Page 106 of Anyone But Her

My boxer briefs are still on because it's the only way I can hold myself back. If they were off I'd be inside her right now. I'm trying to slow down because I don't know when we'll be able to do this again. Maybe not for weeks, or months. So I'm taking my time, savoring her body, pleasuring her.

"Luke," she moans, breathing heavy. She's gripping my hair like she's about to yank it out. I keep going, my tongue and fingers doing double duty.

"Oh God." She arches back as she comes, and it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I love that I made her feel that way. Not Noah. Not some other guy. But me. I want to be it for her. I don't want her with anyone else. I want her to be mine.

I rip my boxer briefs off and grab one of the condoms I hid in the nightstand just in case. I quickly put it on, then position myself between her legs and look down at her beautiful face. I want to tell her I love her. I want to so badly, but I can't. It's too soon.

There's enough moonlight coming through the windows that I can see her eyes, looking at me as though she wants to say something. Does she love me too? Does she want to say it as much as I do but she's scared it's too soon? I don't want to assume that in case it isn't true, but I'm feeling something from her with the look she's giving me, and it feels like love.

My lips brush against hers and I feel her warm breath. I feel it mixing with mine. I kiss her, softly this time, as I press inside her, just barely, to make absolutely sure that she wants this. She answers by pushing her hips up, letting me have more of her, and so I sink down, slowly, until I'm buried deep inside her.

"You feel so good," I whisper between kisses. "I just want to stay here."

I wish I could capture this moment, this night, so I could remember every detail. I don't want it to end. After being with her like this, I don't want to have to go back to pretending we're just friends.

My body is screaming at me to finish. I thrust in and out of her, trying to make it last but feeling like I'm ready to burst. Taylor cries out like she just came again. I didn't think she would since she just did, but hearing her come makes me do the same. My body lets go, a powerful release that shudders through me.

I kiss her as I come down from it. I kiss her mouth, her cheek, her neck. I could kiss her all night. I can't get enough of her.

"I love you."

Wait—did Taylor just say she loves me?

My head pops up and I look at her. "What did you say?"

She doesn't answer. Maybe I imagined it.

"Did you just say you love me?"

She closes her eyes and cringes. "I didn't mean to."

"Oh," I say, my heart sinking. "Okay."

"No!" Her eyes blink open. "I didn't mean it that way. I meant what I said. I just didn't mean to say it."

"I'm not sure what you're telling me. So you do love me?"

"I think so. I mean, I'm pretty sure I do. I've never been in love before." She sighs. "I shouldn't have said it. It's too soon. I just got caught up in the moment."

"It's not too soon. I wanted to say it too but I was afraid you weren't ready to hear it. I was afraid you wouldn't believe it, that you'd say we haven't dated long enough. But the thing is...even though we haven't had much time actually being together, we've spent a lot of time talking on the phone and talking over text and because of that, I feel like I know you more than girls I dated for months."

"That's how I feel too. Last spring, all those talks we had on the phone, I got scared."

"Why would that scare you?"

"Because I was falling for you. I was falling in love, and I knew it was wrong so that's why I told you we couldn't talk anymore."

That's why she did it? That's why she stopped talking to me? Because she was falling in love with me?

"Taylor, it's not wrong. Nothing we're doing is wrong. Loving each other isn't wrong. What's wrong is your family not wanting us to be together. But that's their thing to deal with, not ours. It's them being uncomfortable with it because I'm like part of the family. But they'll come to accept us. I know they will. As for you and me, and how we feel about each other? There's nothing wrong with that." I smile at her. "You love me."

She smiles back. "I said I think I do."

I chuckle. "You do. I can tell that you do. I can feel it." I kiss her. "I love you too. The truth is, I've loved you for a long time. The first time I saw you, back when you were just a kid making faces to the camera while your dad did an interview, I immediately liked you. I couldn't take my eyes off you. I didn't even know what love was back then, but a part of me fell in love with you that day. And then I met you and knew that what I was feeling wasn't just attraction." I move so I'm lying on my back. "Come here."

She cuddles up next to me. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to make this work."

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