Page 125 of Before I Loved You

And he knows it, too. His eyes soften before me as he cups my cheek in his hand. I close my eyes while he brings our foreheads together, kissing my lips softly.

It’s soft. Sweet. Perfect.

I open my eyes, staring into two pools of chocolate brown with tiny golden flecks. Unspoken words travel between us, whispered in the silence around us—three little words that hold more meaning in the English dictionary than any three words combined.

I love you.

Straightening my back, I clutch Paul’s shoulders for support as I roll my hips sensually and slowly, feeling every inch of him inside me. Paul leans forward, taking one of my breasts in his hand while he begins sucking on my hardened nipple on the other one. He teases, sucks, and licks each nipple back and forth, turning me into a breathless, panting mess.

Eventually, his hands move up to my waist, gliding smoothly over my skin before splaying out over my back, securing me to him as I begin to lift my hips up and down, riding my man. I don’t let up even as my thighs start to shake and my body tenses, readying for an orgasm that I just know will put all others to shame.

“That’s it, baby girl,” Paul whispers. “I want you to come all over my cock like you own it because you do. You own all of me.”

Paul sneaks a hand between us, encircling my clit with just the right amount of pressure to send me over the edge, free-falling into his arms, collapsing against his chest. He takes over, thrusting into me wildly before tensing beneath me with a guttural groan as his warmth spills inside me.

I’m shaking from head to toe. Every part of my body tingles in pleasure as a heavy weight of exhaustion sinks over me like a cozy blanket.

Resting my head on his shoulder, I place my hand on his chest, feeling the mirroring beat of his heart to my own. His hand clasps mine, intertwining our fingers as his other hand slides around my body, protectively holding me.

Once we both have our breathing regulated and our hearts pumping at an acceptable speed, I let my eyelashes flutter open.

“So, are you going to tell me why you aren’t playing in your game right now?” I ask, trailing a finger over his collarbone.

He takes a deep breath, his finger tracing over the tattoos on my thigh.

“Yeah, I am.” He kisses my temple, holding me tighter to his body. “I told you everything with the video was taken care of, and that part was true. But when Ray got into his computer, he discovered that you weren’t the only one Greyson did this to.”

I sit up in shock.

“You mean…”

He nods. “Yes. There were others.” He pushes my wild sex hair behind my ear. “Ray saw a file labeled ‘Sarah’ and assumed it was yours. He didn’t need me to confirm anymore, but it wasn’t good enough for me. I couldn’t risk it. So I told Ray to send me your video.”

My lips part in shock. He had my permission to watch it, and I knew that was the plan, but hearing him confirm that he did is entirely different. “You saw it?”

His eyes travel up to the ceiling. “I only watched the first minute.” He looks back at me. “I saw you walk into the room with him, and then I saw him push you onto the bed, and that was all I could stomach.”

I bite my bottom lip, remembering how scared I was then.

“I wanted to kill him, Sarah. I wanted to kill him with my own two hands, and I’ve never felt that way about anyone in my life. I wanted to see with my own eyes what he did to you so I wouldn’t feel an ounce of remorse for what I was about to do to him.” He reaches for the comforter, bringing it up around us. “So, after I saw what I needed to see and confirmed with Ray that every single video was erased, I went down to the bar where a few guys from the team were, including Greyson and I… I beat the shit out of him. All I saw was red. I couldn’t stop. But it’s not enough. It’ll never be enough after what he put you through.” He runs a trembling hand over his face, going silent.

I pull his hand away, kissing each knuckle. “You wanted to protect me. You wanted to make me feel safe, and you did. It’s over now. And I can’t thank you enough for what you and your brother have done for me.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t thank me, Sarah. Not for that. Not for something that never should have happened to you.” He wraps his arm around me. “Coach got wind of what occurred, and although he assumes something bad had to have happened for me to act out of character, I didn’t tell him what caused me to lose my cool. So he suspended me from playing in my next three games as a warning to me and the rest of the team that behavior like that is not tolerated.”

I reach up to his face. “I’m so sorry.”

He smiles. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about, Sarah. I will do whatever I need to do to take care of you.” He places his palm over my stomach. “And our baby.”

I swallow every ounce of emotion in my throat.

“I’m really glad you walked into that bar on my birthday,” I whisper, holding back my tears.

“Me too, baby girl.” He pulls me down with him, wrapping the blanket around us as he spoons me from behind, keeping his hand on my stomach while kissing the top of my head. “Me too.”

* * *

Blues and greens. Smooth lines and textured waves. Past, present, and future.

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