Page 104 of Catching Sparks

“Would you believe me if I said that being happy is what’s making me upset? That all of a sudden, I’m hit with the realization that my life before you was pathetic and that after having you wake me up after years of walking around half-alive, I’m supposed to go back to how things used to be?”

She slips her thumb down my face to trace the shape of my lips. I shiver, my eyes drifting shut.

“Yes, I would believe you. I don’t know what comes next for us, but I do know that if I let myself think about it, I’ll cry. And I don’t want to cry right now, Garrison. I’m so fucking happy that I don’t know how to contain myself,” she admits, her words hot puffs across my mouth.

“So, we won’t think about it, then. Not yet.”

“Not yet,” she agrees solemnly. “For now, how about you order me some fancy food to eat so that we can go explore. Sound good?”

I open my eyes, finding her so much closer than before. Our noses brush when I lean forward. “Yeah, I can do that.”

She cracks a grin and kisses me a final time before dropping her hands to my chest and pushing me back. I take two steps backward, and she slips out of my grasp, ducking into the bathroom before I have a chance to swat at her ass.

“Food, Sir Douchealot! You can spank me after,” she calls in a teasing tone that has me laughing again.

The sound of laughter used to be so foreign to me, but now, it’s as familiar as Poppy’s cheek-splitting smile. I never want to lose this feeling again, and as of this moment, it doesn’t matter what I have to do to keep it.

36

POPPY

I moan while I stretch my arms above my head the next morning, my knuckles brushing the smooth wooden bedpost. The air is already warm, and I breathe deeply, taking in the scent of salt water on the soft breeze. Curling my toes beneath the thin sheet we slept beneath last night, I wince at the ache between my legs.

Garrison has always been enthusiastic in bed, but last night? He was downright ravenous. I don’t remember when we fell asleep, only that we found ourselves fucking twice more after we crawled beneath the sheets until it wasn’t possible to stay awake any longer.

Despite the ache, I already want him again. If he’s ravenous, I’m feral. I’m going to have a bruised pussy by the end of this trip, but shit, is it ever worth it.

Speaking of Garrison, I turn onto my side and open my eyes, finding the bed empty where his handsome self should be. I frown, rolling onto my stomach, my face buried in his pillow.

It takes a second of internally moaning and groaning about him not being here and ready for a morning quickie before I tune in to the steady trickle of shower water coming from the ensuite. A beat later, I’m sliding out of bed and tugging the sheet around my bare shoulders. It drapes around me like a cloak as I pad into the bathroom and slip through the door he left open.

Desire burns through me as I watch him through the fogged glass of the shower. His arms are raised as he dips his head beneath the water and rinses the suds from his hair. I glare at the fog, wishing I could see through it.

He’s beautiful, all lean lines and powerful confidence. It steals the breath from my lungs just how incredible he is and then guts me from bottom to top with how easy it is for him to hide that fact. It’s a disservice to not only himself but to everyone else.

I lean back against the door and shut it softly, keeping my eyes locked on his silhouette. Whether he hears the barely there click as it closes or if he can simply feel that I’m in the room, he turns his head in my direction.

My smile is coy as I let the sheet fall to a puddle at my feet. “Room for one more?”

He pushes the door open, his pupils blown, leaving only a thin band of greenish brown as he scrolls them down my body. Goosebumps pebble across my bare skin, my nipples stiffening into sharp peaks as my breasts grow heavy. I’m damp between my legs from a single stare, and I’m not the least bit ashamed of that.

I drift toward him, the magnetic force between us having had enough of the distance. The heat from the water is intense. Droplets hit my skin, and I sigh as I step into the shower. Garrison faces me, the water splashing against his back and over his shoulders.

“Morning,” I whisper.

His grin is nothing more than a flash of white teeth before he’s on me. Mouth against my throat, he brackets me against the shower wall and grinds his hard cock against my belly.

“Good morning,” he breathes, sucking at my pulse, teeth scraping the sensitive skin.

Two fingers delve between my legs before sinking deep, forcing my eyes into the back of my skull. Garrison pistons them inside my pussy, paying extra attention to the spot that makes me see goddamn stars. His palm slides across my clit with delicious pressure with every thrust until my knees are shaking and I’m clutching at his arms to stay upright.

“That’s it, baby. So goddamn soaked for me. Did you miss me when you woke up? Was this pussy empty without me buried deep?”

I whimper, nodding furiously.

“Words, gorgeous. Give me your words and I’ll fill you right up,” he demands, tone deceptively gentle.

I push my hips against his hand, chasing his fingers, needing more. “So empty, Garrison. Need your cock.”

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