Page 146 of Mistaken Intention

“We’re home,” I whisper.

“Where we belong.”

I nod and he pulls out, plunging slowly back in again. He keeps it gentle, resting his hands behind my knees, holding me down, but loving me so tenderly, like he’s worshipping me. I rest my hands on his biceps, his muscles flexing with every move, and I match his pace, pulse for pulse, breath for aching breath.

“D—Don’t ever run from me again, Josie.” His eyes bore into mine, his words uttered in a hoarse, stuttered breath.

“I won’t.”

“My heart is more fragile than you’ll ever know. I couldn’t take it if you left again.”

“I’m not going to.”

He releases my legs, moving his hands up so they’re on either side of my head, and then leans in, kissing me… hard. His tongue finds mine and as he thrusts inside me, deeper and deeper, I feel that familiar quiver at my core. He must feel it too, because he breaks the kiss, gazing down at me.

“Please, Josie…”

His words are enough to push me over the edge, my body succumbing to pleasure, a myriad of starbursts tumbling through me in wave after wave of ecstasy.

I feel Drew plunge into me once, twice more and on the third time, he lets go inside me, my name a repeated howl that’s almost anguished in its intensity.

My body is still recovering, still twitching against his as he turns us over onto our sides, holding me in his arms.

“Sleep, baby,” he murmurs, his eyes already closing, exhaustion claiming him, and I drift into peaceful oblivion, knowing I’m safe at last.

“Brake! Hit the fucking brakes!”

I’m woken by Drew’s shouts and flip over in bed. He’s sweating, his body rigid, although his head is rolling from side to side.

“Drew?”

“It’s okay. I love you. I won’t let anything hurt you.”

What?“Drew? Wake up.” I raise my voice and he opens his eyes, sitting up, his breathing labored as he rubs his hands down his face. “Are you okay?” I ask.

He turns, looking at me, and then lies back, taking me in his arms. “I’m fine. It was just a nightmare.”

“Tell me about it.”

“No.” I pull away from him, releasing myself from his grasp, and although he tries to pull me back, I hold up my hand, stopping him. “What’s wrong?” he says.

“You said you’d talk to me, Drew, so don’t shut me out.”

“I’m not. It was just a nightmare, Josie.”

“Yeah, a nightmare in which you just said ‘I love you’ to someone. I need to know who and why.”

He lets out a long sigh. “Okay, I’ll tell you.” I can sense his reluctance and shift away slightly. He watches and shakes his head. “Don’t do that, baby. You said you wouldn’t run.”

“I’m not running, but I need to know who you were talking to.”

“It was Maisie. My dream, or nightmare… or memory – if that was what it was – it was about the accident.” I move back beside him again and he puts his arms around me. “I can’t remember very much of it, other than a feeling of powerlessness… of being out of control and wanting to save Maisie, but not being able to get to her. She was too far away.”

He turns onto his side and I see the pain in his eyes, the reality of what he dreamed, or remembered, and I hug him. “It’s okay, Drew.”

He shakes his head, clinging to me. “No, it’s not. If that was what it was really like, I don’t want to remember anymore, Josie. I don’t want it to come back.”

There’s no point in me repeating that it’ll be okay, when I think we both know it probably won’t, so I just hold him, and he holds me, until eventually, we drift off to sleep again.

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