Chapter 109 Nowhere to hide
The sand was still warm from the late afternoon sun when my knees finally gave out.
I hit the training pit harder than I meant to, palms digging into the grit as I caught myself before my face followed. Every muscle in my body screamed in protest. My lungs burned. My vision swam for a second before the world steadied.
“Again,” Darius had said ten minutes earlier.
And I had gone again.
Now I lay back fully in the sandbox, arms spread, staring up at the fading sky. The air tasted like dust and salt and sweat. My braid had come loose somewhere during the last round; strands of hair clung to my damp neck.
I couldn’t move.
The training grounds were quiet except for the distant rustle of trees and the rhythmic sound of Darius’s breathing as he approached. Even exhausted, I felt him before I saw him. That pull between us,steady, undeniable,tightened slightly when he stepped into the sand beside me.
He didn’t speak right away.
He just sat.
The sand shifted under his weight. His shoulder brushed mine briefly, and even through the ache in my body, I registered the warmth of him. Solid. Grounding.
I exhaled slowly. “If you say ‘again,’ I’m shifting and biting you.”
A faint huff of laughter escaped him.
“I think you’d miss.”
I turned my head toward him lazily. “Overconfident.”
“Realistic.”
I rolled onto my side with a groan, propping myself up on one elbow. He looked less wrecked than I did, of course. Shirt damp with sweat, sleeves pushed up, jaw shadowed with the start of stubble. Annoyingly composed.
“You didn’t hold back today,” I said.
“You didn’t ask me to.”
There was something in his tone that made me study him more closely.
He wasn’t just talking about training.
I pushed myself up into a sitting position, brushing sand from my arms. “You’re trying to tire me out so I stop arguing with you.”
“If that were my plan,” he said calmly, “I would have kept going.”
I snorted softly despite myself.
Silence fell again, but this time it wasn’t heavy. It was reflective.
The sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the grounds. The light caught in his eyes when he finally looked at me fully.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
The words were simple.
But they were rare.
I blinked. “For what?”
“For the car.”
Ah.
That.
“For trying to forbid you from working with Fred,” he clarified.
My shoulders tensed slightly at the name.
He noticed.
“I get jealous,” he admitted, voice quieter now. “I know it.”
The honesty disarmed me more than anger would have.
“Jealous of what?” I asked gently.
“Of the space he takes up with you.”
The vulnerability in his expression was subtle?but it was there. Not possessive rage. Not dominance.
Fear.
“He matters to you,” Darius continued. “Despite everything. Despite deceiving you for years .”
“Yes,” I said.
He swallowed once, jaw tightening. “And I want that space.”
The wind shifted lightly, carrying the scent of earth and sweat and something distinctly him.
“I want to be the one you go to first,” he added. “The one you trust without hesitation.”
“You are,” I said immediately.
He shook his head slightly. “Not always.”
I studied him carefully.
“This isn’t about Fred working on the case,” I said slowly.
“No.”
I turned my head to look at him, my hair cascading over my shoulder, the strands damp with sweat. “Jealousy doesn’t solve anything,” I replied, my voice steady despite the turmoil in my chest. “Fred means a lot to me, Darius. You know that. But it doesn’t change what we have.”
He flinched at the use of his given name, a rare moment of vulnerability in his commanding presence. “I want that place,” he admitted, his gaze unwavering, hungry. “I want to be the one who means everything to you.”
I smiled, a small, sad curve of my lips. “You already are,” I whispered, reaching out to brush his cheek, feeling the rough stubble against my palm. “I’m your mate, and I’m not going anywhere. Even if I did, you’d hunt me down till you found me.”
He didn’t respond, his eyes searching mine as if looking for a lie, his jaw clenched with unspoken tension. I reached out, my fingers brushing his cheek again, and he caught my hand, his grip firm but not painful, pressing a kiss to my palm. His breath was warm against my skin, sending a shiver through me. “I’ll try,” he murmured, his voice hoarse. “But it’s not fucking easy for me.”
I sighed, leaning back onto the sand, the grains scratching my skin through my sundress. “Nothing about this is easy,” I admitted, my voice heavy with the weight of our shared struggles. “But we’ll figure it out.”
He nodded, his dark eyes never leaving mine, and then, without warning, he shifted. His body moved with predatory grace as he positioned himself on top of me, his weight pressing me into the sand. I gasped as the cool grains bit into my skin, the warmth of his body seeping into mine. My legs instinctively wrapped around him, pulling him closer, the sand shifting beneath us like a silent witness to our raw, unspoken hunger.
“Lyra,” he groaned, his voice thick with desire, his breath hot against my neck. “You’re killing me.”
I laughed, a soft, breathless sound, as I straddled him, my sundress riding up my thighs, exposing my bare skin to the sun and his gaze. “I’m just getting started,” I teased, leaning down to kiss him. Our lips met in a hungry clash, his hands tangling in my hair, pulling gently as I ground against him. The heat between us built with every movement, every touch, every breath.
