Page 85 of Lost in the Moonlight

Lyrica was right when she’d said I fell fast and hard, but what she hadn’t realized was it hadn’t happened nearly as often as anyone thought. Not even as much as I’d thought. I’d fallen for Sienna as we’d argued over a cupcake in second grade, and I loved her all through our childhood and teen years. And I’d loved Lyrica, but just like she’d insisted when she’d broken up with me, we hadn’t been “in” love. We’d had affection and an easy friendship. We’d never been soulmates clicking together. And Felicity…that had been all wrong from the moment it had started. None of those times, none of those women, had tied permanent knots around me the way Willow had.

What I felt now, what we had, it was already an unbreakable bond.

Yes, it was too fast. Too furious. Too overwhelming. Especially for someone like Willow, who’d closed herself off for so long, who only saw all the risks because she had been forced to see them. But it didn’t make it wrong.

She wasn’t leaving. I wouldn’t let her hand me back my heart and walk out without it.

But what she needed right now was time to see how deadly serious I was.

And time I could give her. I’d lighten the mood while ensuring she stayed. Until we could find a way across the cavern she saw swelling larger and larger between us.

I leaned in, kissed her temple, and then locked her gaze with mine as I felt around in a drawer. When I found what I was looking for, my lips curved upward in triumph.

“You’re wrong, Sweetness. About all of it, but especially about this.” I showed her the plastic-wrapped item. “I absolutely do have an extra toothbrush.”

She looked down at it and huffed out a little laugh that made every nerve ending in my body sing and my dick twitch. She grabbed the package from me, searching my face, indecision still warring in hers. “My house is mere yards away from your door. It would be easier to shower there, get a change of clothes.”

Go back to my old life.I heard the unspoken rest of that sentence, even though she didn’t say it aloud.

If I let her walk out, she’d take those mere yards and turn them into a brick wall I’d be unable to surmount. The only chance I had of making this stick, of finding a solution to all our problems, was if I ensured she stayed.

“I have several boxes of Katerina’s clothes. Our things were in storage together, and the moving company accidentally delivered hers along with mine. I can’t promise the clothes will be anything trendy, but you’re about the same size.”

“That’s ridiculous. There’s no reason for me to wear your sister’s things.”

“There’s that word again. You like to throw it out when things aren’t going the way you think they should. Not only are you a food snob but you’re also a control addict. But fine, don’t wear her things. Wear mine. I like seeing you in mine better.”

I let my hands drift under the T-shirt she’d thrown back on and was thrilled to find her bare. I skimmed her thighs, fingers lightly dancing along her curls, and her breath evaporated, snowy eyes turning the color of a dark storm.

Every taste of her last night had been a sugary treat.

I wanted to dive in again. Wanted to live all day in that sensuous haze.

She was trembling as I brushed barely there touches along her skin, upward to the curve of her breasts. Small and firm and delicious. Golden apples. Snowy pears. I slid back down, thumbing the belly button piercing I’d been so surprised to find, before continuing to her inner thighs and finally palming her heat.

She trembled, and I kissed her neck, nibbled her ear, and muttered, “I’ve changed my mind. You can’t have Katerina’s clothes or mine.”

“No?” she asked, a breathy gasp escaping as my fingers found home.

“No clothes. We don’t need clothes. We should never wear clothes again.”

Her enchanting, lilting laugh filled the air, and my shoulders finally relaxed. “Unfortunately, the world disagrees with you. Clothes are completely necessary.”

“Let me prove to you why the world is wrong.”

And I did, by showing her once again just how our bodies notched together. First, by exploring and tasting and teasing her with my hands and mouth until she was chanting my name as she soared over the abyss. And then, by spending a far longer time planted deep inside her, driving her up and over again. Driving me over the same ledge and knowing I’d never recover from the leap I’d made.

Chapter Twenty-six

Willow

ONLY US

Performed by Carrie Underwood with Dan + Shay

It was hours before we emergedfrom his bedroom with wet hair and clean sweats clinging to our bodies. Mine were his sister’s that he’d grumbled about even as he’d given them to me. His were a navy-blue pair he’d partnered with a white Henley that fit him like a glove, showing off corded biceps, broad shoulders, and a rippling six-pack. A sight that had my insides clamoring for him all over again, even though we’d spent an entire morning lost in each other.

But the rumbling of our stomachs had finally drawn us from his bedroom.

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