Page 39 of Love at First Flight

She was somewhat frustrated when he stopped touching her, but watched with interest as he slid his pants and boxer briefs off and grabbed one of the packaged foils from the nightstand. Her gaze drifted across his body with appreciation, her soul feeling an extra glow of happy gratefulness because he was going to give her what she needed, and she wanted to do the same for him.

After rolling the condom on, he removed her underwear before sinking back over her, kissing her soft and gentle, his tongue caressing her own. His strong fingers wrapped themselves around each of her legs, positioning them around his hips—the anticipation of it all vibrated throughout her body, and she pulled him toward her.

When he did finally push into her, there was a brief moment of mutual relief, their foreheads touching as they took a shared breath. Her arms wrapped around his neck. His pulse was so strong, she could feel it through her fingertips and was sure it was pulsating into her own bloodstream. Groaning, he pulled out before pushing back in, his rhythm growing in strength and determination, as if he would take everything he could from her. He pushed her closer and closer to the edge of a cliff, her whole body tightening and her moans becoming rougher. Selah begged him not to stop as she dug her heels in until she cried out, leaning into him, wringing out every single sensation she could as he grunted toward his own finish line before collapsing.

Clinging to him, she struggled to catch her breath, not sure if she ever wanted to let go, scraping her fingers along his scalp and enjoying the weight of him pressing onto her.

The aftermath didn’t last as long as she would have liked because he soon rolled off of her, muttering some apology for who knows what, and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Left behind in the messy remnants of his bed, she lay there exposed, tossing an arm across her eyes, wondering how the hell they’d gotten here. One moment, she was bringing a friend her mother’s homemade enchilada verde, and the next, she felt like she was going to wilt up and die if he didn’t touch her and take her to bed. If this was some weird mood or phase, it wasn’t out of her system yet, because she was already hoping for a next time—

And how long was he going to spend in that goddamn bathroom and leave her alone to ponder all these thoughts? The bathroom faucet ran for an awfully long time. Was he figuring out a reason to get her to leave? Her previous rebound relationship never tiptoed around the matter. The man was always quick to tell her it was getting late, and he’d see her around. Was Dex stalling in that bathroom now, regretting things? Did this ruin what they had?

Selah sprang into a seated position, pulling the gray comforter around her body as she tried to locate her clothes among his.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” Dex asked as soon as he emerged, beautifully naked and rubbing a small hand towel over his face, a frown settling on his lips.

She froze. “You want me to stay?”

“Well, yeah, I want you to stay. Sorry. I should have offered you the bathroom first.”

Slowly unwrapping the comforter from her body, Selah became awkwardly shy, even after having sex with the guy not five minutes ago. He studied her and she blushed while slipping past him to get to the bathroom.

When she reemerged, he scooped her into his arms, literally sweeping her off her feet. Selah gasped and then giggled. “What are you doing?”

“I’m not taking any chances with you.” He deposited her on the bed, pulling the covers over both their heads, plunging them into a more private oasis beneath his bedding.

Tonight they’d forget about the rest of the world for a little while longer.

Chapter Sixteen

Tap, tap, tap.

Dex pushed his face into his pillow, ignoring whatever was attempting to wake him from the deepest, best sleep of his life. The source of the taps was obvious, but he hoped someday the bird would get the hint and let him sleep in at least one morning. Dex was beginning to forget what it was like.

Unfortunately, this was followed by more tapping and some loud cawing.

Oh, for God’s sake.

He blindly reached for the window above his headboard, pushing it open and letting a rush of cool morning air flow into his bedroom, along with the crow. Hopefully, Harper would find some way to keep herself occupied and leave him alone.

Pulling his bedding closer, his hand made contact with soft, warm, and, more importantly, naked skin. Cracking a single eye, he was rewarded with the vision of Selah’s delicate back, as she slept facing away from him.

What an instant hit of joy it was to discover last night hadn’t been a dream. He’d had her and was hoping to keep having her. Sex with Selah may have blown his mind. Not that he hadn’t enjoyed it before. He wasn’t sure if it was because he’d been pining over Selah for a while or maybe because she kept giving reasons on why they couldn’t be together, making everything extra thrilling about doing something they shouldn’t. Either way, he’d been so taken by her, both in the physical sense and also on an emotional level, he’d nearly lost his mind when her body had tightened and pulsed around him. Last night they’d existed in a bubble of their own making. She was beautiful and tempting and within easy reaching distance now. He wanted to live in the moment again, take up permanent residence within the bubble.

He liked having this. In contrast, Ava appreciated her space, to the point where there weren’t many overnights together. She’d push him away with a shoulder when she felt he’d done enough, making him feel that any above and beyond physical affection was clingy. Because his parents were also the same way, he had wondered if he was the odd one for aching for something more.

In the bathroom last night, he’d had an epiphany that his relationship with Ava had been one of easy convenience. It was what his friend, Jon, had seen but hadn’t overtly said. There wasn’t anything of substance between Dex and Ava. They hadn’t fit together easily, like puzzle pieces meant to match. It was glaringly obvious now because he clicked with Selah without much effort at all. The difference was significant and eye-opening. Getting married to his ex would have been a huge mistake. He was grateful Ava had seen this and had given him one last figurative shoulder push, shoving him into something better. It was then Dex had realized he’d spent way too long in the bathroom and Selah was probably wondering what had happened to him.

But she had stayed. She was here this morning. He ached to touch her, deciding to try sliding his arm over her hip, tucking her into him, slipping his face into the crook of her neck. Selah smelled sagey and sweet, and he inhaled as much as he could in a deep contented breath.

She stirred, made a soft “hmm” noise before sighing and snuggling into him. His heart broadened to fill every inch of his chest, and he looked to Harper, who perched on his headboard. Dex lifted his brow at the bird as if to silently tell his feathered friend,Hey, look, buddy. Found a real treasure with this one.

Harper’s black eyes studied him, cocking her head one way, then the other. She held one of her gifts in her beak, a bit of colored glass. It was one of those flat marbles his mom used to put in candle decorations and flower vases. After more head cocking, Harper made her way across the top of the headboard, setting the flat yellowing marble on the nightstand before hopping onto the floor and leaving the bedroom for the kitchen.

The crow had chosen to leave the gift on Selah’s side of the bed, not his. This made his heart even fuller, giving him hope things were going to be okay. Maybe Harper would learn not to be an asshole. Maybe Selah would continue coming to his bed. And maybe he could relax in the knowledge he’d found someone who seemed to get him. He wanted her to feel the same way, to let her guard down and tell him what she wanted and what she was worried about. But, most importantly, he wanted insight into what that tattoo of the three circles on her wrist meant.

Her right arm was stretched across the bed, palm facing up. He stared at her tattoo, couldn’t stop pondering it. He didn’t have one, but he knew tattoos were personal, a clue into the person who possessed them.

He pressed a soft kiss to her bare shoulder.

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