Page 40 of Bloom in Darkness

I shrug, heat creeping up my neck. “It helps me get out of my head.”

“This is fantastic.”

“It’s nothing,” I mutter, trying to pull the paper away.

But he catches my wrist gently. I tug halfheartedly; Caelan laughs as he holds on, not letting me take it back. The paper survives about three more seconds before I twist in his lap trying to reclaim it, lose my balance, and slide right off the edge of the sofa—taking him down with me.

We land on the carpet in a tangle of limbs and laughter, Caelan bracing himself so his weight doesn’t crush me. My laughter catches when I realize he’s settled between my legs, close enough that I can feel his breath against my mouth.

He looks down at me, eyes dark and warm. “Hey you.”

I grin up at him, my breath catching somewhere in my throat. “Alpha.”

The kiss that follows is deep and heavy, his tongue sliding against mine. His hands slip under my robe, tracing the curve of my waist until I arch into him. He kisses along my jaw, then down my throat, his scent thickening around us until it’s all I can breathe.

I fumble with the hem of his shirt until it comes free, then slide my hands underneath, palms flat against the warm skin of his stomach.

He laughs softly against my mouth when my fingers dig in a little.

“You bought the room,” I point out, regretting it the second I hear myself. The second they’re out, they sound like every other night I’ve spent in rooms like this one.

Before I can take them back, he catches my chin gently, his expression turning serious. “Astra,” he says quietly. “This isn’t why I paid for it. I would’ve sat here and talked to you all night.”

“Then kiss me.”

I pull him back down, and the robe is the first thing that goes. His fingers find the tie and work it loose while I shove his shirt higher, and we have to break the kiss long enough for him to drag it over his head. I get my shorts down while he’s still tossing the shirt aside, kicking them somewhere toward the sofa before reaching for his pants.

Caelan looks toward where my shorts disappeared and laughs under his breath, but I catch the front of his pants and pull him back before he can say anything.

His pants take longer. I get the button, he handles the rest, and then he’s over me again, bare, the carpet rough beneath my shoulders and his weight settling between my thighs. I drag him into another kiss before either of us can say anything else.

One of his hands moves slowly down my stomach, passing my cock before slipping between my legs. His fingers come away wet enough that he pauses, and heat crawls across my face as I turn toward his shoulder.

Caelan kisses my temple. “You okay?” His voice is soft enough that I look back at him, but he doesn’t make anything of it. He only brings his hand between us again and presses one finger inside.

The slick makes the drag easy. A second finger follows, opening me slowly while I breathe against his skin, and his mouth stays close to mine as his hand works. He stays close while his fingers work, his mouth brushing mine whenever my breathing catches until my hips start moving with his hand on their own.

A breath of laughter catches in his throat when I push down harder. “You want more?”

I bite at his jaw, not hard enough to hurt. “Keep going.”

He does. His fingers curl, stretch, and work me open until my body relaxes around his fingers. By the time he pulls his hand away, I’m already reaching for him.

When he lines himself up, he stays close. The head of his cock presses in, and I tighten my hands around his shoulders while I take him, the stretch thick and steady until his hips finally settle against mine. His forehead rests against mine while I breathe through it.

“Still good?” he asks.

I tighten my leg around him and pull him back down. “Don’t stop.”

He gives me another second anyway before rocking forward, shallow at first and then deeper once my body loosens around him. I hook one leg over his hip to keep him close, and every slow pass drags wetly through the slick between us.

His hand slides beneath my neck while his hips find an easy rhythm. I can feel his breathing change against my mouth every time I tighten around him, and when I pull him down until there’s no space left between our chests, he lets out a rough sound that makes me do it again.

Caelan kisses the corner of my mouth and stays there for another few thrusts before his hand moves to my hip. “Turn over for me.”

I do, rolling onto my stomach while he shifts with me instead of pulling away completely. One arm slides beneath my chest, and he draws me back against him before pressing inside again.

The first thrust from behind knocks the breath out of me. His mouth finds the back of my neck while I reach back until my hand closes around his hip, pulling him closer.