Chapter 24 #2
Cold water rushes over me, stealing the breath from my lungs as I go under, the world turning into a blur of bubbles and blue light. When I break the surface, sputtering and laughing, he’s already directly in front of me, watching as I blink the water from my eyes.
Droplets cling to his lashes, catching in the glow of the pool lights. His smile softens at the edges, less teasing now.
I don’t think about it. I just move.
Or maybe he does.
Our lips meet in a kiss that starts gentle and almost questioning. Both of us holding back in case the other wants to pull away because of where we are.
Neither of us does.
His hand slides to the small of my back, anchoring me as the space between us all but disappears, and the kiss deepens—tentative at first, then with a little more certainty, like something we’ve been circling finally settles into place.
“Taylor…” he murmurs against my mouth, breath warm, voice rougher now. “If we keep going…”
His forehead rests against mine, his grip tightening on my hips. “…we’re not stopping.”
My pulse thrums in my ears.
“Good,” I whisper, because there’s nothing to hide anymore. Everyone already knows about us, and I’m done pretending when it comes to him.
His laugh is quiet, a little disbelieving, before his mouth finds mine again and the world beyond the pool disappears.
Warm hands glide up my back, pulling me closer until my body presses fully into his, heat meeting heat, breath catching as he lifts me with an ease that pulls a small, startled sound from my lips.
Instinct takes over and I wrap my legs around his waist.
The shift pulls me higher, closer, every point of contact suddenly more intense. My fingers find the damp hair at the nape of his neck, tugging lightly, and the deep rumble he makes in response sends a shiver racing through me.
Water trails down my skin, cool against the heat building everywhere he touches.
The rough edge of the pool drags against my shoulder blades as he moves us forward, gently pinning me between him and the tile. His hips press into mine, and the friction draws a quiet, breathless gasp from me.
I nip at his lower lip in a playful tug.
He groans into my mouth, rough and unguarded.
When we break apart, he takes a second to look at me. His eyes are darker now, heavy-lidded, like he’s trying to hold onto control and failing.
“Alex…” I breathe his name the way he whispered mine moments ago. I lean in, tracing my mouth along his throat, feeling his pulse jump beneath my lips. His chest rises, brushing against mine and a shudder runs through him when my teeth graze the edge of his ear.
The way his body responds to my touch makes me braver than I’ve been in my entire life. My hand slips between us, searching for him, brushing with my fingertips in gentle strokes. His reaction is an immediate sound of surrender against my hair.
“Can we?” My voice comes out low, unsteady in a way that surprises me. “I’m safe. I’m—”
“I’m safe too,” he says, voice rough but certain.
His gaze holds mine, as short, shallow breaths leave me and we linger there, suspended in the space between wanting and choosing.
“Are you sure?” he asks, unmoving while he waits.
There’s not a single doubt in my mind.
I answer with a look, with the way my hands slide up his arms, with the way I close the distance between us again.
My fingers find the ties at my hips.
The rest happens quickly, neither of us wanting to risk the moment disappearing. Our bathing suits end up tossed in a heap at the side of the pool, then he’s kissing me again.
This time it’s deeper like he’s grounding himself in the moment. Like he’s making a decision he knows he can’t take back.
When he pulls back, his forehead rests against mine. He murmurs low against my mouth, “Tell me if anything feels wrong.”
“It won’t.” I shake my head, trembling.
A quiet, almost disbelieving sound leaves him before his mouth finds mine again.
And then there’s no more thinking, only feeling. Only him.
He presses me back against the tile, the cool surface a sharp contrast to the heat that’s between us. My breath catches as I feel him there, the anticipation alone enough to make my body react.
I roll my hips, chasing him, needing more.
A rough chuckle slips from his mouth as it brushes mine.
“Patience, beautiful.”
“I’m done waiting,” I whisper, tightening my legs around him, pulling him closer in a way that leaves no room for hesitation. That’s all it takes to make him move.
The shift between us steals the air from my lungs, my head tipping back as a broken sound escapes me, my fingers tightening on his shoulders to hold myself steady.
“Fuck…” he breathes against my skin, the word ragged and wrecked as he pushes further into me.
The world narrows to sensation. To the way he moves against me with deep, intentional strokes like he’s letting himself go piece by piece. Water laps around us, the rhythm of our bodies pulling me under in slow, rising waves.
My hips keep pace with his, desperate as the tension winds tighter and tighter, demanding release deep in my center.
I’m so full. So overwhelmingly full.
“Alex…” His name falls from my lips like a plea, like a warning. “Don’t—don’t stop.”
“I’m not, baby. Not a chance.” he murmurs against the sensitive skin behind my ear.
His forehead presses to mine, his breathing uneven now, like he’s losing whatever control he was holding onto. Every movement sends another rush of heat through me, sharper, stronger, until I can’t focus on anything else.
“I’m—” My voice breaks, and I cling to him as the tension crests, teetering on the edge.
“That’s it,” he whispers, the words coaxing me through it and unraveling me all at once. “I’ve got you, baby. Come for me.”
And I do.
The last thread snaps, and everything rushes through me at once, overwhelming and all-consuming, pulling a breathless moan from my chest. I’m clutching Alex to me, fingers tangle in his hair as I pant, gasp after gasp, and ride out the wave of pleasure with nowhere else to go.
His release hits hard, grip tightening as shuddered breaths turn uneven against my skin and he follows me over the edge.
“Fuckkk…” The words break from him on a groan.
For a moment, neither of us moves, chests rising and falling together as the water laps softly around us.
“Jesus…” he murmurs, almost to himself. “That was…”
I let out a quiet, shaky laugh, resting my forehead briefly against his shoulder. “Yeah… it was.”
Alex draws me in, hugging me close for a second longer than I expect, like he’s not quite ready to let me go. Then he sets me back on my feet and reaches for the edge of the pool, pulling himself out with in one easy motion.
Water streams down his shoulders as he shakes his hair out, crossing to one of the lounge chairs and grabbing a towel, wrapping it loosely around his waist.
He comes back to me with another, holding it open as I climb out, shielding me from view.
“Next weekend’s going to be brutal,” I say with a sigh as he wraps the towel around me.
His hands linger at my arms, rubbing warmth back into my skin. I hold his gaze, letting myself stay in this moment just a little longer.
“You don’t sound worried.”
“Oh, I am.” A crooked smirk tugs at his mouth. “I’m just pretending I’m not.”
I laugh but the moment between us doesn’t feel light anymore. It feels heavy with everything neither of us says out loud.
We both made it into the finale.
Only one of us can win, and I really need it to be me.
Which means Alex has to lose.