Page 36 of When We Are Falling

“Yes,” she replies, her voice husky, opening her legs and tilting her hips toward me. “God, yes.”

I guide myself into her, going slow, giving her time to adjust to me. The sensation is indescribable. I can feel her body yielding to mine until I’m buried deep inside her.

Taking a moment just to look at her in the dim light, my hands skimming the peaks of her perfect breasts, thumbs grazing her nipples, before grabbing her slender hips, the wrap of her legs tight around my thighs. Is this even real life?

We start to move together. I go slow at first, savoring the sensation of being inside her, but soon our movements become more frantic as we both chase our release.

“I love the way you feel, princess. I want to fuck you hard and make you scream.”

She responds with moans of pleasure, urging me on as I pound into her, my thumb applying pressure and friction to her clit.

Time ceases to exist. It’s just the two of us, how hard I am, how wet she is. My hand goes to her breasts, her perfect pebbled nipples, rolling and pinching one, and then the other between my fingers while I fill her over and over.

Our gazes meet. There’s a look in her eyes, something wild and untamable, and even though I’m the one driving into her, filling her totally, in that moment I know I’m completely at her whim.

“Ethan! I’m close!”

She closes her eyes, shutting me out, and her muscles clench around me, her body trembling as she reaches her climax. Everything is wet and tight and red and tan and I’m losing control, losing my grasp on reality.

I’m nothing but the movement of our joined bodies and I keep pumping deeper and deeper inside her until I follow, breaking into jagged pieces, intense pleasure rushing into all the cracks. I’m emptying myself inside her, legs locked.

A final, pulsing shudder. Then I’m leaning down, kissing her lips, running a finger down the length of her taut body, between her breasts and over the curve of her stomach. I pull out slowly, disposing of the condom before returning to her side.

I’m walking but actually I’m flying.

She’s still lying on the table, staring at the ceiling, a satisfied smile on her face, a languid arm casually pressed against her breasts, the other hanging down over the edge of the black table alongside the red cascade of her hair.

“You’re perfect,” I say to her, searing the image into my mind.

I pull on my boxers before scooping her up, carrying her in my arms back to the bar, where I perch on one of the stools and lower my mouth to hers, kissing her slowly, savoring her, before gently setting her feet on the ground.

Picking up her panties and bra, handing them to her, then passing her tank top and jeans. We both get dressed, before I close the distance between us, pulling her against me, the pulse of her heart steady against the cage of my ribs.

As we embrace, whatever this is between us makes every nerve in my body come alive. The way she fits against me, her warmth seeping into my skin, it’s overwhelming. I’m falling too deep and too fast.

But honestly, nothing has ever felt this incredible. There’s freedom in this, a chaotic wildness I only feel when I jump.

It’s a little frightening, sure. This intensity, this need. But as I hold her, it’s impossible to deny that I want more.

I tighten my arms around her, grounding myself in the feel of her.

Not only do I want more. I want all of her.

Chapter 17

Blake

Ethan’s armsare around me and it feels so good: the smell of him, his strength. I pull back from our embrace, the bar shrouded in darkness, save for the bright glow of the oval light hanging overhead. His eyes study me, filled with a tenderness that makes my heart ache in strange ways.

He’s looking at me like I’m something precious, and for a moment, I let myself enjoy it. It’s hard to ignore the way Ethan makes me feel. He’s utterly, jaw-droppingly gorgeous, with those intense gray eyes and that disarming smile. And more than that, it’s nice to feel treasured, to have his touch, his company.

But then the familiar warnings creep back in, the voice that reminds me I can’t afford to let anyone in, rely on anyone. Can’t get distracted. Standing on my own two feet is the only safe way.

We can still have fun, though. Right? It wasn’t until this moment, with his arms around me, that I realized how lonely I’ve been since Danny died. I’ve got friends, of course, and had other men, but this—it’s something else entirely.

“What a great way to end the night.”

His lips curl into a gentle smile, and he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I think that’s one way to put it. Mind-blowing is another.”

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