Elevating Eve (Fairford Affairs #4)

15. Jonathan

CHAPTER 15

Jonathan

W hat a fucking mess. The rest of the memorial luncheon passed in awkward near-silence, people staring at him and Eve whenever they thought he wasn’t looking. In the end, everyone gave up and went home early. Even his mom and sisters.

What was supposed to be a celebration of his father’s life turned into a giant clusterfuck.

Eve held his hand as he drove back to Del Mar, her thumb moving back and forth across his skin in a constant, calming rhythm.

“I want to help you,” she said, breaking the silence after more than fifteen minutes.

“You are helping me.” She hadn’t left his side once since he returned to the event hall. He couldn’t think of anything more helpful than that.

Looking over at him from the passenger seat, she studied his face for several seconds. “Not nearly enough,” she said, shaking her head. “You need to let off some steam before you explode.”

Jonathan’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean by that?”

She placed her free hand on his arm, wrapping her warm fingers around his bicep. “You know exactly what I mean by that.”

A ragged breath forced its way out of him. He wanted what she was offering. He wanted it so fucking badly. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” It almost killed him to say it.

“I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“Yes, I should.” There wasn’t a trace of doubt in her voice. “I can give you what you need. Use me to make yourself feel better.”

He pushed out a harsh sigh. “Eve, you can’t handle that yet.”

“Yes, I can,” she insisted. “Let me show you.”

He hesitated for a little longer, two sides of him at war. It felt like those cartoons where a little angel appeared on one shoulder, while a devil whispered sweet temptations from the other.

The devil won.

Jerking the steering wheel, he swerved across two lanes of the I-5, cutting across the median between the highway and the exit ramp.

“Fuck!” Eve shouted, grabbing the oh-shit handle and holding on for dear life. “What the hell are you— oh .” She’d seen the look in his eyes.

She didn’t say another word as he maneuvered the car onto CA-56, driving faster than entirely advisable. Nine minutes later, as he left highways behind, she sat perfectly straight in her seat, gaze moving from side to side, on the lookout for their mystery destination.

When he pulled through the front gates of the sprawling, Mediterranean-style hotel a few minutes later, her hand jerked in his. Her eyes went wide as she took in the pink stucco walls, red tiled roofs, and high archways.

Jonathan pulled up to the valet stand, handing the car key and a fifty-dollar bill to the young man who rushed out to greet him. “Hold the car here until I come back,” he instructed. “I shouldn’t be more than ten minutes.”

As soon as the kid noticed the fifty in his hand, he perked up. “Yes, sir, no problem at all.”

Jonathan stalked around the car, taking Eve’s hand and pulling her through the enormous entryway into the lobby.

A man in his early twenties with a hipster beard smiled as they approached the registration desk. His little nametag read Ethan . “Good evening.” He sounded far too cheerful for it to be real. “How can I help you today? Are you checking in? ”

“That depends.” Jonathan slid his driver’s license and black AmEx card across the counter. “Are any of the villas available?”

Ethan’s brows shot up. “You don’t have a reservation, sir?”

“No. I’d prefer a villa, but a suite would be acceptable.”

Picking up the two cards, Ethan glanced down at them before setting them next to his keyboard. “Just a moment, Mr. Hale,” he said, grabbing the white mouse and clicking away at the large screen. “Let me see what we have available.”

Jonathan brought Eve’s hand up to his lips, kissing the backs of her knuckles. “Soon,” he promised, sure the enormous hotel would be able to find something for them.

Sure enough, Ethan looked up with his over-the-top smile all of ten seconds later. “How long were you planning to stay with us?”

“Just tonight.”

Relief filled the young man’s eyes. “Excellent. The Signature Villa is available, but for tonight only. A large wedding party will be checking in tomorrow afternoon, taking all the villas.”

It was the smallest of the three villas, if he remembered correctly. He hadn’t stayed here in a while—not since he realized being a rich, hotshot CEO didn’t make him too good to sleep at his parents’ house when he visited. Everyone in the family had been relieved when he toned down the douchey behaviors a little bit.

“Sounds perfect,” Jonathan said, not caring how big the space was, as long as they had as much privacy as possible.

Ethan typed and clicked away on his computer for a couple of minutes, then swiped the credit card. A printer farther down the counter spat out a receipt. “If you’ll just sign here, Mr. Hale,” he said, sliding the page, a pen, and both cards across the countertop.

