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“Perfect. Your body was made to be mine,” I mumbled, staring in wonder as I swiveled my hips and tried to press even deeper into him.

“Fuck me. Move. Please. I can't take it anymore.” EJ’s pleas sent a shudder through my core and had the smoldering heat blossoming low in my pelvis. I withdrew and eased back in, slow and steady and profound, marveling at the tense and flex of his back muscles as he rocked back to meet my advance. Breathtaking was the only word to describe him.

Insidiously, our pace increased in time with our heart rates until the slap of my hips against his ass was audible over the sound of the water sheeting down the wall. My every impulse was to smother him, consume him, hold him tighter and tighter until we were fused as one. The need was a primal and all-consuming one as I pumped my cock into him with ever increasing ferocity.

His cries grew louder and more plaintive as he jerked back to meet every thrust. I could tell he was getting close from the erratic pants and full-body shivering as his muscles gradually tensed from head to toe. I let go of one of his hands, dragging my palm down his arm and over his chest before raking my nails along his stomach. He whimpered and jerked, the shudders growing in intensity as I wrapped a hand around his cock. I was so damn close to coming myself, I could barely find a rhythm to get him off, but he was already done the second I grabbed hold—three inarticulate strokes was all it took before his body spasmed and his ass clenched around my cock so tightly I faltered in my thrusting.

“Will! Oh God!” EJ’s body continued to tremble as his orgasm racked through him and hot cum coated my hand. His knees nearly buckled before I managed to enfold him in my armsand resume my desperate chase toward my own climax. With a clenched jaw and rapid pistoning of my hips, I climbed higher and higher until euphoria hit and my vision went white. The blood rushed in my ears to the point I couldn't hear as my cock pulsed and throbbed and unloaded deep in the unyielding tightness of EJ’s ass, still clenching and releasing with the aftershocks that had him whimpering and clawing at the shower tiles.

We stayed like that, rendered boneless and breathless by the exertion, until the spray of the water bouncing off the wall turned cool. Laughing, we rinsed in record time before fleeing the icy shower to race into the adjoining bedroom. Before I knew it, we were diving under the covers and wrapped in blankets and limbs. The natural progression from there was languid kissing and aimless touches until the late hour and overwhelming day caught up with us.

“You’ll stay?” EJ’s sleepy mumble warmed the skin of my chest where his head lay.

“Every damn day if you'll have me.”

He wriggled closer and tossed a leg over my thigh. “Good. Mine. Stay.”

“Mm, gladly, love.” I brushed a kiss over his still damp hair and smiled. I really liked every single one of the words he murmured in his half-asleep state. Nothing sounded better than staying. Nothing could beat being his. All in all, despite all my losses, I'd won the best prize of them all. It just took me a solid decade to get there.

Chapter Nineteen

Elijah

The big day wasfinally upon us. The polls for the emergency election of a new Town Supervisor were set to close any minute. I'd get a phone call within the hour to announce the results. Beads of sweat collected on my brow as I paced back and forth in the smaller of my parents’ two restaurants housed in the Inn. They were prepared to flood the venue with food from the kitchen regardless of the outcome. We'd either be celebrating or eating our feelings. My stomach insisted it could handle neither option.

Support was abundant. My immediate family, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, all of my friends, plus Will’s, were crowded into the quaint little bistro location. The air was abuzz with conversation and laughter. The most confusing part was all the congratulations. No one was congratulating me about the election—they were offering their support for my new relationship status. The rumors had already taken the story around town three times and back. Now that Will had made sucha public spectacle of our relationship, the attention increased tenfold.

As if he could sense me thinking about him, the boyfriend in question popped up from a nearby table to search the crowd for me. He'd done it half a dozen times so far in the half hour we’d been here. It melted my heart every time. Once our eyes locked across the distance, his face broke out in a brilliant smile before he settled back in his seat to resume the conversation he was having with his best friend. My heart melted a little more as I watched him scoop up baby Grayson for a cuddle. I refused to acknowledge the feelingsthatsight stirred in my chest. One day.

Lionel pulled me from all my introspection with another unprompted hug. He had been exceptionally needy for affection in recent days and part of me wondered if the relationship between Will and I was the source of his insecurity.

“Li, what’s wrong?” I let him nestle against my side before looping my arms around his shoulders.

“Nothing. Can't a friend hug his bestie without the third degree?” His huffy tone had me stifling a laugh.

“Try again. You forget I know you just as well as you know me.”

He sighed dramatically and rested his head against my shoulder. “Someone is opening a new gift shop across the street from me. With flowers. I can't handle the competition. Just the thought of it is giving me hives.”

“Oh, shit. Lemme see.” I pried us apart and grabbed his wrist to push his sleeve up. As expected, the skin was red and inflamed and looked downright painful. “Promise me you’ll see Doc?”

“Yes, Dad.” Lionel rolled his eyes and tugged his arm away. He hated the fuss just as much as he needed it. “I'm just stressed. Enough about me!”

“Enough about all of it. I'm so ready for tonight to be over.” I grabbed his hand and loosely held it in mine. “I want to eat, drink, and finally move on from this, regardless of the outcome.”

Lionel checked his watch and grinned. “Not long now!”

“Don't remind me,” I groaned.

“Hello there, you two.” Will slid into our bubble and gathered us both under the umbrella of his muscled arms. He’d won a gazillion boyfriend points for his easy acceptance of Lionel’s need for physical affection and constant reassurance. In fact, he eagerly shared hugs and forehead kisses with my former boyfriend turned best friend. I'd secretly worried about how he would feel about our exceptionally close relationship. Evidently, my fears were unfounded once he and I had worked all the kinks out.

Right before I could open my mouth to greet him, the jangle of my cell phone ringer cut through the noise and made my pulse skyrocket. This was it. This was the pivotal moment. My body froze and I stood there with my mouth agape.

“Answer it!” Will grabbed my shoulder with a shake. “EJ, answer the phone!”

The crowd around us shifted closer, growing so silent I could hear a pin drop aside from the persistent ring of the phone. Will’s grip on my shoulder kickstarted me into motion and I nearly fumbled the phone as I scrambled to pull it from my pocket. With shaking hands, I connected the call and brought the phone to my ear.

“H-Hello?”

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