Chapter 1540

They moved like a tide - undressing without fanfare, though most had nothing to remove. The ritual of it was enough. Hands touched skin, mouths found mouths, and the weight of the moment shifted from awe to hunger, from reverence to want.

Lucy pulled Jude down onto the moss first, straddling his waist with a heat that radiated from her skin like fire beneath silk. She cupped his face, brushing her lips against his, breath feathering his cheek. "We're not just making love," she whispered. "We're anchoring ourselves."

Then she sank onto him, slow and steady, her body welcoming him like something forged for his alone. Jude's hands clutched her hips, fingers digging into the flesh that shimmered beneath his touch. She moved above him in a rhythm that matched the island's breath, every roll of her hips pressing them deeper into the moss, into the island, into each other.