Chapter 327: Tasha’s Big Statement 3

The cool night air moved across the clearing, but inside the small sanctuary formed by the interlocking canopy, the space felt thick and heavy with heat.

Liam didn’t move immediately.

He remained sitting back on his heels, his breathing still shallow, his body coming down from the sudden rush of release while simultaneously reacting to the sight of her in front of him.

In the broken bits of light filtering through the leaves, her outline was sharp and deliberate.

There was nothing tentative about the way she held herself, hands planted on the dark fabric of his jacket, her back bowed, her hips lifted toward him in an unreserved invitation.

He let his eyes travel the length of her, taking in the pale curve of her spine, the soft rise of her ass, and the quiet, rhythmic movement of her chest as she waited.

"You’re unbelievable," he murmured, his voice low and gravelly, barely carrying beyond the trunk of the broad oak beside them.

Tasha tilted her head back, looking over her shoulder at him.

Her dark hair fell over one eye, dark shadows playing across her face.

A small, knowing smile tugged at the corner of her lips the look of someone who knew exactly what kind of effect she was having and enjoyed every second of it.

"You’re the one sitting there staring," she said softly, her voice carrying a dry, teasing edge despite the quickness of her pulse. "Are you going to do something about it, or am I just setting a scene here?"

Liam let out a breath that was half-laugh, half-sigh.

He shifted forward, moving off his heels until his knees pressed into the damp earth right behind her.

The cold ground under his knees contrasted sharply with the heat radiating off her skin. He reached out, his broad hands settling gently on the flare of her hips.

Her skin was cool to the touch from the night air, but beneath it, the tension and warmth were palpable.

The moment his palms made contact, she let out a small, involuntary breath, her back dipping just a fraction lower.

"Just making sure you aren’t going to regret this when the damp sinks into that jacket," he whispered, his thumbs tracing slow, deliberate circles over the curve of her hip bones.

"It’s your jacket," she countered, her voice dropping an octave as his hands moved. "And if you keep talking, I’m going to start thinking you need a break."

"I don’t need a break, Tasha."

He proved it by leaning down, his chest brushing her lower back as he brought his face close to her skin.

He didn’t rush.

He pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to the small of her back, right at the base of her spine where the air had chilled her skin. She shivered, a visible ripple running through her shoulders, and her fingers dug deeper into the rough leather of his coat spread beneath her hands.

His hands slid from her hips, traveling slowly up her sides, feeling the subtle rise and fall of her ribs with every breath she took.

The contrast was everywhere, the distant hum of city traffic miles away versus the sharp, immediate sound of her breathing, the cold autumn grass beneath them versus the intense, localized heat where their bodies met.

He moved his mouth higher, tracing the line of her spine with light, lingering kisses, his hands gliding down to her thighs, smoothing over the tight muscle before gently parting her legs a little wider.

Tasha shifted, accommodating him without hesitation, a low sound escaping her throat as he settled closer.

"Liam," she whispered, her voice losing its teasing edge, replaced by something far more raw and present.

"I’m right here," he said quietly against her skin.

He brought one hand around, his fingers sliding between her thighs from behind. She was already slick and warm, a striking contrast to the cool evening air that touched the rest of her body.

He didn’t press in immediately...instead, his fingers moved slowly, testing the heat of her, brushing lightly against her sensitivity until her hips moved back against his touch of their own accord.

"Stop teasing," she murmured, her head dropping forward, her forehead resting against her forearms on the jacket.

"I’m not teasing," he replied softly. "I’m pacing myself. You said you wanted to take our time."

"That was before," she breathed out, her hips shifting again, seeking more pressure. "Before you decided to be stubborn."

Liam smiled against the back of her neck, his fingers slicking over her, finding the rhythm that made her breath hitch.

He listened closely to every sound she made, the subtle catches in her throat, the way her breath hitched when his thumb found a specific spot, the small, desperate movement of her body trying to close the distance between them.

He didn’t rely on speed or force.

He kept his movements measured, deliberate, feeling the way her internal muscles pulsed around his fingers.

Every small reaction from her was a piece of information he used, adjusting his pressure, changing the angle slightly until she let out a longer, sharper gasp that ended in a low moan.

"There," she choked out, her hands tightening on the fabric of his jacket. "Right there, Liam, don’t move—"

He didn’t move away.

He kept his thumb pressing firmly right where she wanted it while his other hand reached around to hold her hip steady.

The tension in her body built rapidly, her breathing turning shallow and uneven as she worked herself against his hand.

He watched the way her muscles flexed, the subtle arch of her back, the sheer honesty of her reaction in the dark.

When the first wave of her release hit her, it was quiet but intense. Her body trembled, her thighs pressing inward against his arm as a series of tight, rhythmic shudders ran through her.

She didn’t scream or make a scene—they were still in a public park, after all—but the muffled, breathless sound she made into the crook of her arm was louder to him than anything else in the night.

He stayed with her through every second of it, keeping his hand steady, letting her ride out the crest of it until her breathing began to slow and her muscles went soft and pliable beneath his touch.

Slowly, he withdrew his hand, resting his palm on the back of her thigh as she let out a long, shuddering exhale.

"You okay?" he asked softly, leaning over to kiss the side of her neck, his lips lingering against her pulse point, which was still hammering wildly.