Scrawling his signature on the line at the bottom, Jonathan handed back the pen and picked up his cards. He slid them into his wallet as the receptionist made two keys for their villa, slipping them into a little cardboard envelope with the hotel’s logo on the front. Ethan grabbed a Sharpie next, using it to circle their villa on a map of the property, confirming that Jonathan remembered correctly.

“To get to your villa, you need to?—”

“Thank you, but I’ve stayed there before,” Jonathan interrupted, taking the keys and map from the counter. “I appreciate your help.”

With Eve’s hand still clasped in his, he went back outside, where the valet driver dutifully waited beside Lucy’s Mercedes. He hoped to God this was the car his mom had used to pick them up from the airport, and his suitcase was still in the trunk. Eve told him the other day she’d brought it with them from Denver but forgot it in the car when they arrived at the house. It had only just occurred to him that he’d need some supplies to bring all the plans forming in his mind to fruition.

If not, he’d make do. He always did.

“Thank you,” Jonathan said, handing the kid another fifty when he took the key back. He helped Eve into the passenger seat, closing her door for her, then slid back behind the wheel.

“You rented a whole villa just for us?” Eve asked, sounding bemused.

“With what I intend to do to you for the next several hours, trust me, you’ll be glad we’re not sharing walls with anyone else.”

He glanced over in time to see her blush furiously in the light of the setting sun. Turning to look out the passenger side window didn’t quite hide her small smile.

God, he hoped she was right—that she truly could trust him, and he wouldn’t somehow fuck this all up. Because she was sure as fuck right about the rest of it. The caged energy sparking inside him would come out soon, one way or another. Better to release it in a controlled way, deeply pleasurable to them both, than to let it explode out of him on its own.

Jonathan pulled into one of the spots outside their villa. He put the car into park but left the engine running. “Before we go inside, we need to go over a few things.”

Frowning up at him, she asked, “Like what?”

“Most importantly, I need to know you’ll truly be okay.”

“Jonathan—” she started, sounding impatient.

He held up a hand to stop her. “I know what you already said, and I heard you. But I just...” The sentence trailed off as he tried to figure out what to say.

Communication and honesty. With his dad’s advice ringing in his mind, he knew exactly how to solve this issue .

“Early in their relationship, my parents did this thing to make sure they could always believe each other. They had a special code word, and if one of them said it, the other one had to be completely honest, no matter how hard it was.” In that moment, he realized he never found out what their special word had been. He’d have to ask his mother soon.

The frustration left her eyes, and a smile tugged at her lips. “You want us to have a code word, too?”

Eve didn’t merely understand his desire—she wanted this as much as he did. He could see it in her eyes. “I think it would help us both learn to trust each other in a way we haven’t really trusted anyone else before.”

Stretching across the center console, she pressed a warm, soft kiss against his lips. “I chose the safeword,” she said, eyes bright as she pulled back. “Your turn.”

He opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. “Huh,” he said after several seconds. “This is harder than I thought. Now I feel bad for always making my subs choose.”

Her answering laugh eased some of the pain and anger still roiling around inside him. “Try not to overthink it.” She held up her hand, showing him her father’s ring. “I just wrote down the first thing I saw.”

“Okay, okay,” he said. “The first thing I see. That makes our official code word most beautiful woman in the world .”

A blush accompanied her dazzling grin, and he suddenly wanted to get this part over as quickly as possible. He ached to be inside her.

“I believe that would be a code phrase,” she teased.

“True. And it’s something that could easily come up in conversation, which would just be confusing.”

Eve rolled her eyes, but her smile stayed firmly in place. “Whatever you say, prince charming.”

Okay, if he didn’t get on with things soon, he might end up hauling her over to the driver’s seat and fucking her here in the parking lot. “Veritas,” he said, remembering his Latin from his prep school days. “It means?—”

“Truth,” she finished for him. “I know. That’s perfect.”

“Good. Now that’s settled, I have two questions for you. First, are you doing this only because you feel obligated to help me, but deep down you’re terrified and wish you’d never offered?”

Before he even finished speaking, she started shaking her head. “No, that’s not how I feel at all. I want this for you, but I also want it for me. You’ll see just how much I want it when you take off my panties.” The saucy little creature winked at him. “Veritas.”

He didn’t know whether to laugh or shove her dress out of the way and finger fuck her before they went inside. With a deep breath, he forced himself to carry on with his original plan. They needed to get inside for all his deviant plans to come to fruition. “Then here’s my other question. Do you promise to use your safeword if things are too much for you?”

