Page 72 of Apex of the Curve

“Ever,” he said firmly.

“So, what are you saying?” I asked softly.

“I guess I’m saying it has the potential for it to hurt a lot less if you walked away now,” he said, and the words, they stuck in his throat. He swallowed hard to get past the lump that had formed there at the thought of me walking away now.

I swallowed past the lump of fear in mine and took a deep breath, his clear emotion for me galvanizing my bravery.

“I’m not going to do that,” I said, despite my fears.

“Yeah? Can I ask why not?”

“Yeah, and it’s because for everything you think can go wrong, what happens if everything goes right?” I asked, my inner optimist shining through.

“Things rarely go one hundred percent according to plan, baby,” he said.

“I would settle for sixty-forty,” I murmured smiling, bringing my lips to his. He kissed me back and pulled back reluctantly.

“Can we maybe shoot for seventy-thirty? Or even seventy-five/twenty-five.”

“Eighty-twenty?” I asked, and he chuckled. I felt him getting hard between us again.

“I like those odds better,” he whispered. “You sure you want to take this ride?”

“You talking this ride?” I asked grinding my hips. “Or an actual relationship?” I asked.

“The latter,” he answered in a low husky growl.

“We’ll see,” I whispered. “But I’m leaning toward ‘definitely yes.’”

“I like those odds even better,” he said and wrapped his arms around me tight and stood up.

I shrieked with laughter and surprise and he turned us both, laying me on the couch, rotating his hips and delving deep. My giggle turned into a moan.

“Hang on tight, baby. Don’t ever let go,” he whispered and his words had weight and meaning, deep beyond their surface meaning.

So deeply, I fell in love with this man, and his strange and many varied layers.

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