She turned her head slightly, looking back at him through half-closed eyes, a soft, almost dazed expression on her face. "I’m standardizing my opinion," she murmured, a faint trace of her earlier wit returning to her voice. "You’re very dangerous when you pay attention."

"I always pay attention to you."

"Good." She shifted, pushing herself up slightly on her hands, her eyes locking onto his. The vulnerability from a moment ago shifted back into that clear, decisive energy she always had. "Now stop waiting."

Liam didn’t need to be told twice.

He positioned himself behind her, the head of his shaft resting against her wetness.

He took a slow breath, grounding himself in the reality of the moment—the dark trees around them, the smell of earth and rain, the quiet rustle of leaves overhead, and the absolute reality of her beneath him.

He guided himself in slowly.

The entry was tight and warm, a seamless fit that made both of them stop completely for a second.

Tasha let out a long, low sigh that sounded like relief, her back dipping lower as she absorbed the feeling of him filling her completely.

Liam paused, his hands resting heavily on her hips, his head dropping as he fought the sudden, intense surge of friction and heat.

"Liam..." she breathed, her voice a low vibration.

"Yeah," he grilled out, taking a moment to stabilize his breathing. "I’ve got you."

He began to move, drawing back slowly before sliding deep again, setting a rhythm that was steady and deep rather than fast.

The sound of their bodies meeting was soft in the night, muffled by the thick grass and the expanse of the park around them.

With every thrust, he adjusted to her body, feeling the way she wrapped around him.

He wasn’t just going through motions; he was reading her movements.

When she pushed back against him, he deepened his stroke. When her hands gripped his coat tighter, he held her hips firmer, anchoring her.

She met him pace for pace, her body naturally finding the rhythm he set.

The initial cool air of the park was completely forgotten now, replaced by the rising heat generated between them.

Beads of sweat began to form on his brow, dripping down onto her back, but neither of them cared.

"Look at me," he whispered, his voice thick with effort.

Tasha twisted her upper body, turning her head as far as she could to look back at him. Her eyes were dark, pupils dilated, reflecting the tiny bits of ambient light from the city beyond the trees.

He reached down, catching her chin with his fingers, leaning in so he could kiss her even as his hips kept up the continuous, deep rhythm below.

The kiss was messy and breathless, open-mouthed and tasting of the night air and each other. Moving like this, twisted slightly toward him, altered the angle inside her, making her gasp directly into his mouth as he hit deeper than before.

"Liam—" she gasped, breaking the kiss, her hand reaching back to find his leg, her fingers digging into his denim as if to hold on. "That’s—don’t change that angle."

"This one?" he asked, his voice low and deliberate as he pulled back slightly and drove back in at the exact same angle.

A sharp, breathless sound broke from her lips, her eyes fluttering shut. "Yes. Exactly that."

He kept it right there.

He concentrated entirely on that specific trajectory, his hands gripping her waist to control the depth and cadence of every stroke.

The rhythmic friction built steadily, a heavy, irresistible pressure coiling deep in his gut, mirrored by the increasing tension in her thighs and the quickening pulse he could feel where his hands held her skin.

The space beneath the trees felt entirely separated from the rest of the world. There were no paths, no joggers, no city schedules, just the physical reality of the ground beneath them and the overwhelming focus of what they were doing to each other.

Tasha’s movements became more urgent, her hips rising to meet him with more force, no longer willing to let him dictate the speed entirely. She pushed back against him, her body demanding more, her breathing turning into short, ragged gasps.

"Liam, please—"

He didn’t answer with words.

He accelerated, his strokes becoming faster, harder, driving into her with a deliberate intensity that matched her rising need.

He reached around with one hand, wrapping it over her stomach, pulling her firmly back against his chest so there was zero distance between them, his chin resting against her shoulder as he worked them both toward the edge.

She shattered first.

Her body went rigid for a split second before collapsing into a powerful, rolling climax that clamped tightly around him.

The intense physical sensation broke his control completely. He drove into her one last time, burying himself as deep as he could go, a low, guttural groan tearing from his throat as his own orgasm hit him hard, flooding through his entire body in heavy, uncontrollable surges.

He held her tightly against him, his face buried in the curve of her neck, breathing in the scent of her skin and hair as the waves of release slowly washed through both of them.

They stayed locked together in the dark, the only sound in the clearing being the loud, ragged sound of their shared breathing filling the quiet space beneath the trees.

Minutes passed before either of them moved.

The quiet of the park gradually asserted itself again.

The distant hum of traffic returned to their awareness, along with the soft rustle of wind through the upper branches and the distinct chill of the night air settling over their damp skin.

Liam slowly disengaged, his body heavy and spent, and sat back on the grass beside her. He pulled his eyes up to the dark sky visible through the leaves, taking in long, deep lungfuls of the cool air to clear his head.

Tasha didn’t get up right away.

She rolled over onto her side on the jacket, her arm resting under her head, her hair a wild spill of blonde across the dark fabric. She was breathing normally now, though her skin was still flushed and her eyes looked relaxed and heavy in the dim light.

She watched him for a moment in silence,

’For some reason this feels like the best sex we’ve had,’ Tasha thought to her as a small, subtle expression on her face that had no anger, no posturing, and no defensive wit behind it. It was just her, looking at him plainly.