“Yes.” Her answer was immediate. “Ver?—”

“I know you, Eve,” he interrupted. “I know you’re going to want to keep going for my sake, no matter how you feel about it. So I need you to really think about this before you answer me.”

She started to respond, but then closed her mouth, the corners dipping down into a small frown. At least half a minute passed before she spoke again. “You’re right,” she said, her earlier levity gone. “I would do that. I’d do anything to take some of this pain away from you.”

“Truly hurting you would only make me feel worse,” he told her. “I’m not willing to push you past your limits. Not ever. I need to be able to trust you to tell me where those limits are.”

Eve nodded, understanding filling her eyes. “I promise to use my safeword if things go too far for me,” she said, truth ringing in every word. “Veritas.”

That would have to do. Killing the engine, he asked, “You ready?”

In answer, she scrambled out of the car, clearly as eager as him to get started. “California is so beautiful,” she said, eyes bright as she turned in a full circle, taking everything in. “I’ve never seen anywhere else like this outside of movies.”

“This is just southern California,” he told her, slipping around the back of the car and popping the trunk. His cock twitched at the sight of the small black suitcase. When he reached for her hand again moments later, she threaded her fingers through his, holding him tight. “Northern California is a whole different place. We should drive up the coast sometime. Stop in all my favorite spots between here and Napa.”

Warmth radiated from her eyes. “I’d love that. ”

So would he. Perhaps that was a trip they could plan sooner rather than later. It intrigued him, this idea of showing her the world he used to live in. Rediscovering his past with his present—and, if he was lucky, his future—by his side.

He led her into the villa, rolling the suitcase inside and dropping the car and room keys on the small table by the door.

“Holy shit, this place is incredible,” she said in a muted, awe-filled voice, moving deeper inside as he locked the door. She passed the small kitchen and began exploring the living room, running her hands along the tops of the couch cushions as she eyed the enormous fireplace.

Grabbing his phone from his pocket, he pulled up the group chat with his mom, Maisie, and Alice. He typed up a quick message: Eve and I are staying in a hotel for the night. We’ll see you tomorrow. Before any replies could come in, he turned the phone off, dropping it on the table next to the keys.

Eve had circled around the couch, and now stood beside a small wood table inlaid with a chessboard, the pieces already set and ready to play. She picked up the white queen, rolling the carved wooden piece between her fingers. “I can’t believe this is r?—”

Chess pieces scattered as Jonathan spun her around, pushing her into the table and molding his lips to hers. He ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, not so much requesting entrance as demanding it. The taste of sweet white wine overwhelmed his other senses when she relinquished control to him.

With a little whimpering moan, she arched her back, pressing her body flush against his. The heat of her felt so fucking good. But not enough. Nowhere fucking close.

A growl rose out of him as he twirled her back around, pushing forward until she had to place her hands flat on the chessboard to steady herself. “Sir, I?—”

He silenced her with two swift spanks, one to either side of her ass. “Be still.”

Eve didn’t say another word as he rushed to undress her, his usual finesse and care flying out the window. The thin loop of thread attaching the tiny hook above the zipper snapped as he tried to undo it. At least one seam popped as he yanked the partially unzipped dress off her shoulders and down over her hips.

Not caring in the least, he unhooked the clasp of the lacy black bra, managing not to damage this one. The panties didn’t fare as well. He gripped them in one hand and yanked, a surge of excitement coursing through him as the sound of tearing fabric reached his ears. Her yelp only made his blood run hotter.

Pushing his hand firmly between her thighs, he cupped her pussy possessively, his thumb pressing against the tight ring of her asshole. He leaned down over her, hand squeezing. “You belong to me,” he growled in her ear. “I’m going to use you tonight. That’s what you want isn’t it? To be used? To be my whipping post, my fucktoy? For me to take everything I’m feeling out on you?”

She whimpered again, and the sound somehow made his cock even harder. “Yes, Sir.”

“Mmm,” he murmured, biting down on the lobe of her ear hard enough for her to yelp again. “Be careful what you wish for.”

Standing straight, he gathered her long, thick hair together, wrapping it tightly around his fist. When he yanked her upright, she let out a low hiss of pain. It was like music to his ears.

“Come,” he ordered, leading her into the largest of the three bedrooms. He grinned when he saw they hadn’t changed the furniture since the last time he stayed here. A king-sized, four poster bed dominated the space.

