Page 14 of Gooey

Softly, I ask, “Strange how?”

“My whole life, I wanted to get away from their world. The glitz and glam, the dishonesty that is business connections, the politics of it all… I fucking hated it there. So, a few years back, I finally fucking left. Took over this place and never looked back.”

“And now?”

He hesitates. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“I doubt it,” I assure him. “You’d be surprised what goes on in my head, Moore.”

His eyes leave mine, but his hands move further up, begging to knead the middle part of my thighs. It feels so fucking good I have to bite the inside of my cheek to withhold any sort of whimpering or moans.

“Since fishing you out of the water, I’ve thought about two things,” he says, voice thick and full of emotion. “You and my family. I don’t think I ever meant to leave them for this long. Years without talking can pass by unexpectedly quick when you aren’t paying attention.”

“A brush with death can make people realize all they have to lose,” I say solemnly.

Moore half-chuckles, shaking his head. “I haven’t been thinking about what it would be like if I died without speaking to them in nearly three years. I’ve been thinking about how I want my brother to be my best man at my wedding someday. A wedding I never saw myself having. Until you.”

I gasp, my heart beginning to race.

“And now you see what I mean by crazy.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” I blurt out with a rushed breath. “You should call him, your brother. He’ll need a tux if he’s your best man.”

Eyes blazing wildly, Moore’s hands tighten on my legs. “You don’t mean that.”

Leaning down to reach for his face, I plant my hand on the side of his head. My thumb traces his cheekbone and I smile. “I told you, I don’t think you’re crazy.”

“You’re unbelievable,” he says, leaning into my touch. “I feel like I’m going to wake up tomorrow and you’ll have been a dream. One glorious fucking hallucination.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I reply softly. “Not without you.”

“I won’t ask you to commit to that?—”

“You’re not asking,” I interrupt. “I’m telling you. I’m not going anywhere without you, Moore. I’ve known you for only hours now and I feel like I might die if I can’t be with you.”

“You’re not dying,” he insists firmly. “I won’t let you.”

I grin, pressing my lips to his cheek before laying back down. “Why don’t we talk about our future tomorrow, so I don’t overwhelm you too much, hmm?”

“You’re a confident little thing, sugar,” he says through a laugh. “You know just what you want, don’t you?”

Nodding once, I sigh happily. “And don’t you forget it, mister.”

“And what is it that you want right now, beautiful girl?”

My body glows under his praise. “Your hands to move higher up.”

Immediately, his massaging shifts upward. My throat vibrates with a noise of appreciation, a sweet moan barely leaving my lips.

“Better?” he asks gruffly.

“I think I’m sore a little higher, too,” I whisper breathlessly.

“You think so, baby?” He looks up at me, eyes blazing. Suddenly, his fingertips brush against the fabric between my legs and my tummy turns to mush. “Here?”

When my head dips in a nod, he clicks his tongue. “No, sweetheart, I don’t think you’re sore here at all. I think you’re aching.”

My fingers dig into the bedspread. “Why do you think that?”

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