Page 68 of All My Heart

He rolled me until I was on my back, and he hovered over me. Then he kissed me. I curled my arms around his neck, holding him tight to me. I missed this. I missed him.

It was like we were showing each other with our bodies how we felt because we couldn't say it out loud. He kissed me for a long time. Then he eased back to help me out of my pajamas. He shoved his briefs down and settled between my legs.

His cock was hot and heavy against my inner thigh. He brushed a hair out of my face. “I missed working with you this week.”

“You need this time with your brother.” It was true even though I missed him too.

“I wish things could be different.” He sat back on his heels to line up his cock with my entrance.

I wasn't sure if he meant Teddy and me, or he meant family and a girlfriend. Either way, it wasn't possible. It was a waste of time to even think about it.

Yet he'd offered to flip a house together. I hadn't let him get into the details. I'd immediately dismissed it as impossible. Had I merely been protecting myself?

He entered me slowly, lowering himself over my body until I felt every hard inch of him. He interlaced his fingers with mine on either side of my head as he started a sensual glide, slowly driving me up and then over.

He pressed deep, emptying himself inside me. He lightly touched his forehead against mine. When he finally rolled to the side, I felt boneless. The entire act was sweet. He made me feel loved. Yet he hadn't said the words.

We both knew there was an end date for us which was quickly approaching.

He rolled away, padding toward the bathroom. I heard the water run. Then he returned with a washcloth to clean me up. It was thoughtful.

I felt more awake now than when he arrived, so I waited for him to climb into bed. I moved closer to him, needing to touch him. I rested my head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. Tonight, he smelled like evergreen.

His arm tightened around my shoulders. “I want you to meet my family.”

I lifted my head so I could see his face in the moonlight. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” What did I have to lose? I was already halfway in love with him, if I wasn't all the way there.

Axel shifted so he could see my face. “Yeah?”

“It's important to you, and after meeting Teddy, I'm curious to meet the others.”

“They can be overwhelming. That's why I hid out here for so long.”

“How was it?” I asked him, curious about his family.

He shifted me slightly so that he was facing me. “Not bad. I missed them.”

“There wasn't a lot of pressure to be a certain way?” I asked, genuinely curious. He'd been so worried about their reaction.

“Not really. They were just happy I was home.”

I touched his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. “I'm excited to meet them and tour the place where you grew up.”

“I want to show it to you.”

We fell silent. There was no more talk about his family or our future. It was like we were tiptoeing around it, both of us afraid to broach the subject. He'd created distance between us the last few days, and I'd thought it was on purpose. But then he'd come over tonight and made love to me.

It felt like something important. Something I should pay attention to.

But I drifted off to sleep before I could find the answer.

The next day, I helped Teddy and Axel install the flooring. Axel patiently explained how we needed to lay cement board over the plywood subfloor.

“Ceramic tile is delicate. It needs to be layered on a surface free of gaps and ridges.” When the cement board was placed, Axel handed the screwdriver to me. Why don't you do the honors?”

---