Page 78 of Need Him Like Oxygen

“Fuck,” I moaned, head falling back as the orgasm started to crest.

Dav thrust up into me harder, faster, driving me right through the orgasm that had me crying out over and over, my body shaky as I took him with me as while called out my name.

I was still straddling him, sucking deep, greedy breaths, when, suddenly, one caught on a bubble of laughter that only spread until it was a full, rolling laugh.

“What is it?” Dav asked, giving me a strange smile as his fingers moved up and down my thighs.

“This is insane,” I said, shaking my head. “We just fucked over the sinking corpse of a guy I just killed.”

A chuckle moved through him as I lifted off, trying to gather all of my clothes and slip back into them.

“Hey, if ever there was a night when we deserved a little stress relief, this was it,” he reasoned.

“There’s a trash can back there,” I said as he removed the condom. “We can take the bag with us,” I added. “Drop it off somewhere on the way back to Brooklyn.”

With that, he walked off, leaving me to complete the unglamorous job of getting my boobs back into a bra in private.

“What’s the matter?” Dav asked as he walked back, finding me standing there, fully dressed aside from my jacket that was still on the dock beside his.

“My boot is missing.”

His gaze immediately went to the water, dread filling his eyes. “Do you think the algae is dead in the winter?” he asked, grimacing at the idea of going in.

“This is when I would normally insist on getting it myself,” I said, looking at the water too. “But I am going to play the role of damsel in distress and let you go get whatever flesh-eating bacteria that water has to offer.”

Another laugh burst out of Dav at that, his gaze sliding to me, something on his stupidly handsome face that had my chest feeling all gooey.

“Damn,” I said when my gaze slid away, liking that sensation too much, and knowing I needed to tamp it down.

“What?”

“It’s right there,” I said, waving toward where it had fallen off the dock into the dirt. “I was really rooting for the flesh-eating bacteria.”

That got another chuckle as he fetched the boot, then knelt down in front of me, offering it like a prince in a silly fairy tale.

Except I was nobody’s princess.

I shoved my foot in and was quick to walk around Dav, wanting to put more distance between us again.

The ride back through New Jersey didn’t have as much of the ease as riding into it had. We stopped for more coffee and fuel, dropped off the trash bag we’d taken, and got something quick to eat in the car.

By the time we were idling outside my apartment, the sun was up, blinding to my tired eyes.

“Go home and get some sleep,” I said when he moved to put the car in park.

“I need to help clean—“

“I’ve got it,” I cut him off. “You figure out something to do with that tote for me.”

“Cin…”

“Thanks, Dav,” I said, rushing out before he could say whatever he was about to.

I knew I was too delicate right then.

Too willing to let myself want things I couldn’t have.

It was better this way.

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