His hands slid down my back, his fingers gripping the fabric of my leggings before tearing off my underwear with a swift, practiced motion. I gasped, my eyes widening as I looked up at him, the sand scratching my ass as I shifted. “At this rate, I won’t have any left,” I joked, my voice shaky, my heart pounding in my chest.
He smirked, his dark eyes glinting with amusement and something darker, more primal. “You can walk around without them,” he said, his voice a low growl. “I’d enjoy the fucking view.”
I bit my lip, my heart pounding as he lifted himself slightly, his hands pulling down his pants to free his cock. It was thick and heavy, the veins prominent as it jutted out, ready for me. I swallowed hard, my breath coming in short gasps as I positioned myself above him, my hands on his chest for support. His skin was warm and damp, his muscles taut beneath my palms.
Slowly, I lowered myself onto him, his thickness stretching me as he entered me inch by inch. I gasped, my eyes fluttering closed as he filled me, his cock pressing against my cervix, sending shivers through my body. I moved, my head thrown back, my hair spilling around me like a dark halo as I began to ride him, the sand shifting beneath us with every thrust. The friction was electric, his cock sliding deep inside me, hitting spots that made my toes curl.
“Fuck,” he groaned, his hands gripping my hips, his fingers digging into my skin as he guided me, his cock sliding in and out of my dripping pussy with relentless precision. I moaned, my body tightening around him as he hit that spot deep within me, sending waves of pleasure crashing over me. I could feel my orgasm building, my breath coming in short, sharp bursts as he rocked me forward and back, his cock thrusting into me with a rhythm that was both brutal and beautiful.
“Darius,” I cried out, my voice breaking as my orgasm exploded, my body trembling as I collapsed on top of him, my breath ragged. My pussy clenched around his cock, milking him as I rode out the waves of pleasure, my juices dripping down his shaft. He held me, his hands stroking my back as I lay there, my heart pounding, my body still shaking from the intensity of my release.
“I’m not even close to finished,” he growled, his voice rough as he guided my legs, pulling my knees up and positioning me to squat on him. “Bounce,” he commanded, his hands gripping my hips as I obeyed, my body moving up and down on his cock, the friction sending sparks of pleasure through me. My tits bounced with each movement, my nipples hard and aching for his touch.
Suddenly, he flipped me, his hands pushing my legs back toward my head, my body arching as he took control.
He thrust into me, deep and hard, his cock filling me completely as he began to pound into me with relentless force. I cried out, my voice hoarse as he drove into me, his hips snapping against mine, the sound of skin slapping skin filling the air, mingling with our ragged breaths and filthy moans.
“Fuck, Lyra,” he groaned, his voice thick with need. “Your pussy feels so good, so fucking wet and tight around my cock.”
I moaned, my hands gripping the sand as he reamed me, his cock stretching my swollen hole, my walls clenching around him as he hit my cervix again and again. I could feel him swelling, his cock thickening as he neared his own release, his thrusts becoming more urgent, more desperate. He was a man possessed, his face twisted with raw, unfiltered lust.
“Cum for me,” he demanded, his voice a harsh whisper. “Take my fucking seed. Let me fill your cunt.”
I cried out, my body trembling as he filled me, his cock pulsing as he spilled his seed deep inside me, his cum flooding my womb. I shuddered, my body convulsing as he continued to thrust, milking every last drop from him, his hands gripping my hips tightly as he marked me as his own. His growls filled the air, primal and possessive, as he emptied himself into me.
Finally, he stilled, his breath ragged as he collapsed on top of me, his weight pressing me into the sand. I lay there, my body spent, my heart pounding as I felt his cum leaking from me, the warmth spreading between my thighs, mixing with my own juices. The scent of sex and sweat hung heavy in the air, a testament to our raw, animalistic desire.
“You’re mine,” he murmured, his voice soft as he kissed my shoulder, his lips brushing against my skin, his breath hot against my neck. “Always.”
I smiled, my hand reaching up to stroke his hair, my fingers tangling in the strands. “Always,” I whispered, my voice hoarse, my body still buzzing with the aftermath of our encounter. “Even when I’m not.”
He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound, as he lifted himself off me, his body still glistening with sweat. I sat up, my tank top clinging to my skin, my hair a mess as I looked at him, my heart full. The sand clung to my skin, a gritty reminder of where we’d just been, but I didn’t care. In that moment, nothing else mattered.
“I miss the ocean,” I said, my voice soft as I gazed at him, my mind drifting back to the mansion in Malibu, the sound of the waves a distant memory. The salt air, the cool water,it all felt like a dream now, overshadowed by the heat of his body and the intensity of our passion.
He nodded, his dark eyes understanding, his expression softening just a fraction. “We’ll go back,” he promised, his voice firm, his hand reaching out to brush a strand of hair from my face. “Soon.”
I smiled, leaning into him as he pulled me close, his arms wrapping around me, his body warm and solid against mine. The sand shifted beneath us, the world around us fading away as we sat there, our bodies still buzzing from the intensity of our encounter, the bond between us stronger than ever.