Page 76 of The Very First Night

Ho-ly shit.

Where the hell did this man come from? Because this sure as hell isn’t the friend with whom I watch Community and share a pint of rocky road. This man…this man is…sexy.

As if he commands it into existence, my orgasm sneaks up on me like a freight train ready to go off the tracks. Every muscle in my body tenses and waves of pleasure radiate from my core as I reach the peak of my climax. My hips buck uncontrollably, and I let out a primal moan as my orgasm crashes over me in a powerful wave. I clench around him as I ride out my pleasure, and he lets out quite possibly the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard.

Forget living a long and healthy life; forget goals, forget graduating. I have lived a full life knowing that sound on his lips—knowing that I’m the one who put it there. Knowing the moan of pleasure that escapes him as he succumbs to his own pleasure is only amplified by the sound of my name on his lips.

I’m good. Universe, take me now.

As we come down from oblivion, his body goes limp and he collapses. We both gasp for air, my chest rising and falling with each ragged breath. Our bodies are slick with sweat, sticking together as we struggle to catch our breath.

“Holy shit,” I gasp.

Tanner’s lips crack into a smile as he pulls out of me and tosses the condom in the trash can. He rolls onto his side to face me. “Good, then?”

“Just cataloging some information for later.”

He laughs. “Oh? And what’s that?”

“Apparently, sex with friends leads to mind-blowing orgasms.”

THIRTY-SIX

KAT

My body feels like Jell-O—like actual Jell-O.

I’m not sure that I’ve ever been quite this exhausted. Spent doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Twilight seeps through the blinds, casting a subtle shadow over the messy bed. I fight against the heavy weight of sleep and find myself tangled in sheets and Tanner’s limbs. His strong arm is wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to his warm body. I know I should leave and go back to my own bed, but it’s so comfortable here. I remind myself that this is just a physical arrangement between us, but it’s hard to resist staying for a few more moments of blissful rest in his arms.

Just move, Kat, I order myself. Right now might be great, but what about in a few hours when we wake up? What about when morning fully comes and we’re met with the realization that we didn’t just sleep together, but actually slept together?

After having sex, things are even more complicated and confusing than before. The memory of him inside me makes my thighs clench together, and the lingering soreness serves as a constant reminder that what happened between us cannot be undone.

The most terrifying part is that I’m not even sure I want to undo it.

Something shifted between us, and I can’t help but think about what comes next.

Except for the fact that what comes next is me getting out of his bedroom immediately.

Gently I wrap my fingers around his wrist to lift his arm so I can slip away, only for him to tighten it around my stomach. My bare stomach.

Oh my God, we’re both still naked. We must have passed out immediately afterward.

Fuck. Me.

I try to move his arm again, but Tanner holds firm, the heat from his body enveloping me in a calming cocoon.

“Nope,” he mumbles against the back of my head. “You’re not leaving. This is part of the deal.”

“I need to go to my own bed.”

“Nope.” He says it so matter-of-factly, like him simply saying it’s not happening suddenly makes it so.

I make one last attempt to pry his arm away, but he’s hard as steel.

“Kat,” he huffs, clearly irritated. “Please stay in here. Just for tonight.”

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