“We have all day to ourselves,” Holden whispers.
I pop up onto one elbow, sleep dissipating from my mind in an instant. “What do you mean? Where’s Ashton?”
“Took him to Phil and Sam’s for the play-date you postponed. Said they’d watch him as long as we need so we can have some time to just be a couple.”
“Holden…”
“We deserve this, don’t we? And wasn’t one of our problems not spending enough time together, just us?”
He’s right. I know it. So I drop back down and rub a hand over my face. Holden knows he’s won, that much is clear, and I barely have the willpower to stop him from kissing me. I manage it, though it is with immeasurable strength, and he rolls his eyes as I climb out of bed. Once my teeth are sufficiently scrubbed, I set my toothbrush in the holder and stare at my reflection in the mirror.
Nothing remains of the haunting darkness, the loneliness that stained my face during the separation. Now, all that’s there is the peace Holden brings to my life.
I suck my lower lip between my teeth then glance back through the door. Holden is watching me closely, smiling softly from the bed, and something tightens in my gut. His brows furrow as I reach for the hem of my shirt, and I tug the fabric over my head and let it fall to the floor. A laugh bursts free when I see his jaw has dropped. Then he’s scrambling off the bed.
He brushes his teeth quickly while I turn the shower on, waiting only a minute before stepping under the spray. My skin ripples with goosebumps, and I shiver even as I reach for the shampoo. Holden is close behind; he has stripped with efficiency and pins me against the wall. Leaves a searing kiss to my lips. The bottle falls from my hand as I wrap my arms around his shoulders.
“I’ve missed you,” he murmurs into the kiss, and his hands skim along my sides to rest heavily on my hips. “God, I’ve fucking missed you.”
“I missed you, too. So much.”
Words become scarce, no longer needed as Holden speaks volumes with the way he kisses me, steals my breath. His touch stokes the flames that eat at the very core of me. I have anticipated some sort of intimacy since the night he showed up in Austin and we talked, but I hadn’t expected it to feel so new. Heat and desire burn through me, and my fingernails press into his skin as I lose myself in the taste of mint on my tongue. I gasp when his thumb digs painfully against the sharp curve of my waist. His other hand slips between us, and a rough-padded finger presses into me with ease.
“Ho—Holden, please,” I whimper as I step impossibly closer. His body is a solid wall of heat along my front; the heel of his palm is firm, shifting just right, pressing against my clit with gentle pressure. “Please…”
“Whatever you want, sweetheart. Just tell me, and it’s yours.”
I shove my hips downward onto his hand, but it isn’t enough. It’ll never be enough. A litany of pleas falls from my lips, a chorus of wanton begging that should embarrass me. Holden chuckles darkly and hooks his finger forward. By the time he removes his hand, I am scarcely able to breath. My heart races, pounds, blood buzzing in my veins. My mind blanks out at the electric lust ripping through me when his cock brushes against me. His hand curves under my thigh, holds my knee to his ribs, and I cry out as he slides inside.
Home. Security. Love. Everything I have ever had with Holden echoes in my mind as he sets a pace that’s just this side of too rough. I want this to last. I ache to relish the sensations he brings me. Even though my back hurts from the solid cold wall behind me, this is perfect. It’s what I’ve needed. Holden kisses the tears from my cheeks, mouth painting my flesh with the butterfly-soft touch of his lips. His teeth suddenly scrape against the column of my throat—so rough, so desperately needed—and I burst into fragments of light and want and devotion to this man.
Holden’s thrusts slow as my orgasm crashes over me, and I pant heavily as my body twitches and shudders. I breathe out an order for him to keep going, don’t stop,please, and Holden gives me what I beg for. He trembles from want or exertion, I’m not sure, but I need him to be as satisfied as I am. He buries his face into my neck, breaths coming fast and hard, and he pushes into me with increasing tempo. I card my fingers through his hair, tug lightly on the strands. His head follows the pressure.
“Come for me, baby,” I whisper before covering his mouth with mine, and that’s all it takes.
Holden moans as his movements grow unsteady, jerky, then with a grunt, he spills inside of me. He fucks me through the high, each thrust more and more gentle. My legs are numb when he releases me, and my head spins. The world tilts wildly around me. I pats his chest clumsily and give him a wobbly smile.
“That’ll do.”
He gapes at me for a second then laughs in surprise. “You’re so rude!”
“You love me anyway.” I kiss away the smile on his lips. “And I love you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I came in here to take a shower, and you got in the way of completing that task.”
Holden’s hand lands sharp against my ass, and he tweaks my nipple before slipping out of the shower stall. I watch him through the glass with a grin then turn back to the water beating down on my skin.
Memories Made
Late-afternoonsunlightspillsthroughthe room, illuminates everything in yellow-white. I adjust the terrycloth belt of my robe before picking up my cup of coffee. My body aches in the most pleasant of ways, and I am completely spent.
After the shower, Holden and I had gone back to bed only to spend hours between the sheets. And again only forty-five minutes ago. It was a wonderful way of spending the day, but the intimacy was purely physical. I can’t ignore the voice in my head that says…
I stand at the door to the deck, stare out over the backyard, and blow out a heavy breath. The lack of communication since we came back, it’s a problem. It’s the same as before. And I don’t want it to be.
Not anymore.
“Everything okay?”
I turn and force a smile in Holden’s direction. “Yeah. Actually... No.”
