CHAPTER 91: ALL OF YOU

She nodded. Just once.

And that was all he needed.

Craig didn’t speak. He just looked at her with that quiet fire in his eyes, like he was finally touching something he’d been starving for.

Their mouths met again. Slower now. No rush, no hunger. Just need. Just her. He lowered her gently onto the bed, like she was a wish he was afraid would vanish if he touched her too fast.

He moved over her, coming on top of her with quiet care, his chest bare and warm above hers. Her hand found his skin, his heart beating steady under her palm.

Merlina just stared at him, for a second, she couldn’t breathe.

He was beautiful.

Not just in the way his body looked, though that alone was enough to make her ache, but in the way he was. Vulnerable. Strong. Right in front of her, completely unguarded.

He felt like he was all hers in that moment. Every inch of him.

He kissed her so softly, it made her stomach flutter. Like she was made of glass and he didn’t want to break her.

His hands found her waist, slipping under the soft fabric of her shirt, his fingers moved desperately, brushing every inch of her skin, he caressed her stomach first, gentle, warm and careful. Then his hands moved higher, deliberate and sure, cupping her softly.

His mouth pressed to hers with a kind of desperate sweetness, like he was holding her soul in his lips.

His leg pressed between her thighs, not rough, just heavy and right there—teasing her, just close enough to drive her insane. Her body arched, aching for more, every nerve waking up and begging for him.

She raised her arms without a word, and he pulled the shirt over her head, his eyes never leaving hers, like he was undressing something more than just her body.

This was happening. She was letting it.

Not because it made sense. Not because it was clean or easy or right, but because it was him. And because some part of her, quiet and aching, had always been yearning for this.

He reached behind her, fingers finding the clasp of her bra. A soft click, and it came loose. He pulled it away, like he was revealing something he’d dreamed of a thousand times.

Then he looked at her.

She was bare beneath him. Soft and beautiful, his. In that quiet breath, he only looked at her, eyes darkening like the sight of her undid him.

He leaned in and kissed the top of her breast, then a little lower. She gasped, soft and quiet, as his warm mouth circled her nipple. His hand cupped the other, his thumb brushing her nipple, gentle, careful. His tongue moved sinfully, tasting her like she was just made for him.

She moaned quietly and arched into him. Her fingers threaded into his hair.

"Fuck..." she breathed out, quiet but aching.

He didn’t say anything. Just kept licking and sucking on her like he owned her body and knew exactly how to make it beg.

Then he lowered himself, kissing his way down her stomach. Slow, so slow. Each kiss was like he was telling her something. I want you. I see you. I’m not going anywhere.

When he reached the edge of her skirt, he looked up at her once, like a silent question but he didn’t ask. He didn’t need to.

He unzipped her, fingers calm, steady. Then slid them down her legs, inch by inch, kissing the skin as it was revealed. Her thighs, her knees, the inside of one ankle. Like even the smallest parts of her deserved to be adored by his lips.

And then he settled between her legs.

Merlina pulled in a shaky breath. Her thighs tensed slightly, not from fear, just from how deeply she felt everything.

Craig kissed the inside of her left thigh. Then her right. Soft, warm and light. She could feel the heat of his breath, it made her stomach twist and her thighs clench with need.

Then his mouth brushed where she was softest. Her hips jumped slightly, more surprise than anything and then she let out the smallest sound.

He tasted her gently. His tongue moved slow, circling, flicking. His hands held her hips still. But not tight. Not controlling. Just grounding her, like he wanted her to feel safe.

She moaned again, deeper this time, her hands gripping the sheets. Her legs trembled, and she felt like she was floating.

He took his time, buried between her legs.

He didn’t rush. Every movement of his mouth was steady, unhurried, tender. She could feel herself falling apart, piece by piece, under him. It was too much and not enough at once. Her head fell back, eyes slipping shut as the pleasure consumed her.

Her mouth parted, and her breath came in short, shaky bursts, and then, she broke.

