NINETEEN
Lincoln
Five Months Ago
Cassie’s legs were draped over mine, my right hand was holding hers, and my left arm was lying on her legs, holding her to me. We were lounging on the couch, another night of my sister being at her boyfriend’s, and I couldn’t even care because I had Sunshine in my arms.
Ever since we were together a few nights before, I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her. She was in every thought and plan I had over the last few weeks and had become my life without me even really trying.
It was seamless, flawless, and fucking perfect.
“What’s this one for?” I was discovering all of her tattoos, which I realized after my major exploration of her body, was how she expressed herself. My finger trailed over her thigh where a smattering of star tattoos were, looking like they were falling down her leg.
“From another favorite series, of course.” She grinned at me, and I relished in the fact that she was. She smiled with happiness shining out of every pore, giving it all to me without reservation, and I would kill to have that look pointed at me for the rest of my life.
“Is it one I should read?” I asked, my finger still tracing the tattoos.
“Oh absolutely.” She nodded, grabbing her phone and presumably sending me a link to the books.
This is what she’s been doing. Every time I ask about a tattoo, if it had meaning behind it, she would send me the link to the book.
I was dying to know every single book she’d ever read, and judging by the amount of books that filled her room and spread out to the living room, I would guess it may take me the rest of my life to do so.
I was okay with that.
Most men my age, twenty, almost twenty-one, wouldn’t be thinking long-term; they’d be still eager to party it up, to take advantage of everything they could while they were still in college.
But I knew a good thing when I saw it, and the moment I saw Cassie, I knew.
Too bad alcohol and my poor judgment ruined that for me before we could begin.
But we were here now, and I didn’t plan on going anywhere.
“Are you really going to read all of these books?” she asked, setting her phone back down and interlacing her fingers with mine lightly, twisting and playing with mine.
“Eventually.” I nodded. “It may take me a century or two, but I can make that work. As long as I have you pushing me to get through them, I’m sure I can do it.”
I felt her eyes on me, so I stopped running my gaze over her legs and torso and glanced up to see her watching me, her expression soft. “Centuries, huh? You plan on living that long?”
“Well, I’m not immortal,” I said, feigning sadness. “But if I could spend centuries with you, I would.”
She tilted her head to the side, pursing her lips. “That was a good line.”
I leaned down, arranging her legs beside me and pulling one over my hip. My arm went under her head so that she could rest comfortably, and I held her close to me while I looked into her eyes.
They were soft and welcoming, kind, and full of something that I doubted she was ready to admit just yet.
I would get her there.
“It wasn’t a line. Not with you,” I told her, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“No?” she asked, sighing against me.
“Never with you,” I said, looking at her again. “I’ll never lie to you or use lines with you. I’ll always be honest and tell you the truth.”
“Always, huh? What if it hurts my feelings?” The vulnerability that shone through her eyes had me reaching my hand up and sweeping her hair off her face, cupping her cheek with my hand.
“It would hurt you more if I lied, Sunshine, and I can never lie to you.”
Like we’re drawn to each other, she leaned into me, and I pressed a soft kiss to her lips, reveling in the moment between the two of us. I wanted to draw the moment out for as long as I could, to make this time stretch between us so it never had to end.
Having Cassie here in my arms was more than I could have ever dreamed of. All those months we spent bickering, me pushing her buttons and her pushing right back—all that time we could have had together if we’d just spoken and gotten our heads together—made this moment here even more special.
Cassie was it for me. Whether I’d known it for a while or it was just suddenly hitting me didn’t matter; what mattered was I knew what my future held.
Because if it didn’t have Cassie, then it had no one.
She suddenly stood from the couch, grabbing my hand and encouraging me up. My hands found her waist as she walked backward, grabbing the vase of flowers I brought for her and going into her room.
She was a huge romantic, and bringing her flowers brightened her smile every time.
She set them on her desk, and I closed her door as she dragged her tank top over her head, revealing what I already knew was underneath her shirt. Nothing.
I held in a moan at the sight before me, Cassie’s soft blonde hair down and running over her shoulders and the tops of her breasts. Her shorts came off next, revealing tiny lacy black panties that had me wishing I was on top of her right now.
She walked forward, her hands going to my shoulders, her breasts pressing against my chest, and my calloused hands traced over the skin of her back and down to her ass, bringing her as close as possible to me.
Her hands smoothed down my shirt and grabbed the hem, hitching it over my shoulders and head so our skin could touch. A shiver racked over her body at the contact, and I pulled her to me, warming her up with my touch.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, Sunshine,” I said, my voice rough with want.
Her eyes fluttered as she looked at me and said, “I want you.”
And that was all it took for me to have that bit of control snap.
I shoved my shorts down, my underwear falling with it, and lifted her up into my arms, holding her tight to me.
She giggled as I lifted her, and I smiled at the sound, turning so my back was to the bed before I sat, her knees resting on either side of my hips.
I leaned forward, placing kisses under her jaw, down her neck and onto her collarbone before reaching her chest.
Her breaths increased, letting me explore every inch I could reach with my lips.
She slid her legs down and slipped her panties off, letting me see all of her. I could stare at her forever and never tire of it.
I leaned back, reaching for her nightstand where I knew protection was, because I put it there and got myself together as she climbed over me, crawling toward me like the temptress she was. There was barely a breath taken before she laid on top of me, ignoring the erection that poked her in the belly and trailed her lips over my torso, kissing every ab indentation, making my skin pebble and my hips jerk up at the action.
She tortured me, and I would have gladly died that way.
Finally, her lips trailed up my neck, and I couldn’t wait another minute as she finally took my lips with her own. I had both hands on each side of her head, holding her to me, telling her with each kiss how much I needed her.
I did need her.
Life without her wouldn’t be possible anymore. I didn’t fully understand it, but it was the truth.
She raised her hips, and finally—finally—she settled over me, making me groan louder than I ever have before. I was on the brink already, moving in her like a man possessed, and she smiled down at me like she knew she owned every bit of me.
Which is fair because she absolutely did.
She moved at her own pace, making me match her own as she tortured me slowly, drawing out our movements as she saw fit.
She was a goddess.
We didn’t speak; we didn’t need to. We held each other’s eyes until we reached the peak, and we couldn’t keep them open a minute longer, and then she collapsed on me, out of breath.
I held her to me for long minutes before I got up, slipping my shorts on while I ran to the bathroom in case my sister came waltzing in.
I didn’t care if I got caught, but I didn’t need to get caught naked.
I was working up the words to tell Cassie that I wanted to break the news to my family about us finally getting together when I got back to her room and found her peacefully dozing on the bed.
I took the warm washcloth and wiped her clean as she moaned softly. If she hadn’t been asleep, there would have been a repeat performance.
I threw the towel in the laundry basket before I slipped into the bed, arranging the blankets around us and clicking off her bedside lamp.
I pulled her into me and sighed with contentment. Knowing she was asleep, I pressed a kiss to her forehead and told her the words I’d been dying to say.
“I love you.”