Page 178 of Unspoken Rules

He growls, the muscles in his body straining as he pounds into me even harder. Sweat beads on his forehead, teeth sunk into his bottom lip. When he comes, the look on his face is fucking beautiful. Blissed out with a bit of pain. His lips part, nostrils flaring. Fuck, this man is gorgeous. So fucking gorgeous.

He leans down, taking my mouth and kissing me passionately, still grinding into me which has me whimpering.

“The first time I told you I loved you wasn’t good enough. So forget about it.” I open my mouth to speak, but he kisses me again. “Forget about it,” he says again. “Is it forgotten?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

He lifts up a little, putting his weight on one forearm while brushing his thumb along my chin, then cupping my cheek. He searches my eyes, and I see nothing but pure adoration on his face. My heart swells so big. I know what he’s about to say, and my stomach fills with a swarm of butterflies.

“I love you, Bryson Montgomery. So fucking much it’s unreal.”

I bite my lip, smiling up at him like a love-sick fool. He leans down to kiss me again, and fuck, this is what dreams are made of.

“I love you too, Cole Harper. So much that it’s pathetic.”

He grins, brushing his nose along mine. “Nothing about us is pathetic.”

I run my hands up his sides. “And this is all very real,” I add, though it’s still hard to believe.

Cole kisses me again, soft and slow. Loving. We just lie here, kissing each other like teenagers. Like lovers. Like we’re allowed to, without a care in the world.

When we finally pull apart, we make our way to the shower, which isn’t easy since my shower is small, but we manage. He washes me like he always does when we shower together, and this time I don’t fight him. I allow myself to enjoy it. We get out, get into pajama pants, and lie in bed. In my bed. The one I have here in Boston, in my apartment.

Cole is here.

“We have a lot to talk about,” I say.

“We do,” Cole agrees in a sleepy voice. He tugs me closer to him. “In the morning.”

I cuddle against Cole. We fall asleep tangled with one another, and we wake up the same way. Except in the light of day, reality crashes into me, and I realize that everything we have to talk about might not be good.

Chapter Seventy-Four

Bryson

After waking the first time, I forced myself back to sleep after a glance at the clock showed it was just past six, and Cole was still sleeping soundly. Why would I want to leave him so soon?

When I wake up next, the bed is empty and for a quick moment, I wonder if I made the whole thing up. A vivid dream or something.

But then his scent hits my nose, lingering on my pillow and the spot he laid on my bed. I bury my face there and inhale, smiling against it like an idiot. That smell… I wish I could bottle it. Have it with me always. Something about it calms me right to my soul.

I roll onto my back and glance toward the door. It’s open about an inch or two and soft clacking floats through the air. I smile to myself, get up to use the bathroom, then head to the kitchen.

Cole is in front of the stove, flipping something in a pan. Th e morning sun floods in through the open window. He’s there in nothing but the pants he put on before we fell asleep, and hell, he’s definitely been working out because the cuts on his arms are deeper than I remember. His abs are more defined. The man somehow got even sexier than he was. It’s insane.

He glances toward me when I move to him, and he flashes me a smile that has me weak. Cole holds his arm out and I move into his side. He squeezes me and kisses my temple.

Is this real?

“You’re making pancakes,” I say.

“Because they’re your favorite.”

“Why do you remember all my favorites?”

He chuckles, letting me go so he can flip the pancake. “Because you’re my favorite.”

My chest warms. I want to say I don’t deserve this man, but I do. I really deserve something good in my life, and he is it.

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