Chapter 42 - Lily
LILY
When it came to Gabe, I wasn’t above begging. Especially not if it meant getting another orgasm. I loved how attentive he was to what I enjoyed and how he knew exactly what I needed before I even did.
He took off his pants and tossed them on the floor.
I knew the year had only started, but could I claim today as the best day of the year? Because I wasn’t sure how the rest of the days were going to top this.
Gabe’s body was cut from stone. The dips and curves of his muscles. The slope of his nose. The sharp edge of his jaw.
My gaze dipped, seeing his thick cock hard and erect for me. My muscles tensed, and my stomach clenched with pure desire. He was going to make me come instantly again, wasn’t he?
“My eyes are up here, Sunshine.” I heard the smile in his voice.
“I know,” I teased, biting down on my bottom lip. I reached for him, wrapping my hand around his cock and stroking it with pressure.
He let out a low groan, biceps flexing as he propped himself up above me. I parted my legs, giving him enough space to settle between them.
He replaced my hand with his own, stroking himself before lining up against my entrance. Just feeling his tip pressing against me was enough to arch my back, wanting more of him. But he was so big.
“Relax,” he said gently, guiding his cock inside while he used his thumb on his other hand to rub soothing circles along my hip bone. My body softened immediately from his words, my legs around his hips relaxing. “That’s my girl. Just like that. I’ll start slow.”
I nodded, knowing I’d need a few moments to adjust, but after that…I didn’t want him to go slow. I wanted his restraint to snap, like it did when he kissed me at the bar earlier tonight.
He pushed deeper and effortlessly moved his hips. I tipped my head back and nearly saw stars. I wasn’t sure what was hotter—how good he felt or the groan that left him as he gradually picked up the pace.
“Feels so, so good,” I panted between breaths. I reached up to cup the back of his neck, pulling him lower and crashing my lips against his. It seemed like that was his undoing, because his hips moved faster. His tongue battled with mine, and I felt his grip on my hip tighten.
“You”—thrust—“Are”—thrust—“Mine.” Gabe groaned against my mouth, breath hot. “No one else gets to see you like this or hear those pretty moans. Say it, Lily.”
“I’m yours,” I moaned. Tension coiled in my stomach—ready to snap—and I was aching for another release. I was nearly right there—
“Not yet, baby. You’ll come when I let you.”
Fuck. I didn’t think Gabe could get any hotter—but, clearly, he could.
I held off on my release, my thighs and legs trembling.
What I realized added to my attraction to Gabe was the emotional connection we’d built over the last month.
I trusted him with my body and my heart.
A part of me couldn’t believe that we were here together in this moment and how far we’d come.
These days, I couldn’t imagine my life without Gabe.
“That’s my good girl,” he praised. My eyes flicked up, and I saw the affection and desire in his gaze. “You’re taking my cock so fucking well and look so beautiful doing it. You feel like a goddamn dream.”
His hand on my hip snaked up along my side, until he cupped the side of my face and ran his thumb along my bottom lip. With my eyes on him, I wrapped my lips around his thumb, sucking with a hum.
“Fuck, Lily.” His voice was strained, a muscle in his jaw fluttering. I could tell he was close, and I wanted him right there with me. I sucked harder and wrapped my legs tighter around his waist to pull him closer, deeper.
“Are you ready to come for me again?”
I nodded and brought my hand over to add extra pressure to my clit.
“Eyes on me.”
Of course, I was going to listen to him. Plus, I wanted to see him fall apart, too.
“Fuck,” he hissed. Gabe pulled his thumb out from between my lips and grabbed the headboard instead.
“Gabe!” I cried out, arching my back off the mattress. A rush of electricity coursed through my body as my release neared.
Gabe’s jaw clenched, and he didn’t tear his eyes away from mine. The look of pure desire in his eyes and the low growl that escaped him was my undoing. As I reached my peak, Gabe was right there with me.
I let out another gasp as I felt him finish, my eyes never leaving his.
