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“Yes, ma’am.”

She laughs softly against my mouth before kissing me again, slower this time, deeper, her fingers tangling into my shirt while heat replaces the cold still clinging to her skin.

And when I carry her toward my bedroom a few minutes later, she doesn’t fight me.

Not even a little.

At the bed’s edge, I hook my thumbs into the waistband of my jeans; she pivots toward me and tugs, denim peeling past my hips.

“You desperate for my cock, city girl?” I tease, catching her fumbling fingers on the zipper.

Her breath catches as she looks up at me, eyes wide, lips parted. “Yes, please.”

I smirk. “Maybe I should make you dance for me.” But I barely give her time—my hands take over, dragging jeans and boxer briefs down in one smooth motion.

I watch her face light up when she finally sees me properly. Tall, hard, arching slightly to the side. Her mouth waters. I can feel the swell of pride and need rolling through me. Just as she’s about to drop to her knees, I tip her chin back with a gentle grip.

“Eyes up,” I murmur. Then I slip my fingers into her hair and crush my mouth to hers in a kiss that sets my blood on fire. My tongue presses past her lips, plunging into hers with everything I’ve held in since she arrived— a mere appetizer for what’s to come.

She sighs into me. “Sweet Nora,” I whisper against her mouth as I ease her backward onto the fluffy white duvet. My body presses firmly into hers; she melts into the sheets. My hands roam her curves, kneading the soft flesh of her hips as I trail hot kisses up her ribcage. When our mouths meet again, it’s slow and deliberate, tasting every inch of her.

She trembles beneath me. My heart clenches. “You’re the only one for me, I need you to know that.” The words tumble out, raw and honest. I’ve thought them a thousand times, but they feel brand-new.

She freezes. Her heartbeat thumps against my chest.

“Me?” she breathes.

I nod. “Boys are always stupid—we don’t know what we want until we become men, and even then, we fuck it up. All I knew was something was missing until I saw you at the auction that day. I never realized what it was… until now. I was missing you, Nora. I need you.”

Her breath hitches; I feel her whole body soften under me. I lean down to kiss her forehead. “Shh… Tonight, I just want you. Whatever tomorrow brings, we’ll face it together. But tonight… it’s just you and me.”

Her nod is the only permission I need. I trail my lips down her neck, admiring the way her skin shivers. Then I close my hand around my cock, slick with anticipation, and press the head against her wetness. “I’m clean,” I promise, voice low. “I’ve never been with anyone else.”

Her gasp is a gift. She lifts herself slightly, catching my neck in slender hands, and she kisses me back with desperate sweetness. “I’m a virgin,” she whispers against my lips. “ I’ve never been with anyone else either. No one ever makes me feel like you do. I want you, all of you.”

My heart pounds. I slide into her mouth, slipping past her lips, tasting her desire. She sighs around me, and I savor the moment before pulling away to line myself at her entrance. With one slow, steady push, we’re joined—skin to skin, hearts beating together.

She’s so tight and warm around me. “Oh my God, Rhett,” she moans, and every word sends a spark through me.

I rock my hips gently, savoring the friction. One hand cradles the nape of her neck as I kiss her again; the other fingers weave into her hair. When she wraps her arms around me, pulling me in deeper, I know I’ve come home.

“Jesus, I’m so glad I found you,” I murmur into her ear as she rides me, our bodies slick with heat. “I was terrified you’d left, that someone else had you. I prayed I could get to you in time.”

Her movements quicken, matching the rhythm in my chest. “I’m so glad you found me,” she breathes.

I grin, pressing my lips to her collarbone. My other hand slips down to her clit, rubbing in firm circles. She shudders, her breath scattering. “Come on me,” I raspy-whisper. “Give me another sexy moan.”

Her voice breaks free—a cascading wave of tears and pleasure. I spasm inside her, vision swimming as my cum fills her, knotting me to her forever. I collapse beside her, tucking her under my arm, drawing her close.

We lie there in the afterglow, her fingers tracing lazy patterns across my chest hair. I nuzzle into her hair, still buzzing.

“I feel like I’m in another atmosphere. I’ve never felt this way, so consumed and cared for and loved.”

“You and me both,” I breathe against her lips.

I smile, heart full, and feel sleep tug at my eyelids. Beside me, Nora drifts off, and I imagine our future: dark-haired toddlers running around this mountain, teaching them how to fish and hunt, her at my side always. I stroke her hair, savoring the soft rise and fall of her breath.

For the first time in years, I can’t wait for tomorrow.