Page 70 of The Penalty

“Yes.” I pushed myself up on my knees, removed my bikini bottom, and pulled down his shorts. “I think you should give it to me right here.”

He hissed out a breath when I lowered myself on his cock. “You’re insatiable.”

“You love it.” I settled into a rhythm, rocking back and forth, using his hard length to rub against my clit.

“I do, dirty princess. I do.”

Two hours, two rounds in the pool, one shower and countless orgasms later, we laid on the bed, talking and laughing and falling deeper into an abyss I never wanted to escape. As much as I was looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow, I’d rather stay with him like this for one more day. Just us. Lost in our own world.

A lock of his hair fell across his forehead. I smoothed it back, sinking my fingers in the softness. Xavier glanced at the nightstand. His mouth tipped up in a smile.

“What?” I asked.

“It’s midnight.”

“And?”

He pulled me close, running his fingers up my thigh and over my hip, stopping beneath the curve of my bare breast. “Happy birthday, love.”

His lips covered mine in a whisper of gentle warmth. He licked the seam of my mouth slowly, savoring me before pushing inside. The pad of his thumb teased along my nipple, coaxing it into a hard peak. On a moan, he deepened the kiss, inhaling me, pressing his body to mine. I kept my fingers in his hair, tugging gently.

The weight of his body pushed me into the mattress when he rolled on top, nudging my thighs apart with his knee.

“Again?” I asked against the dampness of his mouth.

“Not right now.” He paused. “Tori…”

“Hmm?” I brushed my fingers along his jaw, still floating in the haze of his kiss.

“I…can I tell you something?” His raw whisper clawed at my heart.

“You can tell me anything.”

Xavier exhaled a shuddering breath. He’d been more open with me on this trip than at any other time. I dipped my head, kissing the soft skin beneath his ear.

“Fuck. When you do that it feels…” The slight tremble in his voice nearly shattered me to pieces. “You bring light to my life, Tori. It’s beautiful but it burns. It burns every part of me. And…I never want the light to end. I never want us to end. Please don’t ever take your light away. ”

Xavier and I didn’t talk much on the drive to the airport. My thoughts still swirled around the days we’d spent together in blissful seclusion at the rental, the wonderful afternoon with friends, and the beautiful birthday present he’d given me.

If someone told me four months ago I’d not only fight to keep Briarcliff Cottage, but I’d have a boyfriend tell me he’d renovate it, I would have thought they’d been whacked in the head.

A boyfriend? Never.

Briarcliff Cottage? The last place my family vacationed together? Abso-fucking-lutely not.

But that was my reality and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

“Want to walk me to the plane?” Xavier asked, squeezing my leg.

We’d arrived at the private executive airport. Bennet’s jet sat on the tarmac, gleaming under the hangar lights. The last thing I wanted to do was say goodbye to Xavier and make the drive back to Manhattan alone.

“I’ll walk you there but don’t expect me to let you actually get on it.”

His soft smile didn’t help the situation.

Ground crew members performed their final checks on the plane as we approached. The engines idled, waiting for takeoff.

“Text me as soon as you land.” I wrapped my arms around him.

---