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Her release hit her like a wave.

She blacked out for a moment, stars bursting behind her closed lids. When she opened her eyes, she found Evander leaning over her, completely bare. He must have undressed while she recovered.

Immediately, her gaze dropped to his cock. It was hard to the point that it almost looked painful, the head flushed and leaking. He looked at her, desperation written all over his face.

“Take me,” she whispered.

That was all he needed.

He lined himself up against her entrance, and the head slipped easily inside her. She threw her arms around him, pulling him down. A gasp escaped her lips with every inch he filled her.

Evander did not stop until he was completely inside her.

He was bigger than she had imagined. She felt so full. There was nothing she could compare it to. Up until this moment, she had been untouched.

She did not regret giving herself to Evander. It was everything she had wanted.

Evander did not move at first. He simply stayed there, buried deep inside her, his forehead pressed against hers as they both caught their breath. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she could feel his racing just as fast.

Every nerve in her body felt alive. Sensitive. As though she were seeing the world differently.

He brushed a kiss against her lips.

“Ye all right, lass?” he whispered.

She nodded, unable to form words.

She was overwhelmed, but not in a bad way. She felt… changed. As though something irreversible had just happened, and she was still processing it.

When he finally began to move, it was slow. She clung to him, gasping, biting her lip to hold back the sounds threatening to spill out. Her sex was sensitive after her first release, and already she could feel another building.

Evander eventually quickened his thrusts, pulling almost all the way out at some point before filling her in a single deep stroke. She cried out, digging her nails into his back.

His movements grew more frenzied, his breath coming in harsh pants.

The second release hit her harder than the first. Evander claimed her mouth, muffling both their cries as he spilled deep inside her.

He collapsed atop her, the two of them still entwined.

She knew the moment would pass and the world would return, but for now, she was going to cling to him, pretending this was forever.

Later, much later, when the light had gone gold and then grey and then dark, Freya lay tangled in the sheets with her head on his chest and his heart beating slowly beneath her ear. Her whole body felt loose and warm and entirely, astonishingly hers.

For the first time in eleven years, she felt completely safe, and completely loved.

Evander’s fingers moved idly through her hair. Neither of them had said a word in a long while. They didn’t need to.

She thought briefly of the twins, but Brigid was taking care of them. Her friend would surely be happy to keep them after knowing that she and Evander had finally made up.

It was almost tempting to reach up and pinch herself. The fact that she could feel his warm body pressed against hers meant that this wasn’t a dream. This time, everything was real.

And it was much, much better than she had ever thought.

It was perfect.

39

Evander had the ring in his hand again.