Page 154 of Through the Water

I cradled his cheek against my breasts, the sounds of our heavy breathing filling the air. We held each other like that for several minutes before he pulled out and padded into the bathroom.

He hadn’t hurt me—at least, not like I’d expected. I clenched my thighs. There was soreness, but also something else.

Satisfaction.

The bed dipped as he returned, and his strong arms latched around my languid body, pulling me up to his side. I settled in against the crook of his arm and began smoothing his chest hair with my fingertips.

“Can we do that again?” I whispered, tipping my face up to his with a sly grin.

He exhaled a breathless laugh and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Jesus, girl. Give me a minute here. I’m still trying to recover.”

“Was it okay for you? I mean, did you, um, did you enjoy yourself?” I whispered, feeling the flush of heat creeping up my throat.

He tilted his head down to stare at me, letting his fingers trace lightly up and down my spine. “Are you serious? Baby, when are you gonna learn that there’s not a single part of me that doesn’t crave you?”

I didn’t speak. I just watched the city lights shimmering in his blue eyes until my body gave in to exhaustion, knowing as I drifted off that I’d been staring into my future.

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