Page 99 of Catch the Sun

I force my eyes open to watch as her face twists with pleasure and she lets out a silent, raspy cry, vibrating in my arms.

She strokes me faster, even through it.

And that’s all it takes.

My body tightens, ignites, and releases.

A hoarse moan falls out of me as I spill onto her pale stomach before we both collapse with a simultaneous burst of breath.

Ella’s eyes flutter open across from me on the pillow, her hand slick and sticky as she loosens her hold. Sweat glimmers on her brow while she stares dazedly at me. I pull my fingers out of her and she winces, a slight hiss slipping through her teeth.

My breath stops. “I hurt you.”

“You didn’t. I’m fine.”

Blinking at her, I yank my hand from her underwear, twist around, and turn on my bedside lamp. When I glance down at my hand, both fingers are tinged with blood.

I whip my head toward her. “Ella…”

“I’m fine, Max. It just felt like a little pop of pressure. It’s not a big deal.” She leans over the side of the bed and searches for something to clean up with.

I readjust my boxers into place as I inch off the mattress, then pull a fresh T-shirt from my dresser and bring it to her. I turn away while she tends to the cleanup. “I’m sorry,” I murmur. “I was caught up in the moment. I should have been more careful.” Sparing her a quick glance over my shoulder, I watch as she pulls her tank top back over her head. “I wasn’t gentle.”

Ella flattens her mess of hair, dragging her fingers through the tangled strands. She looks at me, her cheeks bright pink and eyes still glazed. “I’m okay.”

“It shouldn’t have happened like that. It should’ve been when we…” Swallowing, I let my voice trail off, my insides pitching with guilt. I snapped her precious barrier with my fingers like a total idiot. Blowing out a strained breath, I run a hand through my hair and lower my gaze. “I’ll be right back.”

I pad out of the bedroom and make a quiet retreat to the bathroom across the hall. My reflection stares back at me, revealing flushed skin, disheveled hair,and nail marks on my upper arms. Nail marks from Ella. Because my fingers were inside her and I made her come.

Holy shit.

The gravity of what just happened slams into me as I flip on the faucet and exhale a shuddery breath. As I rinse off in the sink, I watch the water run red with her blood.

The image stabs at my chest.

When I return to the room with a warm, damp towel, Ella is burrowed underneath the blankets with only her head peeking out. I hand her the towel and climb in beside her, flipping off the light. We’re silent for a few beats, lying side by side on my bed, before I turn to her. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she whispers back.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Are you okay…emotionally?”

“Max.”

“Yesterday you were loath to even kiss me. Twenty-four hours later, you’re in my bed with your hand wrapped around my—”

She slaps three fingertips to my mouth, shushing me. “Max,” she repeats.

I open my mouth and bite her fingers, making her squeal with laughter as she scoots closer to me on the bed. We’re face-to-face again. As my eyes adjust to the light, her porcelain features slowly come into focus and she lowers her fingers, dusting them against my chin before letting them fall away. Ella inhales, swallowing a frayed breath. “I don’t want to run anymore,” she confesses.

My gaze skims her face through the darkness. She looks lighter somehow. Softer. “I’m on board with that.”

“I’m sorry it took so long for me to say that,” she says. “I’m not trying to give you whiplash or make you doubt what’s happening between us, because that’s not fair. I just… I made a promise to myself that I would never do this. I’d never open my heart to anyone because that would leave me exposed and vulnerable to real pain. And so I’ve been running for years. No rest breaks. No water. Strained muscles, sore joints, bruised feet.”

“Sounds exhausting,” I murmur.

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