It hit her like a wave, hard and soft at the same time. Her body shook, her back arched, and her fingers reached for him, any part of him, to hold onto. She came quietly, breathlessly, with a choked sound that sounded like his name.

Craig kissed her thighs again, softer now. Then up her body, slow and worshipful, until he was above her again.

She kissed him, desperate, open. She tasted herself on his lips, warm and salty, and something about it made her heart ache.

Her fingers moved to the button of his pants, slow and a little shaky. She unfastened it, then eased the zipper down, until there was nothing between them. Just skin. Just breath. Just the ache they’d tried to ignore.

Merlina gasped, her hands clutching at his back.

Not from pain. Not from fear. Just... from how much it was. How full she felt.

How right it suddenly was to have him there, inside her, finally.

Her legs curled around him. Her body welcomed him in that quiet, aching way that said she had needed this for far too long. The stretch made her breath catch, her eyes squeezing shut, her lips trembling with a soft, helpless sound.

And Craig—he stilled, chest pressed to hers, forehead against hers, just breathing her in, letting her feel it.

Like she was home.

Like he had finally found it.

His hands cradled her face, his thumbs brushing her cheeks. And then he began to move. Slow, deep strokes. Every time he pushed into her, she gasped again. Her legs wrapped around his waist, drawing him closer.

She kissed his neck. His jaw. His mouth. Their bodies moved together, like they’d always known how to do this. Like it had been waiting inside them, all this time.

And then, somewhere in the middle of it all, Merlina felt a tear slip down her cheek. She didn’t even know it was happening until Craig froze.

He stopped. Didn’t move. Just looked at her, eyes wide and concerned. But he didn’t speak.

She opened her eyes. Another tear slid down. She could barely breathe.

She reached up, wrapped her arms around him, and whispered into his neck, "Don’t stop." Her voice cracked. She held him tighter. "Please... don’t stop."

Her voice, that plea, those words undid him in a way nothing else ever had.

Craig didn’t stop. He couldn’t, not after the way she begged for him. His hips kept moving, deep and unhurried, each stroke answering her plea.

As her tears slid down, he leaned in and kissed the one beneath her eye, then the next, soft and reverent, his thrusts continued, slow and full, grounding her as he kissed her mouth, letting her taste her own salt on his lips.

She kissed him back more urgently.

Their bodies moved harder now. Deeper. Like they were breaking and healing at the same time. He held her so close. Like he was trying to fit their hearts together. Like he needed her to feel how much he meant it.

They moved until everything else disappeared. Until it was just her body and his breath and the sound of skin and gasps and the aching rhythm that grew and grew. She clung to him as her body started to shake again.

And this time, he came with her.

He groaned into her neck, breath hot and broken. She felt him shudder inside her, and her hands curled around the back of his head.

They stayed like that, him still inside her, wrapped up in each other, breathing the same breath, he held her like he never wanted to let go, and she held him back just as tightly.

After a few quiet breaths, he finally rolled onto his side, pulling her onto him, keeping her close. He kissed her lips—quick, short kisses, like he couldn’t help himself, like he needed to feel her even in the smallest ways.

There were no words, none that would’ve been enough. The moment was too full, too fragile, too raw and too much.

So they didn’t speak, they just lay there in the quiet, hearts still racing, skin still warm. His hand found hers between them. Their fingers tangled.

And gradually... tenderly...their eyes drifted shut.

Still holding on, still wrapped up in everything they couldn’t put in words.

They felt safe.

They felt at peace.

And sleep found them, together.

They slept locked in each other arms, but somewhere in her chest, something ached, because she knew this couldn’t last.

So when his breathing deepened into sleep, she slipped out from under his arm. Got dressed without a sound, and left him without a goodbye like a secret she wasn’t brave enough to keep.

The room was quiet when Craig woke.

Too quiet. His hand reached out instinctively, just sheets. Cold now.

His eyes opened, scanning the room, the space beside him was empty.

Only his clothes on the floor.

No shoes by the door.

No trace of her.

He sat up slowly, "Merlina?"