Page 52 of Never Have I Ever

So hard.

I fall back, closing my eyes to absorb the shock. My thoughts are wild as he starts thrusting in and out, the blanket causing us to slide across the couch. He drops his head beside mine and groans to a stop. “Fuck.”

Opening my eyes, I find his already on me. He grins the naughtiest I’ve ever seen him. Through jagged breaths, I smile back. “What is it?”

“You. You’re fucking beautiful like that.”

Heat floods my face, but I pretend the compliment doesn’t make me feel incredible. “Like what?”

“With me inside you.”

I burst into flames, my whole body burning under his gaze. Scraping my nails lightly down his back, I whisper, “You feel too good to stop.”

“I can’t get traction on this fucking couch. We’re slipping all over the fucking place.”

“Bed?”

“Definitely.” He’s up and grabbing me bundled in the blanket. He walks down the hall and sets me on the bed. The curtains are open, allowing just a hint of the night in. I climb under the covers, and he moves in right after.

It feels different in here. Less hurried. Softer, like the sheets. More romantic. Away from the fire, the air is too cold to stay exposed for long. We reposition, making sure the covers remain over us.

This time, he enters me while staring into my eyes and follows with a gentle kiss. Our lips part as I wrap my arms around him. Slower, our bodies move together and then against, finding purchase in each other instead of the mattress.

When our bodies warm, the blankets roll off his back. Every muscle in his arms, his back, and his chest is hard. It’s so sexy to watch him push into me over and over again. Kisses on my mouth lead to kisses on my neck. He moves so smoothly that he never loses contact. “So good, baby. So goddamn tight.”

His words are treats that I feed off, his body so strong that I leverage mine against him. But the admiration in his eyes, the appreciation falling off his tongue sends me spiraling.

Reaching the peak of my pleasure, I arch my back, my nipple clipped by his lips, and his fingers tease me until I tumble into the abyss. “Ah, so . . . yes.”

I hold him to keep from falling forever, but then he jerks, his breath punctuated in my ear. “Poppy, fuck. Yes.” My name and his pleasure mingle together as he falls with me.

Pushing another moan on the last of my trembling arches, I fall flat on the bed again as I reach for reality. “Laird,” I whisper, my body sweaty against his. “Laird,” I exhale.

The weight of the world presses down on me, and I savor every second until it becomes too much. I kiss the side of his head where the ends are wet from his own sweat, but not to tell him to move. Right now. Right here. I’d sacrifice myself for the gratification of holding him as he returns to me. I tighten my arms, proving it, and whisper, “This will always be one of my favorite memories.”

18

Laird

I’ll be nothing more than a memory to her?

“I don’t want to be a memory.” I push up and drop to Poppy’s side, keeping my eyes on hers.

“I didn’t mean anything by it.” Twisting to her side to face me, she runs her fingers down my cheek. “Just that I’ll always remember this—”

“Fuck.” I squeeze the bridge of my nose, realizing my words are prisoners to her condition. I could lose her. I could lose her before she knows the truth because I can’t fucking say anything to her.

Not about Austin.

Not about the proposal.

Not even about me.

I should be glad she’ll remember me this time, but it’s not enough. Frustration consumes me, replacing the good and how amazing I felt.

With her hand coming to rest on my chest, on the star that we share, she says, “I’m sorry, Laird. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t upset me.”

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