Chapter 96: Stay Soft
The room was quiet now. Just the faint hum of the city through the window and their mingled breathing filling the space between them. The heat of their bodies still clung to the air, but the intensity had ebbed, leaving something softer in its place. A different kind of intimacy—one that had nothing to prove, no rush to get anywhere.
Just them.
Ella lay sprawled across Nicholas’s chest, her cheek pressed over his heartbeat, her legs tangled with his. His arm was draped across her bare back, palm resting low, fingers gently moving up and down her spine like he couldn’t stop touching her. And maybe he couldn’t. Not now. Not after that.
Her skin was warm, slightly damp from sweat and effort, and she made a sleepy little sigh when his fingertips grazed the dip at the base of her spine.
"Are you trying to tickle me?" she murmured, voice soft and slightly hoarse from all the breathless sounds he’d wrung out of her earlier.
Nicholas smiled, his hand flattening to smooth over her back in slow, lazy circles. "No," he said. "Maybe. A little."
She lifted her head, squinting up at him with that lazy, post-orgasm glow on her face. "You so are."
"I’m just appreciating you," he said innocently. "Soft skin. Pretty noises. Everything."
Ella flushed, rolling her eyes, but her smile gave her away. "God, you’re ridiculous."
"Ridiculously in love with you, maybe."
Her smile faltered for a split second—something flickering in her eyes. But Nicholas didn’t push. He just leaned forward and kissed her forehead, lingering there like a promise.