Page 23 of One Night With You

Her eyes widened but she nodded. I knew the drink was still buzzing between us, and whatever else was going on. But I knew we wouldn’t forget this in the morning.

I just didn’t know why we were doing this, and why it had taken so long.

In that moment, when she slid down on my dick, her sweet pussy clamping down around my cock, I knew I didn’t need any answers in the moment. Everything else could wait.

Instead she slowly, painstakingly sat down on me, her body stretching to fit me.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my hand on the back of her neck. “If I’m hurting you, let me know.”

She shook her head, those beautiful eyes wide. “No, you’re just really big.”

“Thank you, baby.” And I kissed her again, as she rolled her hips.

That action pulled moans out of both of us, so I used one hand to slide my thumb over her clit, as she rolled her hips and rode me. I kept my other hand on the back of her neck, my hands making a fist in her hair.

She was so fucking beautiful, an empress.

My empress.

And when she came again, clamping around my cock, I followed her into that temptation, into that bliss with no ending. I lowered her to me, keeping my mouth on hers, afraid of what words would come.

There were none, just feelings, just us.

And there was nothing else to say.

Just this moment. Just this promise.

I just held Claire…and hoped the drink would be enough for us to breathe again.

And we wouldn’t run once morning came.

6

CLAIRE

Phoebe’s voice echoed in my ears.“Get out. Get help.”

I needed to push Tim out of the way. To stop him from holding my best friend by the neck and threatening us. Everything moved as if I were locked in ice, my feet stuck in cement as I continued to put one step after the other, and yet I couldn’t move forward. There was a hollowness in me as I continued to reach toward the door, to leave my best friend behind and run for help. Because none of the fighting and plans we had made had worked until now at this point. There was nothing for us.

My apartment began to grow in size, the feet between Phoebe and I growing immensely until I could no longer see her, and then she was right next to meagain, our fingertips brushing as she was screaming at me to get help.

Tim didn’t have a face, just a darkness as he squeezed my best friend’s neck and shook her, that silent predator who told me that what was to come would break us. I tried to open my mouth and scream, to beg the gods for help and yet nothing came. It felt as if wet paper were in my mouth, and I tried to pull it out, globs at a time, and yet there was nothing. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move.

And then my toes were barely touching the ground, and it felt like I was flying, my back hitting the ceiling as I tried to swim through the air to get to help. I was out of Tim’s reach, I would be safe, and I would save Phoebe. I swam through the air, doing my best to make it out, but then Tim was there, and Phoebe was on the ground, and though I couldn’t see Tim’s face, I could see his smile.

The Cheshire Cat grinned at me, eyes red slits as they glared, and then white-hot pain.

That odd sucking sound of knife sliding into flesh once, twice.

The blade cut deep, damaging something, and the warmth of blood slid down my side and through my fingers.

And I fell backward, falling, falling, until there was nothing left, just screams and echoes.

Were they my screams, or were they Phoebe’s?

I wasn’t sure. Because in the end, I tried to run for safety for us, because no matter how many times I had hit back, no matter how many times I had pushed and begged, there was nothing.

“Claire! Claire! Wake up.”

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