Page 70 of Shattered

“Do you have a pen?” I smile as I’m saying the words.

He looks back up at me before his lips crash against mine. His fingers tangle into my hair, pulling me closer. A tingling sensation forms in the pit of my stomach. It lights every nerve ending as it spreads through me like wildfire, completely consuming me.

I don’t know how he got to me, but he did. And he buried himself so deep inside my heart, there’s no way he’s ever leaving it. He went from a stranger who annoyed the fuck out of me, to becoming someone I love and long for.

He pulls away quickly.

“What are you doing?” I ask in a rush.

He pulls a pen from his pocket and hands it over to me.

I smile as I take it. Placing the pen to the paper, I slash through the last item on my list. I did it. I fell in love with my best friend’s half-brother. And it’s all because of her. She knew what I needed better than I did. She knew my heart when I didn’t.

Before I remove the pen from the notebook, River’s mouth is back on mine as he covers my body with his.

His hands travel from my face to my neck while I wrap my arms around him. I need to feel him against me. I lie back on the bed, pulling him up my body as I do so. He settles between my legs, pressing himself against my aching sex.

A whimper leaves me and I feel him twitch against me

He gets up to his knees and yanks his shirt off as I pull my shirt away. He’s towering over me, pushing and pulling clothes from his body. When he’s down to nothing but his white boxer-briefs that highlight the V between his hips, he lowers himself against my body again, eyes darkening and locked on mine like an animal stalking its prey.

His body is hard as it covers mine. His mouth trailing over my heated flesh teases me and causes my body to break out in goosebumps. His big hands firmly slide down my stomach, to my hips where he pushes my shorts down my thighs.

My hands are just as greedy as they tug down his boxers until his hard cock springs free and stands at attention.

When we’re both completely bare for the other, he lays me back down, taking his place on top of me.

“I love you, Jovi,” he whispers against my lips.

“I love you too, River.” When the words leave my mouth, he rears back and slams into me, making me call out.

He grinds against me, making every muscle in my body tense as my orgasm rises. I’m quivering with need as he slowly brings all our shattered pieces together, forming one picture perfect future together.

We’re not taking our time with one another. We can’t. This is hard and fast, our bodies automatic response to one another.

It’s a primal need deep inside us to completely fucking own the one we love. It’s bone deep. It can’t be ignored because it’s not something we chose. We may both be broken beyond repair with all the loss and hurt we’ve dealt with in our lives, but we find relief in each other. We found love: an earth shattering, take you over, explosive kind of love. Something that can’t be ignored no matter how hard we try. I can’t run from it. I can’t hide from it. It consumes me. It completely fucking shatters me.

He thrusts into me deep and hard. I’m calling out, he’s breathing erratically and the room is filled with the sounds of our calls of passion, as we both find our release together. My nails bite into his back as his hands hold my hips tightly. He shudders as he pushes into me one last time before he slows and comes to a stop on top of me.

He leans back so he can look into my eyes. “You did it.”

I wipe away a bead of sweat that’s forming on his brow. “I did what?”

“You finished the list. What are you going to do now?”

I smile. “Help you finish yours.”

Our lips crash together as our tongues swirl around, giving, taking, loving.

Katie knew what she was doing when she made us those lists. I can only hope she’s smiling down on us right now, happy that she got her way again.

I know a part of me will miss Katie the rest of my life, but she gave me so much. She taught me how to let go of what society deems acceptable. She taught me to laugh and have fun, how to put myself out there and accept the consequences. She gave me friends, life lessons that I will use every day, and she gave me River. Strong, wild and free, River.

He helped me in more ways than I thought possible. He helped me let go of Katie. He showed me what it was like to love and be loved. He helped me finish my list. And if I know one thing, and one thing only, it is that I will help him finish his.

Epilogue

SIX MONTHS LATER…

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