POV: Elena
The soft rustle of sheets. The quiet hum of the lake outside. And Zayden—his arm wrapped around my waist, his breath brushing the shell of my ear.
We hadn't moved in minutes, yet everything inside me was pulsing.
He hadn't rushed me.
Not once.
And maybe that's what undid me more than anything.
I tilted my head, looking up at him. "Zayden," I whispered, my voice barely a breath.
He looked down at me, his eyes dark with emotion—and something deeper. Something raw.
"Are you sure?" he asked again, just like before. Voice hoarse, laced with restraint.
Instead of answering, I cupped his face and pressed my lips to his—soft at first, then firmer. He responded instantly, kissing me back like he'd been holding back for a lifetime.
When his hand slipped beneath the hem of my borrowed shirt, trailing fire against my skin, I shivered.
I wanted him.
All of him.
Tonight, I wanted to stop thinking. Stop fearing. Just feel.
"Zayden," I said again, this time firmer, "I want this. I want you."
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POV: Zayden
The way she looked at me… like I was the only man that existed in her world—I couldn't breathe.
I kissed her deeply, hungrily. My fingers threaded through her hair, her body arching into mine as we laid back down.
She moaned softly when I kissed along her neck, my lips moving slowly, teasingly.
"Elena," I whispered against her skin, "tell me to stop and I will."
She pulled me closer instead.
That was all I needed.
I slipped the shirt over her head, and for a moment, I just looked at her—so beautiful, so open, so real.
"I've never wanted anyone like this," I said, voice thick with truth.
Her lips curved into a shy smile. "Then show me."
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POV: Elena
His hands were everywhere—gentle, reverent, but full of unspoken need.
He made love like he lived: with intensity, control… and hidden vulnerability.
The heat between us built slowly, rising higher with every kiss, every touch.
I felt like I was on fire—burning from the inside out, but safe in his arms.
When he finally entered me, my breath hitched. His name slipped past my lips like a prayer.
He stilled, forehead pressed to mine. "You okay?"
I nodded, breathless. "More than okay."
The rhythm he found was slow at first, agonizingly tender. But it wasn't long before it deepened—need meeting need, passion crashing over us like waves.
He kissed away my gasps, held me tighter when I trembled, whispered my name like it was the only word he knew.
And when we fell apart—together, breathless, tangled in each other—I'd never felt more whole.
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POV: Zayden
She was asleep now, her body curled against mine. My fingers traced lazy circles on her back as I stared at the ceiling, heart still racing.
I didn't want the night to end.
For once… I didn't want to hide, or lie, or pretend I wasn't terrified.
Because this girl? She didn't just shake my world.
She was my world now.
And I would protect it—with everything I had.
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