Chapter 46
Chapter Forty-Six
Delaney
“Harrison?” I whisper his name just in case he’s fallen asleep already. He doesn’t answer. “We need to stop this insane plan.”
“Can you be more specific?”
Oh, good, he is awake. I scoot closer to him.
“We need to stop this celibacy pact thing. We don’t need it anymore.”
“You sure?” he asks. “I never want you to doubt that while the physical between us is spectacular, it’s all of you—your brain, your heart, and your body—that I’m in love with.”
I gasp. After a few seconds, I can’t stand not knowing. “W-was that a slip of the tongue?”
Harrison scoots nearer to me and repositions himself onto his side. His hand touches my cheek, and he brushes his fingers across my skin, like a caress.
“What part? The part where I said I love you?”
“Mm-hmm.” It’s all I can squeak out. My heart gallops along, beating a mile a minute, waiting for his words.
“No, Bets. It’s exactly what I meant. I love you. I’m pretty sure I started falling in love with you when I witnessed your tenacity as you tried to choke down that cheap whiskey. God, you were cute.”
I smile even though the room is dark except for the sliver of moonlight peeking through the window.
It has been over five years since anyone told me they loved me.
He doesn’t know it yet, but I love him, too.
“Thank you for sharing everything you did about your father, and… and for coming with me to meet my mom. I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you about her.”
He leans down, and his lips press against my forehead, then his arm crosses over me and rests on my low back. My T-shirt has ridden up, and his hand lies over my exposed skin. Even that innocent touch has me burning with desire for him.
“It’s me who should thank you. I’ve never been able to open up to someone about my dad like I did with you. Yeah, it’s painful, but sharing it with you took a piece of that pain and dulled it.”
I want to push more of that pain away every day. This man deserves to be free and to see how extraordinary he is.
“Kiss me,” I whisper.
When our lips meet, my heart longs to tell him I love him, too. I don’t get a chance to yet because our mouths are busy, and the thought of breaking this kiss is inconceivable.
The desperate desire between us somehow enables us to shed what little clothing we had on, with minimal interruption to our kiss.
Our hands travel over each other’s bodies, as we give in to the craving to touch each other in places we’ve denied ourselves for far too long.
Harrison pulls back from the kiss and stretches toward his nightstand, where the condoms are.
We’ve talked about this; we’ve both tested negative since our last sexual encounter, and I’m on the pill. Still, we continued to use condoms until the pact.
“No,” I whisper. He immediately stops.
“I’m sorry. It was presumptuous of me—”
“I mean no condom this time.”
He moves over me once more. Now he’s close enough that I can see his face. His eyes search mine.
“Are you sure, Bets?”
“I’m positive. Now, please, I need you, Harrison. With nothing between us.”
He watches me for a few more seconds, then moves his eyes to my lips. When he lowers his mouth to cover mine once more, the kiss is slow. It’s sensual and teasing. I lift my pelvis up, hunting for contact between him and my aching core.
He continues to kiss me as he slides inside me, and we both moan.
God, I’ve missed him. And this—I’ve really missed this connection.
Harrison breaks the kiss and lifts himself enough to look me in the eye.
Gazing at each other, watching the intensity of our pleasure in each other’s faces, is the most intimate thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.
I love the filthy-mouthed Harrison I usually get, but this nearly silent version is just as hot. I’ve had sex before, but I’ve never made love until tonight.
I’m almost overwhelmed by the physical sensations and the magnitude of the emotions I’m feeling. When Harrison changes the angle of his body, he hits that place, and I gasp. He grins, clearly aware he’s bringing me immense pleasure.
“I’m so close, Harrison.”
“Me too, babe. Come for me.”
I know I can relax and allow the orgasm to overtake me, but I want to try something first. I want to make him feel as spectacular as he makes me feel. So, using all of my strength to hold off my orgasm, I perform a Kegel exercise while he’s moving inside of me.
Jesus! It feels sensational, and seeing his mouth open in surprise while his eyes widen, accompanied by a sexy growl, is enough to push me over the edge.
My body erupts with pleasure so marvelous that light flashes behind my eyes.
He comes seconds after I do, and I watch as stress melts off his face while he gives in to his climax.
When we’ve both descended from the heights our lovemaking took us to, I lay on his chest, our bodies tangled together. We’re basking in a post-orgasm bliss, and I’m at peace.
After several moments, I prop myself up on one of my elbows so I can see Harrison’s face. A beautiful smile graces his features.
“Hey,” I say quietly.
“Hey, back.” Harrison takes his hand that I’m not lying on and weaves it into my hair. His thumb strokes my temple with a gentleness that touches my heart.
“I love you, too. So much.”
His eyes turn brighten.
“Yeah?” Even on that one word, his voice cracks with emotion.
“Yeah, most definitely.”