Chapter 1017:
This kiss was nothing like the reckless one in the parking lot. No hunger, no hurry. It bloomed slowly, flavored with sea salt and moonlight, threaded with devotion—like he was learning her one breath at a time.
His lips were warm and patient, tracing hers with a care that felt like worship.
A quiet shiver ran through her, and she yielded to him completely.
The sea held them afloat, rocking their bodies gently as they clung to each other. Their kiss deepened, gathering warmth, growing more urgent by the second.
Rylie looped her arms around his neck, drawing him closer. She felt the pound of his heartbeat syncing with hers, the tension in his muscles, the warmth radiating off him—each subtle shift a wordless confession of how badly he wanted her.
His hand slid down her back, broad and steady, the water heightening every touch until she trembled under his hold.
Then Brad’s lips trailed downward, tracing the curve of her neck and the soft line of her collarbone, leaving a path of lingering kisses in their wake.
Rylie breathed Brad’s name in a trembling whisper, her voice thinning into a fragile, airy softness that made something inside him snap.
Something cavernous opened inside her, a hollow ache to close the distance between them, to fit her heart into his, as if they were meant to lock together.
That single whisper unraveled the last thread of Brad’s composure.
𝘑oi𝗻 𝘵𝗵𝖾 𝗰𝗈𝘮𝗆𝘂n𝘪𝘁у 𝘢𝘵 𝗴𝗮𝗹n𝗼𝘷e𝗹𝗌.с𝗼m
He swept her into his arms, water cascading off him as he pushed through the shimmering shallows, the surface glinting like scattered jewels around them.
With steady, unhurried resolve, he carried her across the warm sand toward the tent they’d set up earlier, each step leaving deep prints in the moonlit shore.
Inside, he lowered her onto a waterproof mat layered with thick blankets, his touch impossibly careful, as though she were something rare, something he was terrified of mishandling.
The dome of the tent arched above them, its transparent material giving them the whole sky, every bright star blinking down like silent witnesses to this moment.
For a breath or two, it felt like the universe itself was holding its breath with them.
Brad leaned over her, droplets slipping from his hair to her warm cheeks, tracing paths she could feel long after they fell. His eyes, dark, intent, and unbearably tender, held a depth that nearly unmade her.
“Rylie,” he murmured, voice hoarse and thick with longing. “Look at me.”
She opened her eyes, meeting the heat simmering behind his, and something inside her fully surrendered.
Her hand lifted, fingertips brushing his cheek, tracing the tense line of his jaw, then gliding down the column of his throat.
He leaned into her touch, every muscle coiled with restraint, every breath betraying the storm beneath his calm. They had shared closeness before, even through thin layers of clothing, through teasing proximity, but never crossed that final threshold.
He swallowed, meeting her eyes with an unsteady breath. “Are you sure you want this? With me?”
“If you can’t, I can take the lead.” Rylie blinked up at him, eyes bright with a mix of desire, warmth, and an innocent boldness.
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.
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