Page 51 of Sassy Embrace

They continued to lose themselves in each other. Their shared heat became a bonfire that chased away all remnants of their cold pasts.

"Leigh," Claude breathed into her ear, his voice raw with emotion. His hands wandered around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He could feel every breath she took; it made his heart pound faster with each inhale she made. "I cannot remember a time when I was not in love with you.”

A fluttering sensation bloomed within Leigh's chest at his confession as if a thousand butterflies had taken flight. She cradled his face between her hands, her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she met his gaze. "Claude," she breathed out, her voice filled with an emotion so profound that it left her breathless, "I've always loved you too."

With a newfound urgency, they explored each other further. Their movements became wilder, their passion fueled by the potent combination of their confessions. It was as if they were trying to communicate everything they felt for each other physically because words were no longer enough.

Their clothes became discarded pieces on the floor around them like shreds of their past selves being shed away. Bare skin against bare skin heightened their senses, making every touch feel electric, every whisper sound like thunder in the stillness around them.

Feeling brazen, Leigh interlaced her fingers with Claude's and guided him to the bedroom. Claude picked her up in his strong arms and gently pressed her onto the soft sheets below them. His gaze locked with hers. Their eyes spoke volumes of the love they held for one another. He lowered his head to hers, his lips finding hers in a kiss filled with overwhelming passion and desire.

“You, you beautiful, brave woman are mine, and don’t you forget it,” Claude chanted as he entered Leigh. He fit her like aglove, and she vowed then she would never get enough of him. She arched her back and ran her fingers through Claude's hair as she returned his fervor with equal intensity.

She could feel his heart beating against hers, their rhythm synchronizing as if by some divine intervention. It was intoxicating, consuming, a sensation that left her feeling both weak yet invincible.

Their bodies moved together under the dim moonlight, casting long shadows on the walls around them. Each thrust and pull, both rough and sensual, had her reaching her climax. Each shiver and moan marked another glorious page in their tale of love. They were no longer confined by the cages of their past fears or insecurities; they were free.

Claude’s arms tightened around Leigh as he pulled her closer. His lips left burning trails along her neck while his fingers mapped out the contours of her body as if he were a blind man seeing through touch alone. He quickened his pace and she knew he was close.

Her hands roamed Claude's back as she dug into his shoulder blades as waves of pleasure washed over her. She planned to meet him at the finish line and for them to come together. Her eyes locked onto his. Her heart pounded like a wild drum echoing his name.

“Baby, come with me. Follow this vampire into the dark,” Claude gritted out through clenched teeth. And in the quiet solitude of their room under the watchful gaze of the silver moonlight and wrapped in each other’s embrace, they surrendered to their passion.

“I want to claim you,” he murmured.

She pulled him closer, arching her next. She knew about the bite and she was ready. “Then do it.”

Just as his teeth sunk into her, her pleasure crested. Their climax was a shared explosion of emotion, a cataclysmic summitthat left them both breathless and trembling, their bodies spent from their passionate fervor. It was an ecstasy so profound, it stripped them of all else, leaving only their raw, naked souls intertwined in the aftermath.

Slowly, Claude rolled onto his back, pulling Leigh onto his chest. His arms cocooned her, safe and secure against the expanse of his warmth. She lay there, her head nestled in the crook of his neck, her fingers tracing lazy patterns along his still-damp skin.

She felt his body rise and fall with each breath he took, an intimate lullaby that seemed to lull her into tranquility. Her heart hammered in her chest as she looked at Claude. A surge of affection washed over her at the sight.

His fingers traced along the edge of her face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He gazed at her, and her heart overflowed with love and a sense of belonging. For the first time in her life, she felt complete, not because she’d found someone who could fill the gaping hole in her soul but because she’d found someone who simply accepted that this void existed.

They lay together in silence, basking in the afterglow of their shared intimacy and cherishing the deep bond they had forged. The night air weaving through the room was cool but their bodies radiated heat like a hearth, a beacon against all the darkness outside.

Claude's voice broke through the stillness. “We are safe here,” he whispered into her ear. His words were not prompted by any imminent danger lurking beyond their haven; instead, it was a reassurance born from a deeply anchored promise. A promise that meant as long as they had each other, they would always find safety - in their shared solitude, within their entwined hearts, against whatever life chose to throw at them.

She nodded, her fingers finding solace in exploring his bare chest. There was certainty in her eyes when she looked at him.“As long as we’re together,” she echoed, her voice barely louder than a whisper yet carrying an indefatigable conviction.

TWENTY-SIX

LEIGH

“We’re out of pineapple juice, but I already sent Zan down to the store to get some. We’ve got the Gin Rickey and Manhattans on special to divert interest away until then. And yes, we ordered plenty for tomorrow’s shipment.”

Leigh smiled as she listened to her best bartender at the Naked Wolfe on speakerphone. She ran down a list of issues that popped up and had already been resolved without Leigh’s intervention.

It’d been the same with her check-in at the Sassy Wolfe and Horny Wolfe. Each establishment now had a designated point person who stood in for Leigh when she wasn’t on site – someone Leigh had learned to place a great deal of trust in, and it was paying off incredibly well for her.

“I heard there’s a shortage of pineapple juice, though,” Leigh said. “Some social media challenge involving it or whatever. What’s the plan if Zan can’t find any?”

“We buy fresh pineapples and squeeze them on a hydraulic press. Whatever it takes,” Tonya replied. Leigh could almost hear the wry smile that was surely playing on the woman’s lips.

“Amazing initiative as always, Tonya. I’ll see you on Monday for inventory, all right?” Leigh asked.

Claude looked at her from the driver’s seat, an eyebrow raised. He had a scolding ready to go on his tongue. Leigh gently slapped him on the side with the back of her hand while mouthing, “It’s a joke.”