Page 123 of Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

“I am not a man without you, Joelle. If you’ll still have me, know that I’m yours. All I’m asking for is a chance.”

I was his. I always would be. Instead of pulling away and wasting precious minutes, giving time another chance to add a new mountain, I hiked my dress just above my knees, swung one foot over his legs, and straddled him, taking his freshly shaven face between my hands.

“We have a lot to catch up on and a lot to talk about, but I do love you Nicholas. I never stopped loving you, and I never will.”

That moment I’d craved for years finally came as our mouths and bodies collided. His strong arms wound around me, pulling me against him until I couldn’t breathe. The air we shared was enough, though. His lips overpowered all my senses, taking me into his world. They were old yet new, soft yet demanding, warm and full of desire.

My soul must have left my body and my insides melted. The intensity of our kiss increased with each passing second, hands searching for new places to touch, bodies yearning for a greater connection and mouths performing some sort of a dance. Even if I wanted to stop, I couldn’t. His hands roamed over my arms, back and forth, uncertain which part of me to grasp first, until they settled on my hips, scrunching my dress up as fresh air cooled my thighs. I reached down to his belt buckle. He shimmied out of his pants while pushing my panties to the side with his free hand. Definitely a new multitasking talent I’d just witnessed. Nick had no underwear and was ready for me. My mind flooding with new appetite, I lifted myself and slid over him, feeling my essence coat his thickness in one long slide down.

And I stilled.

I wanted to savor this moment.

The penetration was as thick and filling as I remembered, and I felt a tear sneak out of my eye, grateful that my memories hadn’t faded before Nick’s return. I needed to feel our connection and remember it forever, just in case this was the last time I had him. These thoughts would have never crossed my mind before. We had all the time in the world – time I hadn’t fully appreciated until now.

His next kiss was gentle, and he leaned his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes and slowly began to rock my hips over him, the movement felt new and exquisite, as the momentum increased. His fingers swiftly unfastened the buttons of my dress and lowered my bra beneath my breasts, sealing my nipples with his lips.

It felt amazing to have his mouth on me and him inside me.

My need for more flourished. As if reading my mind, Nick’s hold on my hips strengthened and I began riding him until I was bouncing, my ass slapping against his thighs. The only other sounds in the room were his grunts, my moans, and mutual heavy breathing. He was firm and slick, hot and thick – the perfection of a man I thought had died.

The friction increased with each pump. His thrusts became rougher, my gallop more desperate to reach the finale. He seized my mouth with passion and I trembled, the shakes of my orgasm spreading through my body as I bit his lip and felt him grunt one last time as he spilled inside me.

I was out of breath.

Nick wrapped his arms around me, tightening his hold. We sat connected until the beating of our hearts calmed and the world came back in focus.

“Now that’s the welcome I was hoping for.” He grinned with cockiness, and I chuckled.

“I missed you. I missed you so much.”

“I’m here now, baby. And I’m never leaving again.”

“I don’t think I’d let you leave.” I stood up slowly, feeling his seed trickle down my thighs. Nick reached for the paper towel beside the sink and wiped me clean.

“I wanted to do this somewhere else, but I couldn’t pull away.”

“Somewhere else?” I asked.

“You can’t see it from here, but there’s a ladder going up to a rooftop terrace from our bedroom.”

“Our?”

“Yes. Yours and mine. It’s on the east side, so you can wish upon all the stars that cross the night sky.”

My side?Should I have told him that all my wishes had come true? That he was back and I was in his arms again? But I didn’t say anything. Instead, I kissed his lips once more, admiring his cleanly shaved face.

For the second round of catching up, we moved to his bedroom where Nick tested the limits of his king sized bed. I couldn’t get enough and if it weren’t for the urgent knock on the front door, we would have gone for seconds and thirds

The pounding on the door door shook me awake as a feeling of dread replaced the euphoria in my chest.

Chapter 29

Nick puton his jeans and opened the door.

“Carter? What’s the matter?” he asked. The words jolted me out of my delirious state of arousal as I jumped back into mommy mode.

“It’s Mackenzie. She’s missing,” I heard him say.

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