold, but he doesn’t let go.
He clings so tightly, we might as well be one person.
We lay like that for a long time, wrapped up in each other’s arms so tightly, it’s almost hard to breath. I hold him together and he protects me, and I fall just a little deeper for the Bone Breaker everyone keeps warning me about. I may be making a mistake?—
“You are,” Cipher whispers in my mind.
“I will not give up on him,” I reply back as Locke slowly slips into a deep sleep still wrapped in my arms. “I won’t.”
Cipher sighs. “You are allowed to have him, Vesper,” he murmurs, sadness in every word. “But you are not allowed to save him.”
My chest squeezes. “What does that mean?” I ask out loud and Locke stirs. He doesn’t wake, but he nestles closer to me. “Cipher, what does that mean?”
But the system doesn’t answer. I’m met with only silence.
CHAPTER63
VESPER
I’d spent the night curled around Locke’s body, our limbs intertwined in a tangle that was almost impossible to extract myself from the next day. My body is blissfully sore and there are a few finger-sized bruises on my hips, but otherwise, I’ve never felt better. I stretch and climb from the bed, trailing over to the small shower and turning it on. As I wash myself, I feel him loom behind me, and without looking, I reach for him.
His large body comes around me, his arms wrapping me tight as we stand in the hot water together.
“Good rest,” he murmurs in my ear, his arms crossed over my chest. His voice is like gravel after a night of heavy sleep.
“Good rest,” I reply, smiling as I stroke my fingers along his arms. “Did you sleep okay?”
He hums. “The best sleep I’ve ever had,” he answers honestly.
“Same,” I admit, glancing over my shoulder at him.
His eyes are bright as he studies me, and as we look at each other, he leans in. The kiss is gentle, reverent, and it makes me feel like some fragile thing. I’ve never felt so . . . so . . . worshipped before. Sudden emotion chokes my throat, but I look away before he can see it and make sure the water washes it away. Now isn’t the time for tears. This is still the Harrow. And we have a task today.
“Cipher,” I say, tilting my head back against Locke’s shoulder as his hands start to stroke me. “How long until the Harrow Gates open?”
“Nine hours, twenty-three minutes, and fifty-two seconds,” he supplies helpfully.
“We should start making our way toward the Harrow Gate,” I tell Locke. “I’d rather be there early than late in case Dox comes through. If she comes through.”
“She’ll come through,” he says, holding me tight.
“How do you know?” I ask. “You don’t even know her.”
“But I know you,” he murmurs. “And I met her briefly. If there’s a way for her to get through, she’ll be there.”
I cling onto him a little tighter, not realizing I needed that reassurance until he’d given it. “Yeah.”
“We have nine hours, though,” Locke continues. “Should we handle the Gatsby Quest and get it over with?”
