MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Eighty-Four: The Midnight Reclaim
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The cool night air of the balcony was a sharp contrast to the lingering heat in the room, but Jay needed the breeze. Clad in a silk robe that billowed slightly around her ankles, she leaned against the stone railing, looking out over the moonlit estate. Her body still hummed from their earlier encounter, a soft, rhythmic ache that felt like a permanent mark of Keifer's devotion.
The garden was silver below. The steps where they had sat were empty. The flowers were dark. The stars were out. She could hear the house behind her, the soft hum of the air conditioner, the distant sound of Percy's laughter fading into sleep. But here, on the balcony, there was only silence. Only moonlight. Only her.
She closed her eyes. The wind was cool on her skin. Her robe was thin. She could feel the air moving through the silk, touching her thighs, her shoulders, her neck. She could feel the places where his lips had been. The places where his hands had been. The places where he had marked her.
The sliding glass door creaked—a soft, familiar sound—before the heavy heat of him settled behind her.
She didn't turn. She didn't need to. She knew his footsteps. She knew his breathing. She knew the way he moved through the dark, the way he found her, the way he always found her.
He stepped into her space. His chest pressed against her back. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her flush against his solid frame. He leaned down, his nose grazing the sensitive line of her neck, inhaling the scent of her skin and the lingering aroma of the whiskey and sex.
"You're awake," she said.
He pressed his lips to the pulse point just below her ear. "So are you."
She leaned back against him. His chest was warm. His arms were strong. His heart was beating against her back.
"I needed air," she said.
He kissed her neck. "I needed you."
She smiled. "You have me."
He pulled her closer. His hands were on her waist. His lips were on her skin. "Not close enough."
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He pressed his lips to the pulse point just below her ear. With a low growl, he began to suck. His tongue swirling against the skin before his teeth grazed the surface. He wasn't gentle. He was marking her again. Creating a dark, blooming bruise that would tell the world exactly who she belonged to come morning.
Jay gasped. Her hands went to his arms. Her nails dug into his skin. "Keifer."
He pulled back. His eyes were dark. His lips were parted. "Yes?"
She turned in his arms. Her face was inches from his. Her robe was loose. Her skin was warm. "I'm yours."
He kissed her. Hard. Deep. A kiss that said she had always been his. A kiss that said she would always be his.
She kissed him back. Her hands were in his hair. His hands were on her waist.
He pulled back. His forehead was against hers. "I know."
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His hands began a slow, possessive tour of her body.
They slid up from her waist, roaming over the silk of her robe, his palms broad and warm. He traced the curve of her hips and the dip of her waist, his touch firm enough to remind her of his strength. He traced her ribs. Her shoulders. Her collarbone. Her neck.
She shivered. His hands were warm. His touch was fire.
With a deft flick of his fingers, he undid the silk tie at her waist. The robe fell open, pooling at her elbows before sliding to the balcony floor. The moonlight was on her skin. Her scars were white. Her skin was gold.
Jay shivered. Not from the cold. From the way his eyes darkened as he looked at her in the moonlight.
"Beautiful," he said.
She touched his face. "So are you."
He turned her in his arms. Her back was against his chest. Her hands were on the railing. Her body was exposed to the night. To the stars. To him.
His hands immediately found the soft swell of her breasts. He captured one, his thumb raking across the nipple until it peaked into a hard, aching bud.
She gasped. Her head fell back against his shoulder. Her hands tightened on the railing.
"Keifer."
He kissed her neck. "I'm here."
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He dipped his head, his mouth replacing his fingers. He swirled his tongue around the areola in agonizingly slow circles before taking the entire nipple into his mouth. He sucked strongly, the rhythm matching the frantic thud of Jay's heart.
Her fingers tangled in his dark hair. Pulling him closer. Holding him there. His teeth grazed her. She cried out. Her knees buckled. His arm caught her. Held her up.
He moved to the other side. Giving it the same reverent, hungry attention. His tongue was slow. His teeth were gentle. His hands were on her hips, holding her steady, holding her against him.
"Keifer," she whispered. Her voice was gone. Her mind was blank. There was only him. Only his mouth. Only his hands.
He pulled back. His eyes were dark. His lips were wet. "I love you."
She pulled him up. Her lips were on his. "I love you too."
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His hand drifted lower. Sliding between her thighs. He found her already slick, the evidence of her desire for him making his pulse race.
"Still so wet for me, Jay?" he rasped against her skin, his voice thick with pride.
She couldn't answer. Her breath was gone. Her mind was gone. There was only his hand. Only his fingers. Only him.
He began to tease her. His middle finger tracing the outer folds of her labia before circling her clitoris. He moved with a torturous deliberation, his thumb maintaining a steady pressure on the sensitive nub while his fingers began to slide inside her.
