Page 155 of Betrayal and Vows

"I will," I promise, lying down beside her and pulling her into my arms. "Always."

"I can't sleep," she whispers into the darkness.

“Try.”

"I keep thinking about everything. About what we're walking toward. What we're leaving behind."

I tilt her chin up so I can see her face in the dim light. Even exhausted, even scared, she's beautiful. "Hey. Look at me."

Her blue eyes find mine. "Right now, there's nothing but this," I tell her, my thumb tracing her cheekbone. "Just you and me under these stars. Everything else can wait until morning."

She searches my face for a long moment, then her hand slides up to cup my jaw. "Make me forget," she whispers. "Please, Anton. Make me forget everything except us."

The need in her voice undoes me. I roll her beneath me, careful of her healing arm, and capture her mouth with mine. This kiss is different from the gentle ones we've shared lately. It’s hungrier, more desperate.

She needs this as much as I do. We need the connection. A reminder that we're alive and together despite everything trying to tear us apart.

"I want you. I want this. Under the stars, in the middle of nowhere, with just us. I want to remember this moment forever."

Something primal awakens in my chest at her words. The careful control I've been maintaining since her injury snaps. My hands find the hem of her sweater, pushing it up and over her head. The cool night air makes her gasp, but I'm already warming her skin with my mouth, trailing kisses down her throat.

"So beautiful," I murmur against her collarbone. "My perfect girl."

She tugs at my shirt and I help her remove it, then press my bare chest against hers. The sensation makes us both groan. Her skin is silk and fire beneath my hands.

"Touch me," she whispers, her voice breathless. "Please, Anton. I need your hands on me."

I oblige, my palms mapping every inch of her body.

I worship her body. When she arches beneath me, her soft moans echoing in the mountain silence, I know I could die happy having heard that sound. Her fingers dig into my shoulders as I move lower, pressing kisses to her ribs, her stomach, the sensitive spot just below her navel that makes her gasp my name.

"Anton," she breathes. "Please."

I need no further encouragement.

I’m on my knees now, her pants and underwear around her ankles. She's beautiful. Always has been. My hands slide up her thighs. I part her legs to reveal her damp core.

I breathe deep the scent of her arousal, my own cock aching for release. I tease her with my tongue, flicking at the little bud of her clit and watching as she bucks against me.

"Please," she begs, wrapping her legs around my head. "I need you."

"You have me," I murmur, licking and sucking, driving her wild with my mouth. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, urging me on as she climaxes hard against my tongue.

Her cries echo in the night air, mingling with the nocturnal sounds that surround us. It's primal. Raw in the best way.

"Anton," she gasps when her tremors finally subside. "Make love to me."

I'm already hard enough to pound nails. I push myself up between her legs and slide inside her in one smooth motion. She arches against me, crying out again as I bury myself to the hilt in the tight heat of her body.

We move together. Our bodies finding that familiar pace that brings us both pleasure. We make love under the stars. Her soft whimpers and my grunts mingle with the crickets chirping and owls hooting.

When she comes again, I fall with her. Drawing out every last drop of ecstasy.

"I love you," she whispers against my skin.

"I love you too,solnyshko. More than life itself."

She falls asleep in my arms, but I stay awake long into the night. Watching. Listening. Protecting her even in sleep. Because that's what I do. That's who I am when I'm with her—not the killer, not the weapon, but the man who would burn the world down to keep her safe.