Chapter 41
1415 Words
Gwen
I leaned against the doorframe to the suite’s common room, watching Cash try and fail to open a bag of chips as quietly as possible. He glanced up, caught my smile, and grinned guiltily.
“Midnight snack?” I asked.
He shrugged, the crinkle of the bag giving him away. “Couldn’t sleep.”
I hesitated, then stepped closer. My fingers fidgeted with the edge of my sleeve. “Do you… want to sleep with me tonight?”
His brow rose. “Like sleep sleep?”
I nodded. “Just sleep. I think… I think I’d like that.”
The grin he gave me softened into something quieter, gentler. “Yeah. I’d like that too.”
—
The lights were dim in my room. We climbed into bed like we’d done it a hundred times before, even though we hadn’t. I settled with my back pressed to Cash’s chest, his arm wrapping instinctively around my waist.
His body was warm and solid behind me. Safe.
He exhaled slowly, nuzzling his nose into my hair. “This is nice,” he murmured.
“Yeah,” I whispered.
His fingers stroked lazy lines along my side, up from my hip and back down. It was soothing. Mindless. Intimate in the quietest way.
Then he pinched my butt, just a little, and I yelped.
“Cash,” I said, half-laughing, half-scolding.
He chuckled low in his throat, and I instinctively pressed my backside into him in retaliation—except the moment I did, I felt him. Hard. Against me.
His breath caught. “Gwen…”
I swallowed, heart fluttering. I didn’t move away.
Instead, I reached back and found his hand, bringing it to rest on my waist again.
“I’m okay,” I whispered.
He was still, letting me lead.
Then slowly, like the shift of a tide, we started to move together. My hips rolled back against his, a silent rhythm building between us. He kissed the back of my neck, then my shoulder. His hand slid under my shirt, warm and reverent as it explored the curve of my waist, the dip of my stomach.
We turned toward each other, our faces close, breaths mingling.
And then we were kissing—soft, slow, deep. His lips molded to mine, his hands careful even as his body trembled with restraint. He kissed down my jaw, my throat, his mouth lingering over my pulse like it was something sacred.
I sighed into him, arching as he stroked my side again, down to my thigh. Our legs tangled and I pulled him closer, needing to feel him everywhere.
We didn’t speak. We just moved together, gently grinding, touching, teasing. A slow burn rising between us, not quite catching fire, but warm enough to glow.
His mouth found mine again and I kissed him like I’d been waiting a lifetime.
Cash pulled back just enough to look into my eyes. “I love you,” he whispered, raw and true.
And I believed him.
I pressed my forehead to his and held him close.
Not ready for everything—but more ready than I’d ever been before.
Cash
Gwen was still asleep.
The morning sun filtered in through the curtains, painting soft gold across her bare shoulders. One arm was draped across my stomach, her fingers curled lightly over my skin, like she was holding on even in sleep. Her hair was a mess—wild, tangled, and absolutely perfect.
I didn’t move. I didn’t want to risk waking her. Not when she looked so peaceful. Not when it felt like, for once, everything was okay.
Last night kept playing on a loop in my head—how she’d invited me in, not just into her bed, but into her trust. How she’d kissed me, touched me, pressed against me without fear or hesitation. She’d let herself be vulnerable, and that meant more to me than anything we’d done physically.
She was still healing. I knew that. But gods, she was strong. And letting me in like that? Letting me love her, even a little? That was the bravest thing she could’ve done.
Her brow twitched like she was dreaming. I gently reached over and smoothed a strand of hair away from her face. My fingertips lingered at her temple. She made a soft sound and shifted, burrowing closer into me.
I smiled to myself.
This—this was everything I didn’t know I needed.
I never thought I’d find someone who made me feel calm and wild all at once. But here she was, curled into me like she belonged.
And she did.
I didn’t care if Cain had known her longer, or if Cole had the kind of quiet, poetic connection with her. Gwen was mine too. In a way only she and the Goddess could explain.
I kissed the top of her head.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered into her hair. “For as long as you’ll let me.”
She stirred, a smile tugging at her lips, but she didn’t wake.
So I stayed still, heart full, holding the girl who was changing everything I thought I knew about love.
Gwen
I woke to the steady rhythm of a heartbeat beneath my ear and the warm scent of rain and leather.
Cash.
My cheek was pressed to his chest, and his arm was wrapped around me like I belonged there. I didn’t move at first. His hand was stroking slow, absent circles against the bare skin of my lower back, and it felt…safe. Calm. Anchoring.
I let out a quiet hum and tilted my head back to look at him. His bright green eyes were already watching me, soft and warm in the early light.
"Morning," I whispered, voice still thick with sleep.
"Hey," he said, lips curving into that cocky-but-soft smile that made my stomach flutter. “Sleep okay?”
I nodded. “Better than I have in a while.”
He gave a small, satisfied grunt and pulled me just a little closer. “Good. ‘Cause you were snoring like a dying walrus for the first hour.”
I smacked his chest lightly. “I did not.”
“You absolutely did.”
“Liar.”
“Confirmed by science.”
I laughed, the sound muffled against his skin as I tucked my face back into his shoulder. “You’re lucky I like you.”
He shifted, resting his chin on top of my head. “Yeah,” he said quietly, “I know.”
That made me go still.
The banter had been easy. Natural. But that softness? That hint of something deeper?
I pulled back just enough to see his face.
“You okay?” I asked, brushing my fingertips along his jaw.
Cash looked at me for a long moment, like he was weighing something. Then he said, “I just... I’ve never had this before. Something that feels this good. This right.”
My chest tightened.
“I didn’t think I’d ever find my mate,” he continued, voice low. “Not really. And now I’ve got you, and it’s...everything.”
My throat went tight. “Cash—”
He kissed me gently. No urgency. No teasing. Just warmth and truth.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine. “I love you, Gwen. I know it’s still early, and I know you’re still figuring things out, but I needed to say it.”
Tears pricked behind my eyes, not from sadness, but because I felt like I was finally being seen. Held. Loved, exactly as I was.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
His arms tightened around me, and we laid there for a while in silence, letting the morning stretch around us like a cocoon.
Eventually, I sat up and stretched, the blanket falling down to pool around my hips.
He grinned. “You do realize you’re completely naked right now, right?”
I gave him a smirk over my shoulder. “So are you.”
Cash groaned. “Don’t tempt me, woman. I’m trying to be the good guy here.”
I leaned down and kissed his cheek. “You already are.”
His hand caught mine as I turned away, and I squeezed it once before heading to the bathroom.
Today felt different. Lighter. Like a knot had finally started to loosen in my chest.
And maybe…just maybe…I was ready to let the rest of my heart follow.
- Writer
