Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 909:

All along their road, danger had been a constant shadow. Again and again, they had shoved their feelings aside, burying them where no one could see. But now the dam broke. The kiss let everything flow free. In that instant, nothing stood between them—not fear, not silence—only the fierce, overwhelming love that had been locked away for far too long. Chris kissed her more deeply, as though he could draw her into himself completely, as if they were meant to become one.

Every brush of skin sent heat through them, searing and intense. Maia could feel it—his need to claim her—but layered with a gentleness she had never known. He was holding her like something precious.

She gripped his wide, solid shoulders, answering his kiss without thinking. Her body slowly yielded, growing weak in his arms, melting into him, letting him lead without resistance.

Their breath came faster with every second, and the air between them thickened—charged with desire and raw closeness.

Fueled by burning desire, Chris swept Maia into his arms, cradling her sideways against his chest. He pulled her even closer, and they collapsed together onto the spacious living room sofa.

cushions wrapped around them, and a new kind of tenderness seemed to soak into the air, stirring emotions and

away from hers, only to press gentle, lingering kisses along the curve

every light touch, Maia shivered. A warm blush bloomed across her face, painting her cheeks with a deep,

on her skin—each inch turning hypersensitive, as though set alight. Just when the moment teetered on the edge, he suddenly stopped. He

weight in his voice she hadn’t heard before—firm, sincere,

𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝘀

her chest,

stared up at his face—so familiar, so kind, and strikingly handsome—and in that stillness,

and unrelenting. Yet in that instant, her emotions

with someone who truly loved her—and someone she truly loved in return. So even though she

shift. She couldn’t keep pretending. Lying to herself—pretending not to feel this—was no longer