Page 67 of He Falls First

Elizabeth tears her mouth from mine. “Hendrix, please.” Her voice is throaty, needy.

That tone on my name from her lips undoes me. I carry her to the bed, laying her out before me like a feast. She’s perfection embodied—curves and softness and warmth. I want to spend hours exploring every inch of her, learning what makes her gasp and moan and come apart beneath my hands and mouth.

Mentally, I’m listing all the things I adore about her.

Her kindness, her wit, her ability to make me laugh even when I’m at my lowest. The more I think about it, the more it dawns on me.

I’m in love with her.

Hell, I’ve been in love with her since the day we met. The realization is like a bolt of lightning, illuminating the truth that’s been hiding in plain sight.

But I can’t tell her. No matter how much I want to, I just can’t. I’m sure she doesn’t feel the same way about me, and besides, she deserves so much better. She deserves someone who’ll fall for her first without all this fake engagement nonsense.

But I’m desperate to show her how I feel, anyway.

I pull Elizabeth close, our bodies pressed together as I lean down to capture her lips until she melts into me, her hands gripping my shoulders.

“I need you, Elizabeth,” I murmur against her lips, my voice raw with emotion.

She whispers, “Take me, Hendrix.”

I shed my clothes in record time and join her on the bed, caging her in with my body. Elizabeth hitches a leg around my hip, wordlessly begging for more. I oblige, sliding a hand between her thighs. She’s soaked for me already, and I groan at the proof of her desire. I tease her entrance, circling and stroking until she’s writhing beneath me.

I can deny her nothing, so I position myself at her slick slit and push inside in one smooth thrust. We moan in unison at the feeling of joining, of becoming one.

For a moment I stay still, savoring the sensation of her wrapped around me. Then I draw back and surge forward again. We find a rhythm, hard and fast, chasing the pleasure that builds with each thrust.

Elizabeth meets me stroke for stroke, her fingers tangled in my hair to pull my mouth back to hers. Our kisses are messy, desperate things now as we race toward the edge together.

The pressure coils low in my gut, white-hot and intense, spreading through my veins. Elizabeth clenches around me, her back arching off the bed as she shatters apart. The sight of her coming undone pushes me into my own orgasm. I bury my face in her neck and let go, spilling inside her with a groan.

We lie together, limbs entangled, as our breathing slows. I brush a kiss over her forehead, wishing I could freeze this moment in time. But I know as soon as I leave this room, the walls I’ve built between the different parts of my life will go back up.

Because no matter how deep my feelings for Elizabeth run, I can never truly make her mine. And when this charade ends in a week, I’ll have to let her go. She’s made it clear she’s committed to her pledge, and telling her the truth will only make things harder for us both when this arrangement ends.

I’ll do whatever it takes to protect Elizabeth—even if it means hiding my love for her forever.

“Hey,” Elizabeth whispers, tracing her fingers over my chest. “I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Why did you react like that when Gabrielle suggested we might have real feelings for each other?”

I freeze. “Like what?”

I’m stalling. I know how I reacted. Know Elizabeth saw me go from appreciating Gabrielle’s presence in my life to snapping at her, just like that, because I couldn’t sit with what she was saying. Couldn’t face Gabrielle’s idea that we should give a real relationship a shot, because hoping for that would only set me up to smash my heart to pieces.

“You seemed… bothered.” She sniffs.

I push away from her, putting space between us on the bed. “And? Why wouldn’t I be bothered? Gabrielle was missing the point of what we’re doing here.”

“What are we doing here?” Elizabeth studies me, searching for an answer in my eyes. “Hendrix, do you have real feelings for me?”

“I have…” My heart aches as I search for the right words. “I have a responsibility to secure the company, and I need to focus on that. Besides, I’m not the kind of guy you should be with.”

“I don’t believe that,” she says, her voice firm. “You’re caring, devoted, and protective. You’ve shown me how much you value the people you love. So why can’t we be together for real?”

“Because I’m not good enough for you,” I admit, my chest feeling heavy. “You deserve someone who can give you everything you want—love, stability, a future. I can’t promise you that. I have other priorities.”

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