Page 107 of Meant for Mayhem

Such simple words, and yet they made my breath catch the way nothing else had tonight.

Let me take care of you.

He’d been doing all day today, long before he’d touched me.

Hell, he’d been taking care of me for weeks.

I wasn’t sure what shocked me more—that I didn’t argue back with him, or that I liked it when he took care of me.

Maybe it should have felt like he was taking my agency, my right to choose for myself, but when he did it with such intentionality, such deliberate care to notice what I’d want without me even having to ask…

I loved that.

With every pass of his hands over my skin, I should have said I could do it myself. I didn’t need his help. I didn’t need him at all.

But this wasn’t about need anymore.

This was pure and unfiltered want.

Mikko made me want things. Want more than I’d ever had before. Want to let go and just… trust him.

Just for a little bit.

Just until I had to say goodbye.

My chest ached, imagining the day I’d have to give this up. I leaned my face into the water, washing those emotions right down the drain before they could stick.

Mikko’s lips brushed over my neck one more time before he reached in front of me and turned off the water. Together we dried off, then went back to the bed. He pulled back the covers and climbed in naked, holding it up for me. I fluffed my pillow, buying myself another minute, then followed his lead.

Instead of keeping to his side of the bed, his hand wrapped around my waist and gently pulled me against his chest like last night. He pressed a kiss to my lips, but it was nothing like the ones we’d shared before.

No urgency.

No desperation.

Just a quiet tenderness that unraveled me more than everything else had.

When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine. “Goodnight, rakas.”

I smiled before closing my eyes, listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath my cheek.

A phone vibrated on the nightstand next to me the next morning, sunlight peaking between the split in the blackout curtains. I snuggled back into Mikko, still in disbelief over everything that had happened between us yesterday. As much as I wanted to chalk it up to adrenaline, I’d meant it when I said I didn’t regret it.

Mikko stirred behind me, his arm tightening around my waist and pulling my back to his front. I felt his hardness against my ass, his hips moving until his cock slid between my legs.

I sucked in a breath when he ground over me, my pulse rapidly picking up. The movement was slow and sleepy, almost unconscious, like he was chasing warmth in a dream. His breathing stayed deep and even against the back of my neck, but the steady roll of his hips sent sparks through my body with every pass.

For a long minute, I let myself feel it—the heat of him, the solid weight of his arm holding me, the way my body was already responding.

Mikko tensed, hips going still.

“Fuck,” he muttered, voice gravelly with sleep.

Before he could pull back, I reached down and caught his hand, lacing my fingers through his. Slowly, I guided it until his large palm cupped my breast. His breath hitched, and his lips touched down on my shoulder in a gentle kiss while he rolled my nipple between his fingers, then tugged gently.

I gasped at the sensation, like a live wire between my nipples and my clit. “Don’t stop.”

The words seemed to snap the last of his restraint. In one smooth motion, Mikko flipped me onto my back, his big body settling over mine. His mouth found me instantly, kissing me deeply, morning-stubble rough against my skin.