He felt the internal tremors of her muscles clamping around him. He pushed deeper. Fingering her with a rhythmic, demanding pace that had her sobbing his name into the quiet night.
"Keifer. Keifer. Please."
He kissed her neck. "Please what?"
She turned in his arms. Her face was close. Her eyes were bright. Her lips were parted. "Please. I need you."
He smiled. "You have me."
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He couldn't wait any longer.
Keifer stepped back just enough to free himself. His length was thick and pulsing. He guided her to the edge of the railing, her back to the view, and lifted one of her legs. Her thigh was against his hip. Her body was open to him. Her eyes were on his.
He moved slowly. Pressing the head of his member against her entrance. He felt her stretch. The slight resistance of her body adjusting to his size.
She gasped. Her hands were on his shoulders. Her nails were in his skin.
He kissed her. Soft. Slow. A kiss that promised everything. A kiss that said he would never hurt her. A kiss that said she was safe.
As he began to slide home, he captured her lips in a deep, soul-searing kiss. He drank in her gasps. His tongue mimicking the slow, deep intrusion of his body.
He stayed still for a moment once he was fully buried within her. Letting the pain fade into a heavy, grounding fullness.
She looked at him. Her eyes were bright. Her lips were parted. "Keifer."
He kissed her forehead. "I'm here."
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Then, the rhythm began again.
Slower this time. More visceral. Every thrust was a silent vow. The balcony was their private cathedral. The stars were the only witnesses to the weight of their forever.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. Her legs around his waist. Her body was against his. Her heart was against his.
"Keifer," she whispered.
He kissed her. "I love you."
She held him. "I love you too."
They moved together. A slow, deep rhythm. The moon was above them. The stars were around them. The world was below them. There was only him. Only her. Only this.
He pulled back. His eyes were on hers. "Look at me, Jay."
She looked at him. The enemy. The stranger. The man she had married. The man she loved. The man who had saved her. The man who had waited for her. The man who had never stopped loving her. The man who was her home.
"I love you," she said.
He kissed her. "I love you too."
The rhythm built. The moon moved across the sky. The stars faded. The night was ending.
She peaked. Her body shuddered against his. Her hands were in his hair. Her voice was gone.
He followed. His arms were around her. His face was in her hair. His heart was beating against hers.
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The room was quiet when they finally moved inside.
Jay lay in Keifer's arms, her head on his chest, his heart beating beneath her ear. The silk robe was on the floor. The sheets were tangled around them. The moonlight was silver on the walls.
"You're thinking," he said.
She smiled. "I'm always thinking."
He kissed her hair. "What are you thinking about?"
She looked at the window. At the moon. At the stars. At the future that was waiting. "I'm thinking about the garden. About the mud. About the Ferris wheel. About the contract. About the day you put the ring back on my finger."
He pulled her closer. "I'm thinking about the day you took a bullet for me."
She touched his face. "I would do it again."
He kissed her hand. "I wouldn't let you."
She smiled. "You don't have a choice."
He rolled her onto her back. His body was above hers. His face was close. His eyes were dark.
"Keifer," she said.
He kissed her neck. Her shoulder. Her collarbone.
"I love you," he said.
She pulled him close. "Show me."
He showed her.
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The sun was rising when Jay opened her eyes.
Keifer was beside her. His arm was around her. His face was close. His eyes were open.
"You're staring," she said.
He smiled. "I'm observing."
She laughed. "Same thing."
He kissed her. Soft. Slow. A morning kiss. The kind of kiss that said he would never leave. The kind of kiss that said she was home.
She kissed him back.
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The house was waking.
Percy was in the kitchen. Honey was beside him. Aries and Ella were at the table. Lyra was in her corner, Alex beside her. Care was with Cole. Rakki was with Ci N. Mica was with Calix. Freya was with Erdix. Grace was with Denzel. Kuya Angelo was with Ion. Tita Gemma was with Tita Rachel.
Jay walked into the kitchen. Keifer was behind her. His hand was in hers.
Percy looked up. His face split into a grin. "You're late again."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "We're not late."
Percy's grin widened. "You have a mark on your neck."
Jay's hand went to her neck. Her face went red. Keifer's face was calm. His eyes were smug.
Percy laughed. "I knew it."
Honey elbowed him. "Leave them alone."
Percy laughed. "I'm just saying."
Jay walked to the counter. Keifer was beside her. His hand was on her back. His thumb was tracing circles on her skin.
Percy watched them. His face was soft. "Three years," he said. "Three years and you're still like this."
Jay looked at Keifer. Keifer looked at her.
"Three more," Jay said.
Percy grinned. "Three more."
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END OF CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR