Page 78 of Point of Contact

She sucked in a breath, both because of his words and the hard length of his cock as it rested against her belly.

Reed's callused hands skimmed their way back up her arms, long fingers twining with hers as he once again pinned her in place. "And you just wouldn't fucking quit." He nipped at her ear to punctuate the statement. "You dug at me and dug at me and dug at me until you were so far under my skin there was no way to get you back out."

She scoffed, insulted by the way he was describing her behavior. "If anyone got under anyone’s skin it was you getting under mine."

Reed chuckled, the sound low and deep where his lips brushed her hair. "I'm definitely planning on being inside you, Princess, but it won't be under your skin."

Courtney's head dropped back as he adjusted his hips to line his cock up with her pussy and rocked forward, dragging his length along her slit. "You are talking so much for a man who should be fucking me."

It was a gentle nudge. One she hoped would work. Because this conversation was a lot. More than she could handle.

And it only got worse when his head lifted, bringing his eyes to hers. "Don't get impatient. I'm going to fuck you." He leaned down to nip her lips, sucking the bottom one before pulling away. "Probably twice. But not before you let me finish explaining why I fucking love you."

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

REED

COURTNEY BLINKED UP at him, her mouth hanging slightly open. "I don't think I heard you correctly."

He wasn’t surprised by her reaction. As much as Courtney needed to hear this, it would be a tough sell.

"You definitely heard me right, Princess." He leaned in to brush his lips against hers again, unable to stop himself from creating another point of contact between them. "I said I love you."

Her eyes stayed open as he continued teasing her mouth with his, drinking in the moment. A moment he hadn't expected to want so much.

Everyone else on Rogue had paired off, and he was happy for them, but he never once considered it happening for him. Not that he didn't want it, there just wasn't fucking time to even consider the possibility.

Maybe that's why it was so easy to recognize it once he finally opened his eyes. He hadn't been chasing or avoiding it, so he had no reason to resist identifying the way he felt about Courtney. Plus, he had one hell of a great example when it came to knowing what love actually looked like.

Love was taking care of each other through the worst the world had to offer. Supporting each other. Protecting each other. Did it mean you were always sweet and sappy and mushy? Maybe for some people, but not for him. He needed fire. Someone who pushed him back. Someone who held their own and claimed what was theirs.

Someone like the woman still staring at him like he’d lost his mind.

Courtney shook her head. "You can't love me. You hated me not so long ago."

He smiled at that. "There's a thin line between love and hate, Princess. And you walk that line like a tightrope."

She rolled her eyes. "You're such an ass."

He relaxed a little more as she came back to herself. She'd been too quiet today. Too reserved. Almost withdrawn. It was fear, he knew that. And he was happy to do whatever it took to help her get back to her normal, pain in the ass self. "I am, but I'm your ass." He grabbed one leg, lifting it up and out, gaining more room to tease them both as he dragged his cock through the already wet folds of her pussy. "And you love me just as much as I love you."

She scoffed, but didn't deny it, which was good enough for him. He’d lived with his mother long enough to know that some people struggled to say the words, but Courtney had shown him more than a few times how she felt.

His eyes dropped to where he continued sliding along her slit. ""And while we’re making confessions, I gotta tell you I really want to fuck you with nothing between us."

Courtney gasped as the head of his dick teased along the side of her clit. "That sounds messy."

There was a hint of snark in her voice, but the way her eyes glazed over at the suggestion made him think she wasn't entirely opposed to the idea.

Reed leaned down, lining his eyes up with hers, noses barely touching. "Are you saying you don't want me to fill you up, Princess?"

Her nostrils flared and her lips parted on a sharp inhale. "Why do you want to do that?"

He thought it was pretty obvious, but it was a reminder Courtney had no clue how to genuinely be with someone she trusted. That meant she wouldn't be able to identify it when it happened. "Because you’re mine and I want to feel how wet you get for me."

The air rushed from her lungs as her tongue darted out to swipe along her lower lip. "I've never done it without a condom before."

Her admission made him groan with the realization that he would be the first to sink into her skin on skin. "Neither have I, but there's a first time for everything." He ran his thumbs over the palms of her hands as he continued rocking against her. "Eli makes sure everyone here is perfectly healthy every few months since we frequently bleed on each other."

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