Page 41 of Rancor
“Say it again,” I demanded, my breath hot against her ear. “Tell me who you belong to.”
Her nails dug into my shoulders, leaving half-moons of pressure through my shirt that I knew would mark my skin. “You,” she whispered, her voice breaking with need. “I belong to you, Rancor. Only you.”
I fucked her with powerful movements, claiming her with my body the way she’d claimed my soul the first Goddamned day I met her. She screamed, the sound raw and primal, her head falling back against the wall as my movements drove her up and down the flat surface. I prayed I wasn’t hurting her since I didn’t seem to possess the self-control to slow down.
Thankfully, when I looked into her lovely eyes, I saw only hunger, the same hunger I knew reflected back at her.
I set a punishing rhythm that had us both gasping. Each thrust drove us higher, the force of my movements pressing her harder against the wall. Her black dress hung in tatters around her waist. Cora reached between us and grasped the edges of my shirt, yanking hard. Buttons scattered around us but the only thing that mattered to me was getting her tits out of her bra so I could mash against her chest to chest.
“Look at me,” I commanded, slowing my pace just enough to make her whimper in protest. Her eyes snapped to mine, pupils blown wide with arousal. “I want to hold your gaze while you come on my cock. Just for me.”
She nodded frantically, her breath coming in short, sharp pants that matched the rhythm of my thrusts. I slid one hand between us, finding her clit with practiced ease. The first touch had her arching against me, a strangled cry escaping her lips.
“That’s it, baby,” I encouraged, my voice rough with exertion and need. “Fuckin’ come. I’ve got you.”
The tight clench of her body around mine told me she was close. I increased my pace, driving into her with relentless force, feeling my own release building at the base of my spine. The sight of her, head thrown back in abandon, skin flushed with pleasure, lips parted on my name, pushed me closer to the edge.
When she finally came, her entire body tensing around mine, I followed her into bliss, my release tearing through me with an intensity that left me gasping. We clung to each other, shuddering through the shared pleasure, the wall at her back the only thing keeping us upright as I leaned into her. I gasped for breath as I rested my forehead against hers. I remained inside her, unwilling to break our connection just yet.
She kissed me, a soft, lingering press of her lips against mine as a small joy-filled laugh escaped her. “Well,” shemurmured, “that’s one way to celebrate telling my parents to fuck off.”
I chuckled, the sound rumbling from deep in my chest. “Just getting started, wife,” I promised, carefully withdrawing from her body and lowering her feet to the floor. Her legs trembled beneath her, and I felt a surge of masculine pride at having reduced this strong, defiant woman to such a state.
I swept her into my arms, carrying her the short distance to our bed. She went willingly, her arms looped around my neck, her head resting trustingly against my shoulder. I laid her down with more gentleness than I’d shown minutes before, the sight of her sprawled across our sheets sending a fresh surge of desire through me despite my recent release.
She reached for me, her arms open in invitation. I followed her down, covering her smaller body with mine. This time, when our lips met, the kiss was softer, the urgency replaced by something deeper, more tender.
“I love you,” I murmured against her mouth, the words still new enough to feel like a revelation each time I spoke them. For years after Sarah died, I’d believed that part of me had died with her. Cora had proven me wrong, awakening feelings I’d thought forever lost.
Her hands framed my face, thumbs tracing the contours of my cheekbones with reverent care. “I love you too,” she whispered back. “So much it scares me sometimes.”
“Don’t be scared, honey. I will guard your heart with my life.”
“I know.” She stroked my face as she pulled me back for another kiss.
I sank into her again. This time the sensation was no less intense for its gentleness. I moved, watching her face as her pleasure built slowly. This wasn’t the raw, animal coupling of before, but something equally powerful for the love it conveyed.
With a soft cry, she came, milking my cock again for the seed I needed to plant inside her. I shuddered as I came, groaning against her neck as I held myself inside her as deeply as I could, never wanting to be free.
After, as our breathing slowed and the sweat cooled on our skin, I wrapped my arm protectively around her, drawing her close against my side. She came willingly, her body molding to mine so she fit perfectly.
“No regrets?” I asked, my voice low in the quiet room. “About us? About your parents?”
She tilted her face up to mine, her expression open and unguarded in a way she rarely was with anyone but me. “Not a single one,” she said firmly. “My only family is right here.” She pressed her palm against my chest, directly over my heart. “Everything I need, everything I want. It’s all right here.”
I covered her hand with mine, feeling the steady thump of my heartbeat beneath our joined fingers. The peace I found in her arms was something I never thought I’d experience again.
Cora was my love. My wife. My everything. I’d lost so much and had dwelt on those losses for a long time. Now, all I wanted was to embrace the second chance I’d been given.
“Tell me you love me again,” I demanded.
I felt her lips move against my chest as she smiled. “I do love you, Rancor. With all my heart.” Her voice was thick with fatigue, and I knew neither of us would last much longer.
As sleep claimed us, cradled in each other’s arms, I felt a sense of completeness I’d longed for my entire life. In Cora, I had found my anchor, my sanctuary, my reason to believe in second chances and the enduring power of love.