Perfect.

A red couch matching the one in the living room stood at the foot of the bed. He kicked it out of the way with so much force, it crashed into the desk nearby. Ignoring the useless furniture, he nudged Eve toward the foot of the bed. “Up,” he ordered, pleasure pulsing in his chest as she scrambled onto the pristine white quilt.

She stopped in the middle of the bed to look back over her shoulder, a question in her eyes. Christ, she was beautiful, with her hair tumbling wildly over her shoulders, mouth parted slightly as she panted for air. Eve on her hands and knees, back arched, ass in the air, was one of the most captivating sights he’d ever seen.

Resisting the urge to climb up behind her and push into her wet heat, he got to work. First, he retrieved one of the pillows from the head of the bed, positioning it under her slim hips. With a hand at the small of her back, he pushed down until she lay nearly flat atop the mattress, only her ass elevated by the pillow.

For the next part, he had to get creative. Undoing his tie, he looped it around her wrist, making a knot just tight enough that she wouldn’t be able to slip out. He attached the other end of the tie to the first bedpost.

“Stay,” he ordered, moving back out into the living room in search of more ties. He checked the curtains by the French doors to their private patio first, but the cords holding them back were much too short.

Inspiration striking, he strode into one of the other bedrooms, throwing open the closet door. Jackpot. He pulled the terrycloth belts from the two robes. Swinging by the front door, he also retrieved his suitcase before returning to the master bedroom.

As far as he could tell, Eve hadn’t moved a single muscle in his absence. “Good girl,” he said, liking the way her cheeks flushed at the praise. He retrieved a third belt from the robes in their own closet, then got to work, tying her to the four posts.

When he finished, he stepped back to admire his work. She was now spread eagle, her arms and legs stretched out as far and straight as possible toward the four corners of the bed. Her tight rear hole and pussy were on glorious, lewd display, clearly visible between her pale cheeks.

“If the villas were all full, my plan was to gag you,” he said, moving his bag to the now-crooked sofa and opening it. “Luckily, we don’t have to worry about that here. You can scream as much as you want.”

She buried her face in the quilt right before a muffled moan drifted out of her.

“Remind me of your safeword,” Jonathan said as he made his selections from the bag. He remembered it, of course. But he needed her to remember that she could use it. Especially during a scene like this, when things would surely get extra intense.

Eve turned her head again, resting her cheek against the quilt. Her eyes found his across the room. “Emerald, Sir. ”

“Don’t forget it.” The first three items he needed in hand, he made his way to the side of the bed, laying them out on the mattress. “Now, let’s get started.”

Picking up a small bottle of lube, he removed the cap and upended it over the crack of her ass. The thick, viscous fluid cascaded down to her pussy and the pillow below.

The muscles of her ass flexed, as if she wanted to squeeze her cheeks together. But with her legs spread so wide, it was no longer possible.

“Relax,” Jonathan ordered, smacking just below the curve of her right ass cheek. “It’ll only hurt more if you don’t.”

She did as instructed for exactly three seconds. But then his finger plunged into her ass without warning, and every muscle in her body tensed. “Oh, God.” She forced the words out between clenched teeth, squirming as much as her restraints would allow. “It hurts .”

His chuckle came out a little crueler than he intended, low and rumbling and dark. “Trust me, Evie. My finger is the least of your worries right now.”

She stilled. He’d never called her Evie before. For a moment, he thought she didn’t like it, that she was about to object. But then her body relaxed, starting with her shoulders and rolling through the rest of her like a slow-moving wave.

“Good girl,” he said again, pumping the single finger in and out of her a few times before adding a second. When he felt sure the lube coated her tight, inner walls, he removed his fingers and picked up a large, stainless-steel plug. In honor of her safeword, he’d packed one with an emerald-colored gem affixed to the end of the flared base.

He lowered the tip of the plug to her asshole, pushing gently against the tight ring of muscle. Eve’s breaths came in harsh gasps as he spread her wider and wider, taking his time, wanting her to feel every inch of the plug as it entered her. When it finally settled into place, the gem on the base glinting in the lamplight, her whole body shook like a leaf.

On her application, she’d indicated that she had extensive experience with anal sex and rated all types and sizes of plugs as a five. Her reaction to the penetration both surprised and delighted him. “You don’t actually like anal, do you?” he asked, lips spreading into an excited grin.

