Sittingback on the balls of his feet, he shook his head with disbelief. Then, hereached out to lay a palm between my breasts and trailed the heat of his handfrom my sternum to my pubic bone.
“Ifeel like I should saysomethin’ right now,” he said,filling the silence with his voice. “But … Jesus, what the hell am I supposedto say to this?”
Icouldn’t fight my smile as I sat up and hooked my finger into the waistband ofhis boxer briefs. “Then, don’t say anything. Just take these off.”
“Ican do that,” he stated confidently, and like an eager teenager, he quicklyshucked the boxers from his body and tossed them over his shoulder to thefloor.
Mygrin was wide as he laid over me again, the searing heat of his body stoking afire in my core, and I caught the look of hesitance in his eyes. Theuncertainty and questioning ofare wesure wewannado thisandwhathappenstousafter it’s done. This was the point of no return and I knew it.Once we crossed that line, once my body had known his and his knew mine, therewould be no forgetting. No taking it back. But I kissed him gently, sweetly.Without the use of words, I reassured him that the only direction I wanted usto go was forward.
Chadthreaded his fingers with mine and completed our puzzle with a steady thrust.He groaned into my mouth and the sound met the moan that escaped my throat. Theinhibitions from before disappeared with a desperation to get closer and falldeeper. To entangle ourselves tighter in this new, wonderful, and nearlyunexpected thing.
Withoutwarning, I was shoved over the edge with a gentle bite to my shoulder. It was asilent command, a sting of delicious pain soothed with the pleasure of hislips. I unwound with a cry, louder than intended, and he took it as permissionto follow. Rough, purposeful, and urgent movements of his hips against mine,until a noise rivaling a growl came from his mouth to be silenced by a kiss.
“Fuck,fuck, fuck,” he breathed, panting with his forehead against my shoulder.
“Wow.”My fingers clung to his back as I stared at the ceiling, biting my lip to wardoff a torrent of rapid emotion laying siege to my throat. But who the hell wasI kidding? There was no fighting it, and the first of my tears slipped over mycheeks.
“Oh,God,” Chad muttered and lifted his head. “Molly, you’re not allowed to cry.”
“Ican’t help it,” I replied as my tears mingled with laughter.
“Ifyou cry, I’mgonnacry, and I really don’twannado that.”
Igiggled, laying a hand over my eyes. “Oh, how romantic ... ‘They were bestfriends until one day, they had amazing sex. They both wept like babies, andthey lived happily ever after, the end.’”
Herolled to the side and gathered me in his arms. “Well, that’s not the worststory I’ve ever heard.”
“Thepart about the amazing sex does it for me, too,” I joked, my tears quelling asa warm comfort spread beyond my body and I was convinced it touched my soul.
“Really?”His eyes narrowed and his lips twisted with consideration. “I mean, that isgood. Realgood, actually. But, Idunno.Ikindalike the part about happily ever after. Thatsounds pretty nice.”
Inodded hesitantly. “It does.”
“Ithink you’re mine.”
Thestatement was bold and blunt, sweet and sure. I smiled but felt the need topull him back down to reality, all while hating myself for it.
“Doyou really think that exists?”
“What?”He cocked his head.
“Happilyever after.”
Witha starting assurance, he nodded. “Absolutely. Look at my parents.”
“Lookat mine,” I countered with a challenge, and he pursed his lips.
“Well,”he replied, “why don’t you start bytellin’ me about‘em?”
27
LetMolls Be Better Than Me
MOLLY
“WHAT DOYOU MEAN?”I asked. “You already know about my parents.”
“Iknow your dad left,” Chad replied, tracing my jawline with his fingers. “But Iknownothin’ else. You’ve never talked about it.”
