Chapter 35
JINX
Angry thunder rolls outside, but beside me, the most peaceful angel sleeps.
She took her hair down before we showered and crawled into bed, and though she cut it a while back, it’s still long enough to drape over my shoulder like a soft silk blanket. Her breath against my chest is warm and sweet. A complete paradox to all the dirty things she said on the couch. And her body, so warm and content as she curls into me, makes it difficult not to wonder how the hell I’ve managed to survive this long without her.
Call me a romantic like my mother, but I’ve always dreamed of finding a woman to share moments like this with. I’ve never been cynical or bitter about love, but holding Rachel like this… it’s more than I ever expected and certainly more than I’ve experienced.
Sure, I’ve had other women in my bed. Not as many as people assume, but I can confidently say I’ve never held a single one of them and imagined our future together while they slept.
With Rachel, I can’t think of anything else. If I’m honest, this sensation isn’t new. It’s not like I’m suddenly pussy whipped now that we’ve had sex. No, I’ve caught myself making plans for us in my head far too many times to count over the past month. Not just plans for Rachel and me either, but for the four of us. Emma and Mason, too. What we’ll do for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Where we might go on vacation for spring break next year. If I’ll eventually move in with them or if we’ll find a place of our own.
“Whatever you’re thinking about must be serious.”Rachel’s sleepy voice cuts into my thoughts. Then she presses a kiss to my chest. “You okay?”
I clear my throat and stroke gentle fingers up and down her arm. She’s wearing one of my T-shirts, and the sleeve hangs almost to her elbow. “I’m perfect. You comfortable?”
“Mm-hmm.” She snuggles in closer, lifting her leg a little higher on mine. “So comfy. This is a great bed.”
I give a soft laugh, even as warmth blooms in my chest. “Just the bed?”
“The pillow is nice, too, albeit a little distracting.” She pokes my abs playfully. “And very sexy.”
“A sexy pillow. Huh.” I grin into the darkness and shake my head. “I guess I’ve been called worse.”
With a giggle, she trails her fingertips over my bare skin, making my muscles jump. “What time is it?”
“Ah…” I crane my neck so I can see the clock on the nightstand. “Almost two.”
“You haven’t slept, have you?”
Swallowing, I hum. “Nah. Not yet.”
“Not used to sharing your bed?” She pushes up on her elbow. Wearing a concerned expression I can just make out in the glow from the clock, she studies me. “I could go crash on the couch.”
“Fuck that.” I loop my arms around her and drag her on top of me.
She laughs and squirms but not hard enough to actually get away. Instead, she adjusts her position so she fits perfectly against me. Like she belongs like this. Like we belong.
“I was thinking about where we go from here,” I admit. We have to talk about it eventually, and now is as good a time as any.
“And what did you come up with?” she asks with her face pressed to my neck.
Hand running up and down her back, I brace myself to be completely open about my thoughts. “I don’t care where we go as long as we do it together.”
She lifts her head and searches my face. For a long moment, she’s silent, just taking me in as lightning flashes outside, followed by distant thunder. Finally, she speaks. “I like that plan. Are you thinking something like… an overnight trip here and there? Maybe a weekend away? Or something more complex, like a road trip?”
My heart pounds out a rhythm it’s created only for her. “I was thinking more like a trip around the world.”
A slow grin spreads across her face. “On a plane?”
“A boat. Without a motor.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, wow. That could take a long time.”
With one hand still holding her to me, I smooth the hair back from her face. “It’d be a commitment, that’s for sure.”
She nods slowly and pushes upright so she’s straddling my hips. Without panties, because hers are still somewhere in the kitchen.
“Is that too much?” I grip her waist, either to keep her from getting too close to my dick or to help guide her there. I’m not sure.
“Does that thought scare you?” she counters, shifting back a bit so the heat from between her legs is centered over my hardening cock.
Instinctively, I press up into her, though my boxer briefs keep things from getting too out of hand. “Doesn’t scare me at all.” I grind again, and she sucks in a breath as she splays her palms over my chest for leverage. “You?”
