Page 81 of First Comes Forever

“Hardly an upgrade.”

“Okay then, summer guy,” she says playfully, “what’s the game plan because the gate has a padlock.”

I give her a dead, serious stare. “Make sure you’re buckled tight.” I rev the engine and watch her eyes grow wide with panic.

“Adam—”

“Oh, come on, Amani.” I unbuckle and lean over, kissing her soft cheek. Pulling my keys from the storage nook in the dash, I hold up a small silver key. With my other hand, I point above her shoulder. “See above the tree line? That community up there?”

Amani follows my finger with her gaze and squints. “Sort of. It’s well hidden.”

“That’s the point. I own two houses up there. Both rentals. Us property owners can’t technically restrict public beach use, but we put up this gate because we own the access point.”

I open the car door and hustle to the gate, unlocking it with my key before pushing it wide open and securing each side with the iron pins. When I slide back into the driver’s seat, I don’t bother re-buckling. We’re almost there. I drive about another sixty seconds down the dirt path before the tree line clears and we have a front-row view of the sun slowly hiding behind the ocean. The hues of orange and pink are streaking the water, making the waves glow.

“Pretty romantic, right?”

Amani turns, looking through the back windshield at the thick brush of trees. “A little serial killer-ish, but definitely romantic.”

“Such a mood ruiner,” I huff out.

She’s chuckling now. “Adam, I will always ruin big, romantic gestures with ridiculous humor. I will never hesitate to take off my clothes, but will forever blush when you call me beautiful. Also, you should know, even after all the incredible cuisine you’ve introduced me to over the past few months, I still love In-N-Out Burger.” She flashes me something between a smirk and a smile. “Still want to keep me?”

I answer by scooting my seat back as far as it goes and cutting off the engine. I pat my lap. “Feeling acrobatic?”

“Here? Really? You’re not afraid of getting caught?” Her mouth falls open slightly, but she looks more impressed than put off.

“I usually come here to be alone. I don’t tell anyone about this place. I even gave the other property owners in the neighborhood the wrong keys to that padlock. We have full privacy.”

Amani throws her head back and laughs before climbing over the console and carefully positioning her knees on either side of my thighs. She’s braced against the car door and my center console. I wrap my hands around her hips and pull her closer, encouraging her to rest her full weight on me.

“I just wanted to share this view with you.”

“It’s beautiful. Thank you,” she says. “And I’m proud of you, by the way.”

“For sharing my secret?” I raise my brows.

“For how great you were with your mom today,” she answers.

I rub my hand across the small of her back. “Why are you thanking me for that?”

Today surprised me, to say the least. I figured I’d be fighting the bile in my throat being that close to my mom, but it was easier than I thought. I set the anger aside for one afternoon and I felt weightless. I could see how different my mom looked from the image I had in my mind. She wasn’t a cowardly monster. Just…my mom. Two decades later.

Amani shrugs. “Now we’re both doing things we didn’t think we could do. It makes me feel less alone, I guess.”

I tuck the loose strand of hair, caked against her cheek, behind her ear. “Do you mean having a baby?”

“No, I mean saying I want to be a different person and have a different life, and actually going for it. It’s easier said than done. Since I met you, I’ve lost like over a hundred thousand followers. I’ve fucked up all my algorithms. I’m supposed to post daily, and yet in all of September, I posted once out of obligation for a sponsor. It’s both scary and wonderful how quickly I’ve let go of all the painful things that used to rule my life. With you, I don’t feel like I’m changing alone.”

Running my hand up her back, I find the hair tie holding her thick, ruby hair in a messy bun. Once I tug it free, her hair cascades over my forearm, down her shoulders, the minty smell of her shampoo filling the car.

“You’re not changing alone, baby.” I nuzzle into her neck. “I’m slow, but I’m getting there. I promise.” I’m growing hard beneath her thighs as I trail soft kisses down her neck. Eagerly, I tug at the zipper of her top, but it only lowers about three inches. It must just be for show. The romper she’s wearing is one-piece and far too complicated for car sex. “Dammit,” I grumble. “How the hell do you get this off if you have to pee?”

Reaching between her legs, she pulls at the fabric, the hidden snaps popping apart, turning what was shorts into a dress. She grabs my hand and presses it against the thin fabric of her underwear. “See? Easy.”

“Fucking magic trick,” I say and she laughs in response. She grinds against my hands as I play with her piercing through the cloth of her panties. I wait until they’re damp before I pull them aside and slip my finger into her crease.

She moans as I swivel my finger inside her. “I love how you do that.”

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