Chapter 304
Chapter 304:
Her words, her whispers.
Her forehead presses against mine, her breath warm against my lips, and she starts breathing—slow, deliberate. I try to match her. Inhale. Exhale. It’s rough at first, but her rhythm pulls me in, steadies me. The storm inside doesn’t vanish, but it loses some of its bite.
I close my eyes for a second, trying to pull myself together. When I open them again, she’s still there. Solid. Unshaken. So goddamn beautiful it hurts.
“Come on,” she says softly, her fingers lacing through mine. “Let’s get you out of here p>
I don’t argue—I can’t. My legs feel like jelly, and I’m one bad step away from crumbling. But Jasmine doesn’t let go. She keeps me moving, one steady step at a time, guiding me like I’m not a goddamn mess.
When we get to the room, she shuts the door behind us, and it’s like the world outside doesn’t exist anymore. The air feels lighter, the knot in my chest loosening just a little. The familiar scent of her—vanilla and something sweet—wraps around me like a blanket.
She leads me to the bed, and I collapse onto it, my head in my hands. Everything in me is trembling—my hands, my legs, my goddamn soul. But she doesn’t leave. She’s kneeling in front of me in an instant, her hands still holding mine, grounding me.
“You need anything?” she asks, her voice soft, steady.
Tell me she’s not my fucking savior, and I’ll tell you I’m glad I am, that she’s mine. That she belongs to me. To us. No, she can’t leave me.
Fuck the truth! To hell with the past!
Yeah. You.
I don’t say it out loud, but maybe I don’t need to. My hands tighten around hers, pulling her closer until she’s between my knees. Her warmth seeps into me, chasing away the chill still clinging to my skin.
gⲁ𝗅𝓝𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.𝗰0𝗺 – Next part
“I just need you,” I rasp, my voice cracked and raw.
Her eyes soften, and she leans in, her lips brushing mine. It’s gentle at first, like she’s afraid I’ll break. But fuck that—I need more. I need to drown in her, to push out every ounce of panic still clawing at me.
I deepen the kiss, my hands tangling in her hair. She lets out this soft little sound, half sigh, half moan, and it’s like a shot of pure adrenaline straight to my chest. Her body presses against mine, and it’s like the only thing in the world keeping me grounded is her.
I pull her onto my lap, my arms circling her waist, desperate to keep her close. She’s my anchor, the only thing holding me together while the rest of me feels like it’s unraveling.
“Ryder,” she whispers, her forehead resting against mine. “You’re okay. I’ve got you p>
Her words crack something wide open in me. All the fear, all the shame I’ve been carrying—it spills out, leaving nothing but raw, aching need. My lips trail down her neck, tasting her skin, letting her warmth melt the ice in my veins. She pulls off her shirt, her eyes never leaving mine. There’s no hesitation, no fear. Just trust. And god, it wrecks me.
I kiss her again, harder this time, pouring everything I can’t say into it. She meets me halfway, her hands slipping under my shirt, her touch scorching away the darkness still lingering in the corners of my mind.
Clothes hit the floor, skin meets skin, and for the first time in forever, I don’t feel like I’m drowning. I’m here. I’m alive. And it’s all because of her.
When it’s over, we collapse onto the bed, tangled together in a mess of limbs and sheets. The panic isn’t gone—it never really is—but it’s quiet now, lurking in the background. I’ll deal with it later. For now, I let myself sink into her warmth, her presence, her love.