Page 178 of Always Us

“Hmm. Those are my two favorite desserts. I don’t know what else to guess.”

I smile and step back until I’m out of his grasp. I’m wearing a strapless white sundress and I tug it down slowly until it’s down at my ankles. I step out it, and am left wearing just my lacy white string bikinis.

“This is dessert.” I spin around, showing myself off. “But if you don’t like it, there’s some ice cream in the freezer.”

His gaze sweeps over my nearly-naked body. I see the want in his eyes. The need. The desire. He’s been traveling the past two weeks and just got back before we had dinner. Two weeks is a long time for us to be apart. It seems like months since we’ve been together.

He steps forward, his arms enveloping me. “Damn, I’ve missed you.” His lips crash into mine as his arms tighten around me, bringing me closer. Our tongues tangle as our bodies press together. I feel his desire for me and it fires up my core. He lifts me up, our mouths still joined, and I wrap my legs around his waist.

“I can’t go this long without you,” he says as he carries me to the bedroom. “I missed you way too much.”

He lays me on the bed, then strips his clothes off, his eyes on me as he does. He slides my panties off and lies next to me, gazing at my body as his hand drifts over my skin. “I swear you look even hotter now than when I met you. How is that possible?”

I don’t usually compliment myself, but he’s right. Expanding my workouts beyond running has really reshaped my body. My muscles are more defined, my butt has more shape, and being out in the sun a lot has given my skin a golden glow.

Garret looks better, too. I thought he was hot when I met him, but back then he still had the body of a teen. Now he has the body of a man. He’s bigger, more built. And he still has those incredible abs.

He slips his hand between my legs and his mouth moves to my breast. My breath catches, and I close my eyes, savoring the feel of his touch. I’ve missed him, too. So much that I’m surprised we made it through dinner without ripping each other’s clothes off.

I reach down and feel him, stroking him.

“Jade,” he breathes out. “I’ve really fucking missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

His hand continues to tease me as his mouth moves back up to my lips. We kiss, and it stirs up more want, more desire between us. But it’s more than just physical. It always has been with him. Whenever Garret and I are together like this, I feel the love he has for me. The love we share. I feel it in the way he touches me and kisses me.

His body shifts, covering me, and I feel the tip of him, then all of him as he pushes inside me. He gazes down at me. “I love you. I love you so damn much.” He leaves soft kisses along my cheek and my lips as he moves in and out in slow rhythmic movements.

I run my hands through his hair. “I love you, too.”

He keeps his pace steady, not wanting to rush this, but I crave the release as the tension winds tight within my core, continuing to build as he moves inside me. I feel his muscles tense, his hand gripping my hip as he drives harder and deeper. My whole body responds, quaking beneath him as my release finally erupts in powerful waves. I grab hold of him as it does, and then I relax, my arms and head falling back on the bed.

Garret softly kisses my forehead and my lips, then his movements speed up again and he continues until I feel his body shudder and come to rest over mine.

We lie there for several minutes. My body is warm, still filled with sensations. That might’ve been the best sex we’ve ever had. Or maybe it’s just because I haven’t been with him for weeks.

“I actually do have a real dessert for you,” I tell him.

“I don’t need it. That was more than enough. That was amazing.” He moves off me to the side.

I take my spot under his arm, looking up at him. “It was even better than normal, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s always amazing but that was—shit, that was beyond amazing.”

“Did we do something differently?”

“I don’t think so.” He runs his warm hand up and down my arm, which is lying over his chest. “Maybe we’re just getting better at it. We should practice more so we just keep improving.”

“I agree, but to do that, you have to be home more.” I say it jokingly, but his traveling does bother me. He’s been gone way too much.

“Yeah, I need to figure out my schedule. Try to cut back on the travel. But you know, you can always come with me.”

“I will. But I like being home. I like this house and being here with Grace. I just wish you could be here, too.” I lay my head on his chest. “Garret, I don’t want you to become your dad. I mean, I don’t want you to get so into your work that I never see you.”

“Jade.” He waits until I look at him. “If you want me to cut back at work, I will. Just tell me. I’m trying to make this company a success, but sometimes it’s hard to stop. I’m competitive and driven to succeed and sometimes that takes over. I need you to stop me from letting that side of me get out of control. The past few months you’ve been busy, too, so I just kept working. But we need to find the right balance between work and this. Us.” He kisses me. “Because us is the most important thing.”

“I don’t want to tell you what to do.”

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