Page 107 of A Sinful Gravity

Air in the room hung still, just the fake flames flickering in the fireplace.

"In that house, only Chloe was ever kind to me."

"Then Robert saw my knack for business." My tone lightened. "Finally looked at me straight. Gave me the company, on one condition: marriage."

I met Luna's eyes, full of regret. "So I married you."

"At first, I saw it as the smartest deal—quiet, elegant, no messy ties. Thought it was just business. I was an idiot."

"Truth is, I clung to the stability you gave me, but my wounds made me deny it. I downplayed it, hurt you to prove I was still in control."

"Cassian..." She hugged me gently.

"I'm a total coward, Luna. Scared to admit I love you." I hugged back, like she was my world.

"So I told myself: no feelings, no investment, no love."

"But when you left, that empty bedroom hit me. I couldn't live without you. I'd fallen hard, deeper than I knew."

She reached up, fingers tracing my brow. No walls in her eyes anymore—just empathy, soft and shared.

Two souls, torn up by family, finally connected in the ruins.

"So that's why you hunted me like a madman for six years?" she asked softly.

"Not just six." I took her hand, kissed it reverently. "I'll spend the next sixty making up for it. Luna, I promise, from now on, you'll have all the security you need. You don't have to be Mrs. King or a Crawford daughter. Just Luna. I love you. You make me feel alive."

All masks off, I bared my raw self, waiting for her verdict.

Luna looked up. Moonlight lit her face, eyes shining with tears and light.

Then she reached out and wrapped her arms around my neck.

She kissed me. Lips soft, tasting of sweet ice cream and salty tears. Firm, like she was saying she was here.

I froze for a second, then pulled her close, deepened it. Tongues tangled, breaths mixed. Her fingers gripped my hair tightly.

I lifted her and carried her to the bathroom. Warm yellow light flickered, dreamlike.

I turned on the faucet. Water rushed, steam rising, fogging the mirror.

Clothes hit the floor one by one. She leaned against the tile. I kissed her neck, collarbone, and chest. She gasped, nails digging into my shoulders.

Water cascaded over us. I lifted her hips, eased in slowly—her warmth enveloping me, tight and slick, every inch drawing a shudder from us both. She gasped, her inner walls clenching rhythmically around me as I sank deeper, the delicious friction sending sparks of pleasure up my spine. Her legs wrapped around my waist, heels digging into my back, urging me further with each deliberate thrust.

I rocked into her steadily, savoring the way her body yielded and gripped, wet sounds mixing with the shower's rush. She moaned low and breathless, nails scraping down my shoulders, pulling me impossibly closer as our rhythms synced in heated urgency.

No rush this time, just slow, deep rhythm. I kissed her temple. "You're beautiful, Luna. You have no idea."

She clung, crying out as she came, body shaking. I followed, holding her tight.

Water still poured. She pressed close, arms around my neck, like she wanted to melt into me.

After, I wrapped her in a robe, carried her to bed. She nestled against me, fingers tracing circles on my chest.

The rush faded, leaving just our tangled breaths.

I held Luna, her head on my arm. City lights dimmed outside, but her warmth felt real enough to bring tears.