Page 124 of Grace on the Rocks

She squeezed a little from the bottle he’d used earlier, and he ran it between is fingers.

“We know this one’s good.”

She giggled and took out the second bottle, giving him a drop on a different finger.

“Too watery.Anymore?” he asked, an amused tone to his voice.

So she squirted out the synthetic kind that couldn’t be used with the vibrator.

“This one, definitely,” he said. “Ifyou’re certain.”

Grace nodded. “Youreally don’t care ifIneed help getting wet?” she whispered.

Bryan rubbed down her back and along her bottom. “What’sthere to be bothered about?” he asked. “ShouldImind if you need glasses to read or antihistamines to breathe through your nose?Breathe, by the way,” he added, kissing her cheek, and she did then in a sort of gasp.

Bryan rolled onto his back, and she kissed him hard, as he put on a condom.Thenshe squirted the lube into her palm to prepare him.

“Wait.”Hecaught her arm and lube trickled onto his belly.Shelooked at him fearfully, and he laughed pushing up on his elbows to kiss her. “I’vegone about this all wrong,” he babbled. “Iought to have told you already—Ilove you,GracielaRiosRivera.Nomatter if we do this right now, or if we never do it in the trad­itional way, no matter if you ever orgasm again, no matter if you decideI’mrubbish in bed?—”

Grace laughed, because that was ridiculous.

“No matter if you leave in five days.ChristknowsI’mno good with words, but you—you’re not my puzzle to solve, you’ve somehow found all my missing, faded, dog-chewed pieces and made them fit together again—made me fit back here again.Gaveme back my home.You’reeverything to me.Ilove you, andIlove being with you.Infancy dresses or wearing flannel on the roof, watching the footy and sunsets, and when you’re snarky as all hell.Youmake me able to see my way clear to becoming the personIalways wanted to, andIjust thought?—”

Grabbing his length with both hands,Gracekissed him to stifle his groan.Herheart was so full if it were a balloon, it would be in danger of bursting.Whenshe raised up to slide onto him, he gasped.

“It… it needed to be sssaid,” he finally finished, and she hoped he knew she loved him too.

Because right then, she couldn’t say it.

Right then it hurt way too much.Shecouldn’t have said anything if she tried.

The happy tears, already so close to the surface, instantly turned to despair and she fought to hold them in as she breathed through the pain.

Beneath her,Bryanfroze. “Rios?” he asked softly, shifting himself to pull out.

“It’ll pass,” she gasped, trying to stop him.Sheknew from experience it wouldn’t get better, but if she was lucky, she might go a bit numb.

Bryan held still except for one hand rubbing her back while she caught her breath, and after several excruciating minutes she tried to grind on him, to seek her own pleasure, but she bit her lip to stifle a grimace.Despiteall his promises that they could stop, she didn’t want to be a total cocktease.Notnow.Shehad wanted so desperately for it to work.

He’d seen it, though.Hetipped himself to the side and slid out, flaccid.Ironically, the friction of him withdrawing had felt kind of nice.

“It’s okay to cry if you need to,” he murmured, bending his neck to try and look her in the eye.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice cracking and a tear finally leaking out to trickle down his chest, as she laid there, still straddling him, too embarrassed to dismount.

Bryan kissed her cheek. “Whatdid we say about apologizing?”

“I just don’t want you to be disappointed in me.”

“I could never be disappointed in you.”

“I’m disappointed in me!”

He stroked her hair and said, “Well,I’mnot surprised.You’rea very tough critic.”

That made her sort of laugh-sob. “Ijust thought?—”

He shook his head, unwilling to allow her to feel badly about this. “Wehave so much time.”

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