Chapter 361

No, the way I’m coming apart right now has…absolutely everything to do with this quiet moment, of being alone with Jackson in his dark room and knowing that no part of me his hidden from him right now. That I’m his, if he wants me, every piece of me, body and soul. And Jackson, to my delight, claims me. Eagerly, like I’m all he’s ever wanted his whole life.

He gives me a small smile and holds my gaze as he lowers his face to my stomach. Then he dips his head and presses a soft kiss there, just below my navel. I raise a hand and run it through his silky hair, letting it slip through my fingers, just…adoring him.

And there’s no need to pass any of these feelings down our bond – because it’s all already open. What I feel, he feels. And to me, he gives precisely the same.

That little kiss to my stomach – it’s as far as we go, physically, sexually. But the way that we connect as Jackson takes his time working his way all the way up my body, touching every inch of me, caressing my skin, noting every freckle and bend of my flesh, making sure every piece of me receives his scent?

God, I’ve never felt so connected to anyone in my entire life. So claimed, so wanted, so treasured.

When he’s finished, Jackson gathers me into his arms in the quiet dark of his room and quietly slips the little diamond clips out of my hair. “These are very pretty,” he murmurs, reaching over to put them on his bedside table. “But…tonight, I like you without. Just you, no adornments.”