AVA’S POV
"I'm ready."
The words leave my lips like a breath, but I know he hears them. Gabriel freezes, his gaze locking onto mine, and the air between us thickens like a wire pulled too tight. My heart pounds so loud I swear it fills the silence between us.
"Say it again," he murmurs, voice low and sharp.
"I'm ready."
My voice is louder this time, firmer, but there's a tremble in it I can't hide. Not fear. Anticipation. Hope. Hunger. All of it at once.
Gabriel steps closer, his presence overwhelming. The heat of his body wraps around me like a second skin. "Do you understand what you're offering me, Ava?"
I nod, my mouth dry. "Everything. My body. My trust. Myself."
He exhales slowly, like he's been waiting his entire life for this moment. There’s a flicker of something deeper in his eyes—a silent reverence, an emotion he rarely lets show.
"You want to be claimed?"
"Yes."
His hand slides around the back of my neck, pulling me gently into him. His lips hover over mine, and I can feel the warmth of his breath. "Take your clothes off. Slowly."
I obey, every nerve on fire. My fingers tremble, but I undo each button, each clasp, while he watches. There's something reverent about his gaze—like he's watching a sunrise or a prayer come to life. My blouse slips from my shoulders, then my bra. I step out of my pants, then slide down my panties. I'm bare. Exposed. And burning from the inside out.
"Turn around."
I do.
"Hands behind your back."
My wrists meet at the base of my spine. A moment later, soft silk wraps around them. He binds me with quiet care, firm but not cruel. My breath stutters.
"Too tight?"
"No."
He kisses my spine, just between my shoulder blades. "Color?"
"Green."
He presses another kiss lower, grazing the small of my back. "Good girl. Kneel on the bed."
I climb onto the mattress, heart thudding like a drum. Gabriel kneels behind me, his hands ghosting down my back, then over my hips. His touch is possessive. Worshipful. Like he can’t decide if he wants to devour me or protect me.
"You're giving me everything tonight," he whispers. "I won’t be gentle. But I’ll be careful. I’ll teach you how to be mine."
"I want that," I breathe.
His fingers slip between my thighs, and a low groan escapes him. "So wet. So ready. Do you know how hard it is to wait when you beg like this?"
"Please... I need you."
"No. You need to beg. Properly."
I arch back against him, desperate. "Gabriel, please. Claim me. Use me. Show me I belong to you."
He leans in close, his lips brushing my ear. "That’s my girl."
Then his mouth is on me—hot, commanding, slow and unrelenting. I cry out, my body already trembling. His tongue teases, licks, drinks me in like he’s starving. Then come his fingers—deep and strong and perfect.
"You're going to fall apart for me," he growls. "You're going to learn what it means to beg for release."
"Yes! Please!"
"Not yet."
He pulls away. I whimper, aching, straining toward the heat he just stole away.
Gabriel moves to the nightstand. The drawer opens. I hear the rip of foil. My body coils in response.
Then he’s back, naked and gloriously hard. His body is a wall of muscle and will. He climbs over me, presses his lips to my temple.
"Lie back."
I obey, wrists still bound. My chest rises and falls in shallow gasps.
He positions himself above me, sliding one hand beneath my thigh as he lines himself up.
"This will hurt, Ava. But you’ll love every second of it."
"I'm yours," I whisper.
He pushes in slowly. The stretch burns. I gasp, tears prickling at the corners of my eyes.
"Breathe," he says, voice softer now. "You’re doing so well. I’ve got you."
Once he’s fully inside, he stills. My body adjusts, the pain fading into pressure, the pressure into something exquisite. I blink up at him.
"Move," I whisper.
He does. Slow at first, then harder. Deeper. Each thrust is a vow, a brand, a possession.
He leans over me, our bodies flush, his mouth brushing my throat. "You belong to me. Say it."
"I belong to you."
"Again."
"I'm yours, Gabriel!"
His rhythm grows fierce. My body tightens, heat pooling, coiling. I’m close. So close.
"Cum for me, Ava. Now."
I shatter. My orgasm crashes through me, violent and perfect. I cry out, body clenching around him. Gabriel groans, hips snapping once, twice more before he lets go, burying himself deep.
He collapses beside me, pulling me into his arms. We’re breathless, wrecked, sweaty and trembling.
His hands work the knots at my wrists, freeing me. He kisses each one, then wraps my body against his chest.
"You were perfect," he whispers against my hair.
Tears slip down my cheeks, but they’re not from pain. They’re from the overwhelming, terrifying, beautiful truth.
I was his.