Page 85 of Above All Else

Not aftereverything.

He’s been so good to me.

I nodded, and he smiled. “Good girl.”

Gooseflesh spread over my exposed skin as he brought the knife closer and then ran the blunt edge of the blade along my inner thigh. Cold and hot crashed together, my breaths a chaotic whirlwind, my heart stampeding through my chest.

“You know I can’t resist you.” His warm breath blasted across my skin, the knife moving closer to my soft, parted folds.

I gasped, his other hand sliding up my torso and cupping my breast, pinching my nipping between his index and middle finger.

“You’re so wet, dollface.” He slid the back edge of the knife upward and circled around my swollen clit.

I moaned, my hips bucking against the pressure, the sharpness sending a thrill throughout. The combination of cold steel and his skilled touch had me gripping the edge of sanity.

Carter’s lips found mine, silencing my cries as he tossed the knife aside and thrust his fingers deep inside me—his long fingers gliding along my slick insides, rubbing against the spot that had my legs shaking.

“Oh, god,” I murmured against his lips, my eyes fluttering closed as I lost myself.

His free hand moved to my clit, rubbing slow circles around it while he continued pumping in and out of me. The pressure built, my orgasm threatening to consume me. The first waves of my release crashed down, my stomach clenching, my back arching as I dug my nails against his back.

His fingers moved harder, sending me spiraling into ecstasy.

I cried out, my body quivering as wave after wave of euphoria washed over me.

“Yes, dollface.”

I dropped against him as he drew out every drop of my orgasm with a deep, grumbling growl, vibrating his chest.

“Wow.”

He pulled his fingers from me and swiped against my clit, the silky-smooth arousal gliding against my swollen flesh like ice across a frying pan.

Pulling his hand from my pussy, I put them in my mouth and sucked them clean.

Carter groaned, his cock straining against his pants as he watched me. “You’re so intoxicating.” He buried his face in my neck. “But I think you already know that.”

I popped his fingers from my lips and wrapped my arms around him as my breaths settled into a steady rhythm, stealing a moment with him that I’d wanted my entire life.

Would he tire of this?

Tire of me?

Am I enough for him?

Because when it came to us, there was no such thing as enough.

Chapter 22

June

The airport buzzed with life, a chaotic symphony of announcements, rolling suitcases, and the low hum of conversations blending into one indistinguishable murmur. The thick air crashed with the aromas of coffee and fried foods—the kind of scent that clings to the back of your throat and refuses to let go.

Standing near the arrivals gate, my arms wrapped around my torso with my feet shifting from one foot to the other. My heart pounded with each passing second.

The overhead lights buzzed as people surged past me, theirfaces a blur of joy, exhaustion, and impatience.

I looked down at my watch.