Page 62 of Twisted Fate

“Did it seem like I wasn’t ready for that?” I countered, playfully quirking an eyebrow to diffuse the tension. His gaze searched mine, and a soft smile curved my lips.

He thought I didn’t want his touch just as badly as he wanted to give it. I appreciated his concern considering my past trauma, but I wasn’t made of glass. I wouldn’t break. I also had a voice, and I wasn’t afraid to use it.

His arms relaxed beneath my palms, and he dropped his head as he let out a relieved breath. “I guess you have a point,” he said, huffing out a laugh. “You feltveryready.” His darkened gaze lifted to mine as his mouth pulled into a seductive grin. He lowered his lips to mine and pressed a soft kiss to them. Dropping his forehead so that it rested against mine, he spoke in low tones. “If you ever don’t want to do something, please tell me. It will stop immediately.”

His words rang with sincerity. I had always felt safe with him. He would never pressure me or take liberties with my body that I didn’t fully grant. Of that I was certain. “I know,” I whispered, cupping his cheek. “But right now, I don’t want you to stop. I want everything you can give me.”

Hooking my ankles around the backs of his thighs, I urged him forward. He came willingly, dropping his mouth to my waiting lips. I slipped a hand between us and trailed my fingers down the taut ridges of his stomach until I reached the waistband of his shorts. Dipping my hand inside, I wrapped it around his length, starting at the base and stroked it all the way to the crown. Air hissed through his teeth as I ran my thumb over the tip collecting the gathering moisture already leaking from it.

“Fuck,” he breathed as I pumped him slowly, squeezing with each stroke. Then he let out a groan of frustration. “I don’t have a condom. I wasn’t prepared for this.”

I swallowed hard, nervous over what he’d think about what I would say next. “It’s okay,” I assured him. “I’m on birth control, and I haven’t been with anyone since you.”

His eyes fell closed as though my words were like music to his ears. “I haven’t either. You’re all I want, all I couldeverwant.” He captured my lips in a searing kiss as he shimmied his shorts down his legs. Poised at my entrance, he halted, growling out a strained command. “Look at me.” My eyes lifted from where our bodies kissed to his hooded gaze. “I love you, Delilah. You are everything to me. And I’ll never let you go again.”

He flexed his hips, entering me in a long, languid stroke. I fought against the urge to let my eyes fall closed at the delicious sensation and held his gaze. His muscles strained beneath the weight of his barely leashed control. I clung to him, my fingers grasping at his shirt as he pumped in and out of me, his hands planted on the marble on either side of my head.

“You feel so good,” he crooned, and I clenched around him. “I could spend all night between these gorgeous thighs.” He dropped one hand to my leg and hiked it up higher on his hip. I gasped at the change of angle as he drove in deeper. “Tasting you, worshiping you, and wringing every last ounce of pleasure from your body. It’s like you were made for me.” I soaked up every morsel of praise he granted me. I practically lived for them.

I’d long forgotten the cool stone beneath me. I was on fire, engulfed in the heat of Vance’s passion, the euphoria of his every touch and stroke. I never wanted it to end, but I could feel the tension coiling low in my belly, the unmistakable contracting of my inner muscles. The low groans falling from Vance’s lips signaled he wouldn’t be far behind.

“Come for me,” he growled, and my orgasm erupted. I cried out as my body shuddered, and my legs clamped against his sides. Liquid heat filled me as he found his release.

We lay there panting, his damp forehead pressed to my chest as I drew lazy circles over his back. Part of me was surprised the island hadn’t collapsed beneath us. It must’ve been built sturdily because anything less than expert craftsmanship wouldn’t have withheld our vigorous lovemaking.

I giggled at the thought of it collapsing, the four sides of wood bulging beneath us before simultaneously falling to the ground like in a cartoon. The laughter fell from my lips when Vance pulled out of me, the sudden loss of his warmth making me feel empty.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, amusement and intrigue glimmering in his eyes. He let out a boisterous chuckle when I described the scene I imagined in my head.

“Thank goodness the contractor who updated the house didn’t cut corners.” I made to sit up, but Vance stopped me. “Hold tight,” he implored, and I did as he asked. He grabbed a towel and gently cleaned me up before helping down from the counter.

“I’d better disinfect that spot before I cook again.”

“I’m never gonna be able to look at it again without getting hard,” Vance mused, hooking his arm around my waist and pulling me in for a kiss. His lips feathered over my jaw, stopping just below my ear. “Just like the desk in my office,” he added, his voice low and heady.

A shiver of excitement ran through me at the memory. “Perhaps we can reenact that scene one day,” I offered, and his hold on me tightened.

“Why wait?” He lifted an eyebrow suggestively, and I clamped my thighs together. We had a lot to make up for, and he wasn’t wasting any time. We spent the rest of the night becoming reacquainted with each other. In the early morning hours, we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, our hearts, bodies, and souls, finally content.

EPILOGUE

Vance

We spentthe rest of the summer going on new adventures and making memories with Charlie. She was starting school in the fall, and Delilah was determined to make sure she hadthe best summer ever. We enjoyed weekends at the lake, visited museums and theme parks, and even spent a week at the beach.

Charlie was ecstatic when we told her that Delilah and I were together. “Finally!” she shrieked, jumping up and down as though she’d been waiting her whole life to hear the good news. Delilah and I exchanged a look, both of us wondering if she knew more than we gave her credit for.

Delilah accepted a teaching position at the elementary school Charlie was attending in the fall. Although she wouldn’t be Charlie’s teacher, it was comforting to know Delilah would be just down the hall. I’d given her a glowing recommendation—all true things—when they called for a reference. She would make an amazing teacher. They were lucky to have her.

Just as I was.

Everything was finally coming together. After my life fell apart, I didn’t believe I’d ever find happiness again. I didn’t believe Ideservedit. But Delilah helped me see that life could go on and that I wasn’t responsible for Sarah’s death. I didn’t need to continue punishing myself for something I had no control over. I wasallowedto be happy again. It was okay to move on. It didn’t mean I would ever forget Sarah or stop loving her, but I could love Delilah too.

It was hard to reconcile both feelings existing simultaneously at first. That was why I fought so hard not to fall for Delilah. How could I love another woman when my heart wouldn’t forget the first? Then I realized, it didn’t have to.

Love wasn’t finite. It didn’t come in a limited supply. And just when you thought you’d given it all to one person, another came along and showed you there was more than enough to go around. That was what Charlie did when she came into my life, and now Delilah was showing me that I had a deeper capacity for love than I could have ever imagined.

* * *

---