He lowered his body, resting his forehead against mine and pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. “You’re unbelievable,” he murmured, pulling out and lying on his side.
I scooted closer, laying my head on his chest and letting out a deep exhale.
“So are you.” I tipped my head back to look up at him, taking in his flushed face and messy hair.
Normally, Gabe looked put together. His brown, wavy hair styled, clothes pressed, and expression composed.
Right now? I’d never seen a more perfect sight.
His hair was messy, clothes tossed aside, a smile on his face, and his honey-brown eyes on me.
“You’re doing great on your one-item list,” I teased him with a laugh.
Gabe grinned in return. “I told you. It’s my one and only priority.”
He leaned over, grabbing his jeans from the floor and pulling out his wallet. He flipped it open and pulled out a pink piece of paper. The list. “You really should be more careful with leaving this around.”
Gabe lay back down, and I readjusted so I was lying on his chest again. He wrapped an arm around me and held out the paper so we could both take a look.
“We’ve done nearly everything on it. Just two more things to check off. It’s been”—Gabe lowered the paper and looked at me—“an absolute honor to be able to do these things with you, Lily. I’m never going to forget this.”
My stomach flipped and my mouth got dry at the mention of the list nearly being done. At the thought of him leaving. How neither of us would forget the past month.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to calm my rapid heartbeat.
That pounding in my head…was that my heart or his?
“I’m never going to forget either,” I admitted quietly before trying to sound light-hearted.
“Well,” I said with what I hoped was a convincing laugh, “looks like we have a trip to Milwaukee to plan.”
Gabe stayed quiet and set the paper on my nightstand. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I guess we do.”
I’d gotten to know Gabe well, but in this moment, I wasn’t sure how he felt. Was he ready to go back to the city and his old life? Or had Golden Falls changed what he wanted? He said he wanted all my midnights…but did that mean forever or until he left town?
I thought back to our walk to my apartment after the Christmas festival and our conversation about how neither of us had been in love. How we didn’t know what it felt like.
If he asked me again, I’d answer differently. Love felt like lying in Gabe’s warm embrace. It was the feeling of staying up talking about anything and everything. Spending the whole day together and not getting enough. Spending a whole lifetime and it still not being enough.
Love sounded a lot like Gabe’s heartbeat.
But had his views on love changed? He shared with me the relationship his parents had and how the divorce changed his family. He told me he saw love as transactional.
The goal at the start of December seemed so clear: fly through the list with Gabe and get Hal’s decision. I still wanted the building, but I also wanted to stop time.
I wanted all the time in the world with Gabe without either of us putting our dreams on hold.
I sucked in a breath as I thought through my words. I wasn’t ready to tell him how I was feeling or to face the sting of possible rejection, but I hoped he would give me a glimpse of how he was feeling.
“So,” I started, “about the whole falling in love thing. Are you—are you more open to love these days?”
He stayed quiet for a beat. “Yeah,” he said on a heavy exhale that rocked the room. “I’m more open to love these days, Sunshine.”
I wasn’t brave enough to ask if that meant he was more open to love with me. But even if he wasn’t…if what was going on between us made him more open to love with someone else, I wanted him to be happy.
Either way, I had him for now, and I was going to enjoy every moment.
I sat up in bed, pulling the sheet over my waist. When I looked at Gabe, his expression was strained, as if his thoughts were as complicated as mine. Or maybe the issue wasn’t that my thoughts were complicated—I was just making them that way.
I rolled my lips. “Will you stay the night? Maybe we throw a frozen pizza in the oven?”
He rolled onto his side, reaching over and splaying his large palm on my thigh. His thumb stroked gently. “I’d love nothing more. C’mon, let’s clean up first. I’m not done with you yet,” he murmured, leaning over to press a hungry kiss to my hip, right where his touch had been.
Gabe, pizza, and sex. I didn’t need anything else.
I tried to quiet my racing thoughts and instead enjoy what had turned into one of the best nights of my life.