“No, Sir,” she admitted, still trembling .

“But you’ll do it anyway, because I do?” he pressed.

She took a deep, steadying breath, letting it out slowly through her nose. “It turns me on to do something I hate to make you happy.”

Pulling the plug out just enough to make her gasp, he let go, letting it settle back into place. “Oh, you sweet girl,” he said, bending to plant a soft kiss on her temple. “We’re going to have so much fun together. Just remember your promise.”

Jonathan backed away, finally shedding his jacket and draping it over the arm of the couch. His shirt followed close behind, and then he shed his shoes and socks, tossing them into a corner. Leaving his slacks on for now, he padded back over to the bed, his feet sinking into the plush rug.

Retrieving the final item he’d pulled from his bag, he wrapped his hand around the familiar, smooth handle. The paddle had seen so much use over the years that parts of the dark stain had rubbed away, revealing the blond wood beneath.

This paddle never entered the regular circulation of tools in the dungeon back home. It was the very first spanking implement he’d bought, older than the Manor itself. He and his college roommates—Leo, Aiden, and Mason—had long since waded into the shallow waters of BDSM, experimenting as best they could with belts and hands and flimsy, toy handcuffs when they could find a willing partner.

Jonathan was the first of them to dive into the deep end.

He swished the thick, rectangular paddle through the air once, refamiliarizing himself with its weight. Air whooshed through the five round holes spaced evenly down the center.

Even after all these years, the paddle remained his favorite instrument of punishment. Nothing else felt as perfect in his hand.

“I want you to count for me,” he said as he moved into position.

“Yes, Sir.”

Raising the paddle high above her, he brought it down across the center of her ass, only hard enough to sting. Eve’s eyes screwed shut and her hands balled into fists, but she didn’t make a sound. After a few seconds, she whispered, “One.”

“Good girl.” He brought the paddle down on her ass again, a little harder this time.

Air hissed out of her like a leaking tire. “Two. ”

They made it all the way to ten before he decided she’d had enough of a warmup. Her ass was a uniform rosy pink, and when he brushed his hand over the skin, it was warm to the touch.

Closing his eyes, Jonathan let all the pain and anger and fear and frustration of the last week course through him. He made himself breathe through the chaos of emotions, funneling it all toward the one thing that could calm them.

Eve.

She guided him through the worst storm of his life and brought him out mostly whole on the other side.

Here she was, doing it all over again. Offering her body and her submission to him—a safe place to weather another storm.

He would get through this. He could get through anything so long as he didn’t lose her too.

Opening his eyes, he brought down the paddle on the downward curve of her ass, using enough force this time that she couldn’t hold in a startled scream.

Eve struggled to catch her breath for several seconds, her face buried in the quilt to hide her tears. When at last her shoulders moved up and down with a near-steady rhythm, she gave him a muffled, “Eleven.”

Before she could brace herself, he delivered the next stroke to the same exact place.

Expecting it this time, she used the quilt to dull the sound of her scream, forcing out, “Twelve,” long before he expected it. Her voice shook with the effort.

Jonathan cupped a hand under her chin, turning her face toward him. “Don’t hide from me,” he told her, taking in her splotchy skin and red, puffy eyes. His breath caught in his throat at the sight. She was just so fucking perfect.

Some women cried demurely. Some prettily. Eve cried with her entire fucking body, and it was such a beautiful thing to witness. He wanted to see every tear, hear every gasp and scream and ragged breath. He wanted her to give him everything.

Her head jerked when he brought down the paddle again, but she stopped herself at the last second, settling back into the position he’d requested. He got to watch her face as the pain exploded through her—got to see each and every minute change as she settled into it.

“Thirteen.”

“Fuck,” he muttered, gripping his cock through his slacks. He squeezed hard enough for it to hurt, desperate to take the worst of the edge off. Combined with the riot of emotions still coursing through him, he found it nearly impossible to focus on anything but his desire to bury his cock inside of her.

You’re a fucking professional, damnit, he bellowed in his mind. Get a fucking grip.

The worst of it faded, leaving behind a dull throb of pleasure that no longer threatened to overwhelm him. “It’s time to accelerate things,” he told her, moving back in position at the side of the bed. “As long as you still want to continue.”

“I do. Veritas.”

Relief surged through him. “There will be no need to count anymore.”

As the words, “Yes, Sir,” passed through her quivering lips, he landed the hardest stroke of all. He didn’t even wait for her scream to end before he did it again.

