Page 131 of The Fire We Make

Ace gripped a handful of her curls and pulled her head back from where it was tucked in the crook of his neck, taking her lips in a kiss.

Moans escaped from the both of them, each swallowing the other’s sounds of pleasure before they could fill the room.

“Adonis,” Joy gasped, feeling completely full of him.

“Mhm,” Ace hummed against her lips. “Let me hear you.”

Ace’s control finally slipped as his rhythm broke into something more urgent. Ace groaned, fucking into Joy harder as he chased his release.

“Give it to me,” she encouraged.

That sent him over the edge.

With a drawn out groan, he gripped her so hard she knew she’d see his hand prints on her skin tomorrow, and drove into her one final time. He spilled into her as both of their bodies shook.

Joy lay on top of him as they came down. Their chests rising and falling in sync as their bodies hummed.

Ace kissed her shoulder, then the side of her face.

“You good?” he asked.

Joy nodded with a sleepy smile.

Ace chuckled and kissed her forehead.

No words were needed when he carried her into the bathroom.

He turned on the shower and stepped beneath the warm spray with Joy still in his arms. His body was hungry for more of her, but instead, Ace gently cleaned the evidence of their night from her skin.

Joy returned the care, washing the blood from his hands and watching it disappear down the drain.

Those same hands had killed for her, then brought her unimaginable pleasure.

The contradiction should have frightened her.

Instead, it made her feel safe.

When the sun finally rose later that morning, Ace got up and prepared for his day, quietly going into the bathroom to take care of his hygiene.

When he stepped back into the bedroom, his attention was pulled to the bed with the sleeping woman he’d left lying there as she shifted.

He sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at Joy as she slumbered. He smiled at the memory of their night and early morning. He’d woken her up close to dawn for another round that she happily accepted.

She’d knocked out after that, and hadn’t tied up her hair, so her mass of curls were spread out on the pillow around her and slightly covered her face as she slept peacefully.

Ace’s lips quirked as he watched the beautiful woman in his bed snore the paint off the walls like a grown man who has just finished a twelve hour construction shift. He couldn’t even bring himself to be irritated by it. He was just glad to have her there.

She fit in his bed. In his home. In his life.

He wanted to keep her there for as long as possible.

Deciding that the day could wait, he crawled back under the covers with her, content to lay there and watch her sleep.

He pulled the duvet back, discovering she was still fully nude. With the wash of light from the window bathing her, Ace took in parts of her body he hadn’t had the time to explore last night in their haste.

Joy slept with her fists balled, ready to attack even in her sleep. He gingerly took the one closest to him and kissed it, slowly unfurling each of her fingers until it laid flat against the pillow.

Her skin, though smooth to the touch, was marred with scars, old bruises, and stretch marks. All of them held stories that collectively created the wonder that was the woman lying in his sheets. They testified to her strength, growth, and anger and he wanted to bear all of it.