Chapter 34

Amelia

The warmth of Kent's arms around me chases away the remnants of my dreams. His chest rises and falls in a steady rhythm against my back, the beat of his heart a soothing lullaby that tempts me back into slumber. I drift, caught between the desire to stay enveloped in this moment and the day's gentle tug. I've longed for this closeness, the comforting weight of his presence. Yet as dawn paints the room with light, I resist the pull to ask for more. He needs rest, and I won't be the one to disrupt it.

I still have so many questions about what lies ahead for us, but yesterday, his words seemed to hint at a desire for something deeper. At the very least, he wants to continue moving forward together, and so do I. So, I cling to hope, nurturing it quietly within the confines of my heart.

Eventually, I slip from the cocoon of blankets and carefully disentangle myself from Kent's embrace. It's a delicate dance, avoiding the creaks in the floorboards, holding my breath as I watch him for any sign of waking. But he remains still, lost in dreams I can only imagine.

Today is Monday, but it's mine, a gift from Danica after weeks of relentless preparation for the Sensations éclat launch. The thought of the impending release sends a thrill through me, intertwined with the stress that has woven itself into the fabric of my being. I need this day, this brief respite before the storm.

I dress in silence, choosing comfort over style. The air outside is crisp, invigorating as I make my way to the local IGA. The security guard, a stern figure who once escorted me out for cutting in line, now gives me a welcoming nod. His gaze lingers, but today, there is no tension, only the humdrum of early morning.

I fill my basket with ingredients for brunch—eggs, fresh bread, a burst of color from ripe berries. As I head back, the city is coming awake, and people dart to their trains and buses.

My apartment is still quiet when I return. I curl up carefully on the bed and let the soft glow of my phone screen draw me in. Emails from my team at Divine Delights trickle in, questions and details about Emma Blaze that require my attention. I answer each one efficiently, though with careful consideration, my mind shifting gears to focus on business.

Through it all, Kent sleeps, unaware of me just a few feet away, my mind filled with chocolate dreams and the lingering question of what we might become.

The sun is high in the sky, breaking through the curtains and casting a glow across the room when Kent finally stirs beside me. "Amelia," he breathes, his voice rough with sleep, yet filled with a clarity that startles me. "I didn't know—didn't realize you were the missing piece." His arms find me, pulling me close with a need that's raw and revealing.

Heat flares in my chest, his words igniting something tender and long-buried. I can only nod, emotions tightening my throat. His hands roam with purpose, lifting the hem of my shirt with a gentleness that belies his urgency. Fabric whispers over my skin, and then there's the warmth of his mouth against me, drawing moans from deep within. His lips and teeth worship at my breasts, the sensation so keen it ekes out gasps and whimpers. As he kneads and sucks, his fingers slip lower, beneath the lace edge of my panties. A shiver courses through me, and when he touches me, every nerve ending sparks to life. The sound of my arousal is intimate, a slick promise as he tastes me from his fingers. My desire builds, coiling tight, ready to spring.

"Kent," I murmur, my hand tracing the line of his body until I find him, hard and wanting, beneath the cotton of his underwear. I free him, moving down to taste the saltiness of his pre-cum. A groan vibrates from his throat, mirroring the moan that escapes mine.

"I haven't…since last time with you," he warns, his voice strained. "It might be quick."

The vulnerability in his admission tugs at me, and I reach up to brush a lock of hair from his forehead. "Neither have I," I confess, connection weaving between us. "And Kent, I'm on birth control. If you want—we could…"

His eyes, dark with passion, widen, and something like wonder glimmers in them. "You sure?"

"Completely." My heart hammers with the word, a mix of anticipation and trust.

"Then God, yes," he agrees.

We're lost then, in each other, in the realization of what we are together. We begin a dance of skin and sighs, a joining that feels both wild and inevitable. And as we move together, I have no thought of past or future, only the searing now that consumes us whole.

The cool air of the room rushes over my heated skin as Kent's hands, warm and assured, part my thighs with a gentle pressure that feels like reverence. A thrill runs through me, electric and wild, as he explores deeper, his fingers finding their way inside me with an intimacy that sends shivers down my spine.

"Kent," I gasp, arching into his touch as he strokes me from the inside out. My words dissolve into a breathless sigh as he finds the rhythm that unravels me, his fingers strumming my most sensitive spot.

My eyelids flutter closed, and the world tilts on its axis as pleasure mounts within me. It's a crescendo of sensation, a storm that's been gathering since the moment we reconnected, and now, it breaks over me in a rush. The orgasm hits, sudden and intense, and I cry out, clinging to him as waves of ecstasy crash through me.

But Kent doesn't pause, doesn't let up. He moves in relentless pursuit of my next peak, his determination written in the concentration of his furrowed brow. I'm adrift in the feelings he conjures, lost in the dance of his fingers, until he lowers his head and takes my breast into his mouth. The dual assault—the suckling and the insistent press of his fingers—pushes me toward another precipice.

"Ah—Kent!" The sound tears from my throat as I shatter once more, a climax that lights me up from the inside, leaving me quivering, breathless. "Wow," I murmur when I can finally find my voice again. "You've absolutely ruined me for anyone else." The depth of our connection has rewritten every rule I've known about love and pleasure.

He chuckles, a low, satisfied sound that rumbles through his chest and into mine. "Good. Because there's nobody else for me, Amelia. Just you."

I meet his gaze, finding the truth of his words reflected there, and something fierce and possessive awakens in me. "Then show me," I challenge, still trembling from the aftershocks. "Take me hard. Fast."

His eyes are a stormy sea of desire, and his smile is all promise. "I'm up for that," he says, his voice thick with lust.

And I know, without a doubt, that he'll rise to the occasion, that we're about to set off on another tempestuous journey, the destination just as wonderful as the path we take to get there.

His body presses against mine, the heat of his desire palpable as he pushes into me, stretching me wide. It's a blissful ache, echoing the depth of our rekindled connection. I feel so impossibly good, so tight around him, and a gasp escapes my lips.

"Kent…" I breathe, my voice a mix of wonder and need.

I wrap my legs around his back, anchoring myself as he begins to move. Each thrust is deliberate, powerful, like a jackhammer driving into soft earth. My inner walls clench around him, holding on as if I could keep this moment, this feeling, forever. Kent's pace quickens, his breaths coming in heavy bursts until with a final, deep drive, he shudders, his release hot and overwhelming inside me.

As we catch our breaths, he rolls to the side, his arm still draped over my waist. There's a tenderness in his touch, so different from the fervor of moments ago. "Amelia," he murmurs, his voice filled with something new, something earnest. "How much longer do you have on your lease? I want you to move in with me."

Surprise jolts through me, piercing the pleasant haze of afterglow. My mind races. It's a big step, one that means more than shared spaces; it symbolizes a merging of lives, a future. Yet there's no hesitation in my heart.

"I'm on a month-to-month basis," I tell him, and the words taste like possibility on my tongue. "If you're serious… I can do that."

His response is a kiss, deep and claiming, sealing the pact between us. It speaks of shared mornings, of whispered secrets in the dark and laughter spilling over meals together. And I can feel it, the readiness in him to leap into this next adventure hand in hand.

"Then let's not wait," he says, tracing the curve of my jaw as he pulls back just enough to look into my eyes. "I'll call the movers right away."

In that moment, with his lips curving into a smile that mirrors my own, I know that every risk, every uncertain step has led me here, to this man, to this love, to a future that gleams bright and full of hope.