Again.

Again.

Everything about her was perfect. The way her ass cheeks rose with the force of each blow before settling back into place. The tears streaming down her face as she sobbed. The rasp in her screams as her throat got sore.

But most of all, the way she didn’t thrash or pull at her bonds. Not even once.

She was entirely his, giving over every inch of her body, every corner of her mind. It was an offering he would never take for granted.

The paddle fell to the rug with a dull thud . Moving to the foot of the bed, he undid the ties around the two posts rising out of the footboard, freeing her legs. He shed his slacks and boxer briefs as quickly as he could, flinging them in the general direction of his shoes.

He needed to be inside her. He needed it right fucking now.

Not bothering to undo the knots around her ankles, he climbed into the bed between her legs, forcing her up onto her knees. The restraints on her wrists kept her head and upper torso flat against the mattress, arms still spread wide.

Jonathan pressed his hands against the scalding hot flesh of her ass, digging his fingers in just so he could hear her groan. Her skin had turned a deep, glorious crimson.

The poor thing wouldn’t be able to sit for a week.

He grinned as he pulled the plug free, dropping it onto the bed and retrieving the bottle of lube. “Are you ready for me to fuck your ass?”

She only whimpered in response.

As soon as he coated his cock in a layer of lube, he pushed the head against her tightest opening. “Relax for me,” he said, gripping her hips with both hands, spreading her ass wide with his thumbs. “Be a good girl.”

Eve let out a strangled cry when he finally pushed past the tight ring. “It hurts,” she said again, clenching her jaw against the pain.

Inching his way deeper, he took his time, letting her get used to him. By the time his pelvis pressed gently against her ass, she had finally started to untense.

“I want you to ask me to fuck you.” She immediately started to answer, but he didn’t give her the chance yet. “To be clear, this isn’t an order. You get to choose. If you don’t want this, but are willing to suffer it anyway, don’t say a word. If you want me to fuck your pussy instead, say your safeword. I’ll never make you do something against your will. But if you want this pain—if you want to give this to me—ask for it.”

She clenched so tight around him, he barely managed to hold back a moan. Even from his position behind her, he could see that her pupils dilated as he spoke. “Please fuck my ass, Sir,” she said, voice trembling with need. “I want to be exactly what you need. I want to submit to you in every way, no matter how much it hurts.” She squeezed her muscles around his cock again, this time on purpose. “Please let me give you this.”

Jonathan pulled most of the way out of her, and then slammed back in with so much force that she moved an inch up the bed. Her scream sounded different this time—equal parts pain and pleasure. And it drove him fucking wild .

Digging his fingers even deeper into her hips and ass, he settled into a fast rhythm, pulling her back against his cock each time he slammed forward. The only sounds in the room were her continued cries, the rough pants of his breath, and the sound of skin slapping against skin.

So. Fucking. Good.

He pounded into her like a man possessed, losing himself in physical sensation, finally escaping the turmoil of his mind. When he started getting close, he lifted one leg, planting his foot on the mattress to give him extra leverage. Grabbing a fistful of her hair to hold her in place, he slipped the middle finger of his other hand into his mouth, swirling his tongue once around the digit.

When he pressed the tip of the saliva-covered finger against her clit, her whole body bucked. “That’s it,” he said, matching the rhythm of his finger to that of his hips. “Come for me, Evie. I want to know what it feels like to be inside your ass when you come.”

He pressed harder, fucked harder—forcing her closer and closer to the edge whether she wanted it or not. When at last she fell, she clenched so tight around him that he toppled over right after her, his whole body spasming as he came.

Jesus fucking Christ, he’d never fucked anything this tight in his entire life. He screwed his eyes shut as they bucked and shuddered together, riding out the storm trying to rip them apart from the inside out.

Her voice broke on her final scream, low and raspy and utterly spent. It amazed him she could still make any sound at all.

Eve’s whole body trembled as he carefully pulled out of her, the muscles in her legs clearly on the verge of giving out. Helping her settle down against the mattress, he leaned over her tiny, perfect body so he could untie the knots at her wrists.

As soon as he got her free, he settled down beside her, pulling her tight against his chest. Her breaths still came in gasps as she molded her body to his, pressing against him from head to toe. Jonathan stroked her hair as her breathing slowly returned to normal.

“Thank you, Evie.” He whispered it into her ear right before she fell asleep in his arms.