Conception (The Wellingtons #4) - Tessa Teevan Page 0,87

I arch into him, tipping my hips as he delves deeper into me with each rhythmic push.

Knox isn’t just fucking me. He’s leaving his mark, branding me. He’s staking claim, ownership, even if only for tonight.

“Melia,” he groans, long and low, and with one final powerful thrust, he convulses and explodes inside me, his head falling to the pillow beside me as he abandons himself to pleasure.

His extraordinary climax triggers my own wild eruption, my breath coming in pants. I’m seized by a rush of sensation so intense that I dig my nails into his back as I cry his name out in satisfaction.

At the same time, a plethora of conflicting emotions collide in my head—and my heart. Desire. Longing. Exhalation. Anguish. Sorrow. Absolutely and totally wrecked.

The truth crashes over me along with pulsating waves of pleasure.

I will never get enough. I may never feel this passion again. I’m not the same woman I was three months ago, and it’s all because of him.

He’s transformed me into a wreckage no other man will be able to salvage.

I will never be the same.

“Jesus Christ, Melia,” he whispers.

Those are the same words I’ve heard muttered countless times this summer. This time, though, the evident strain in his voice elicits hot tears to flood my eyes. Knowing I may never have this again is paralyzing. My heart constricts and I blink away the tears that threaten to give away my truth.

“Usually I’m the one calling you god,” I tease, though I feel far from playful.

He lifts, his teasing eyes and his cocky smile evident in the moonlight that streams through the window. “Don’t ever forget it.”

As if I could.

I want to cry when he withdraws from me. I’ve never felt so empty. So hollow. And he’s not even gone yet.

Knox’s lips brush my forehead; then he uses his fists to push off the bed. The loss of his strength covering me sends shivers down my spine. I watch the muscles bunch in his back until he disappears into the bathroom.

I’m a motionless mess with unexpected turmoil waging battle within me. This is it. Our final night together. I knew it was approaching, all too quickly. I just didn’t have any clue the agony I’d face knowing I may never see him again.

Feel him again.

I don’t want him to go. I can’t ask him to stay.

As far as futures go, ours don’t align. He knows what he wants. It’s rooted in Tennessee.

I’d rather go as far away as possible.

At least, I thought I did. Until I met him. Now I’m not so sure anymore.

Before I can dwell any further, Knox returns and cleans me up, rewarding me with another sweet kiss to my lips before heading back out of sight to presumably take care of himself. It’s all I can do not to throw my arms around him, wanting another round, another set of memories to make, to replay over and over again. But I resist and wrap myself up in the sheets, amazed at how one can feel so cold during a historic heatwave.

I guess that’s what loss does to you.

My mind’s running in overdrive, not wanting to think that this is our last time together. Yet how can I think of anything else? I have to get used to it. Easier said than done.

Incandescent heat courses through me when Knox comes out of the bathroom, his nude body showcased in the moonlight. He lies down on the bed, rolls me onto my side, and draws me into his body. His arm curls around my waist, his fingers running idly over my belly. We lie in the dark silence, yet so much torment hangs in the air.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I came to Crystal Cove this summer. The last thing I expected was you. But I’m so damn happy I found you,” he whispers before pressing a kiss behind my ear.

Cue the shivers once again.

My breath catches at his words. Tight knots form in the pit of my stomach. I’m unsure of how to respond. How to proceed. I want to tell him I feel the same. I want to tell him I feel so much more.

“Knox” I breathe, but he brings a finger to my lips.

“I’m gonna miss the hell out of you, babe.”

His admission is a balm to my equally melting and fracturing heart. This is a first for me. I’ve never felt this way about a man. I revel in his close proximity, yet I already feel