She shakes her head, pulsing her hips ever so slightly like she’s begging my dick to hurry the fuck up and find its way home. “It doesn’t scare me anymore. I know what I want. What I’ve wanted from the beginning. Now that I know we’re on the same page…”
I bite back a groan as she grinds against me. The friction of her pussy and my underwear sends a bolt of desire through me. “I need to feel you again.”
“See? Something else we’re in agreement on.”
She lifts just enough to push down my briefs while I grab a condom from the box on the nightstand. Together, we roll it on, and in less than a minute, I’m balls deep inside her.
“We have a lot to figure out,” she says as she rides me slowly. “But we’ll get there.”
I thumb a nipple through the cotton covering her. “You say the sexiest things.”
She grins and pauses just long enough to whip my shirt over her head. “Who knew I had it in me?”
“I did,” I grit out, holding her hips tightly to keep her from making me blow my load two seconds in. “I knew it the second you told me off for cutting your grass.”
A soft, sexy laugh spills from her throat as she arches back, her hair falling over her shoulders, and braces her hands on my thighs. She’s a fucking goddess, riding me with the confidence of a warrior and paying no mind to the storm raging outside. This is her show. Her stage.
“You bring out the best in me,” she pants. “What can I say?”
I jackknife up and gather her to me, desperate to be as deep and as close to her as I can get. When she slides down, I push up, filling her over and over again until our ragged, desperate breaths drown out the storm.
“Ah, fuck.” I’ve never had a problem with stamina, but then again, I’ve never been with her until tonight. I swear she could make me come in seconds like a teenager if I wasn’t so determined to make it good for her first. “You’re killing me, Sunny,” I rasp. “Every fucking thing about you drives me insane. Your strength. Your fire. This fucking body.”
She rolls her hips, then rises up, arching so her tits are in my face, and I swear to god my vision blacks out for a second.
Grasping for control, I roll us over and pin her hands above her head on the mattress. “My turn, Sunny girl. I love the way you fuck me, but right now, it’s my turn.”
Her lashes lower over hazy eyes as she bites her lip in silent assent.Her submission is like fuel to the fire already burning in my veins. She’s been strong and independent for so long, and I fucking love that she trusts me enough to hand over the reins. That she knows I’m not the kind of man who’ll let her down in any regard. I can’t imagine it’s been easy for her. Hell, I know it wasn’t. I was there to witness every second of it, from her snark in the bar that first night to her staring me down from her back porch when I cut her lawn. Even tonight when she chewed me out.
I’ll do what I can to ensure she never loses that fire again.
But goddamn, it’s like a sucker punch when she lets down her guard just for me. I want to be that person for her. Nothing in my life has mattered more than our connection.
That realization has me slowing my pace, easing in and out of her with lazy, drawn-out strokes as our breaths mingle and our eyes remain locked.
“I love you.” The confession leaves my mouth without a trace of hesitation. She’s probably not ready to say it back, but I need her to know what she’s done to me.
Her eyes widen as she pulls in a quiet gasp.
“It’s okay.”I let go of one of her hands and cup her face, brushing my thumb along her cheek. “You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to know.”
She swallows hard and closes her eyes. When she opens them again, she sucks in another shaky breath. “I-I love you, too.”
Holy shit. Damn if my heart doesn’t explode into a thousand pieces at the sound of those words. “Babe…”
Tears fill her eyes, but she smiles. “More than that, I am in love with you.”
My chest fills with a mix of pride and devotion, and not just because she feels the same, but because I put myself out there and made myself vulnerable to her in a way I’ve never done with before. I took a risk, hoping she’d see me for the kind of man I believe I am. And she did.
She tugs her hand free, curls them both around my jaw, and pulls me down for a kiss. “Now that we’re clear on that…” She sighs when we break apart. “You should probably make love to me.”
Grinning like a damn fool, I shift so I’m on my knees, lift her ass with both hands, and drive in deep. “Sweetest words I’ve ever heard.”