Page 116 of The Chase

She clings to my shoulders, her tits crushed against my chest. Her nipples are like sun-warmed little pebbles that dig in to my flesh. Her pussy grips me tight enough to bring black dots to my vision.

“I need to come.”

It’s that one shaky word—need—that causes me to give in. Need, not want. I’ve tortured her long enough.

With an agonized groan, I thrust as deep as I can, and off we go. The sex becomes hard and fast and dirty. This time I let her wrap her legs around me, and the new angle means I’m rubbing against her clit with each downstroke. She comes first, and I’m not far behind, and then we’re both gasping with pleasure and rocking together as if we’ve done this a hundred times before.

Maybe I black out, because when the pleasure finally ebbs, I’m on my back and Summer is lying on top of me, and I can’t remember how we got in this position. The spent condom is by my left knee. I don’t remember removing it, either. With my last remaining burst of energy, I pick it up, tie it off, and drop it on the nightstand.

Summer rests her cheek on my collarbone. “Your heart’s beating so fast.”

“So’s yours.” The rapid flutter of her pulse vibrates against my chest, almost in time to my own erratic heartbeat. I tangle my fingers in her hair.

She sighs happily. “I like cuddling naked with you.”

“Me too,” I say gruffly.

“I like having sex with you.” Her breath heats my left nipple, making me shiver. “I like you, period. I like you a lot.”

“I…” My mouth goes dry. I almost say ‘ditto’and then realize how dismissive that sounds. So I say the next best thing—nothing.

Because that’s how I roll.

Summer senses the shift in my demeanor. I know she does, because she releases a quiet sigh. But to my surprise, she doesn’t lose her temper the way she has the other times I haven’t offered the sweet words and reassurances she clearly needs.

“I had an epiphany earlier.”

I stroke her hair.

“Did you?”

“Mmm-hmmm. I keep expecting you to be open about your feelings and make yourself vulnerable in front of me, and maybe that’s not fair.” She absently runs her fingers over my abdomen, leaving goose bumps in her wake. “I have to remember that not everyone is like me. I say whatever’s on my mind.”

“Saying what’s on your mind isn’t the same as sharing what you feel,” I point out.

“I do that too.”

I laugh. “True.”

She goes silent, and I can practically hear her brain working. “I don’t shareeverything.”

Curiosity tugs at me. “You keeping secrets from me, eh?”

“Not just from you. I keep secrets from everyone.”

I doubt it. Like she said, Summer’s one of the most open people I’ve ever met. “Uh-huh. Such as?”

“Ha. I’m not revealing anything unless I know I’m getting something in return.” She props up on one elbow. “I’ll make you a deal. Give me one thing. One vulnerable, real moment. And if you do, I’ll…” She purses her lips for a second. “I’ll tell you why I started the fire in my sorority house.”

Thatgets my attention. It’s the first time she’s admitted that she’d intentionally set the fire.

“Deal,” I tell her. “But you have to go first.”

“I knew you’d say that.” She crawls forward and reaches for the fleece blanket that’s balled up at the foot of the bed.

“Are you cold?” I ask.

“Of course I’m cold. This is New England.” She wraps the blanket around her shoulders and returns to sit close to my side.

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