Page 112 of Not Fooling Anyone

She nods, and I press a kiss to the top of her head. “That goes for me, too,” I tell her. “If I’d shared my diagnosis sooner, none of this would have happened.”

“There are some things that are hard to share,” she whispers. “They bare a part of your soul. And you have to hope the person you show it to will keep it safe. Will protect it. You have to take a leap of faith.” She looks up at me, her face tear-stained again, but she’s never looked more beautiful. “I want to take that with you. I know you’ll be there to catch me on the other side.”

“I will,” I promise her.

“From now on, no matter what happens, I will always trust you. Always give you the benefit of doubt. You’ve proven yourself to me so many times, and if you could see me at my worst and still love me…” Her voice breaks, and she takes a moment to continue. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I don’t want to let this go. To let you go. I—I’m falling for you. So hard.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN

LEXIE

I’m trembling,my heart pounding so loud I’m half-surprised Ethan can’t hear it too.

I never thought I’d admit that to someone. He could laugh in my face. Could stomp all over my heart if he wanted. He holds that power now. He’s breached every one of my walls, so deep within my soul it’s a wonder I can even take a breath when I stop to think about it.

But like I said, I trust him. To be gentle with my heart, carrying it with two hands, no sudden movements. It’s bruised and fragile and not much to look at, but it’s his.

“I’m yours, Ethan. All of me. Fully. Completely. For as long as you’ll have me.”

He makes a desperate noise, bending down to kiss me, his mouth warm and open, the feel of it so right I nearly start crying again.

I swear, I’ve cried more in the last two weeks than in the past twenty years combined. That’s what happens, though, when someone finally unlocks your heart.

“I love you,” he whispers against my lips, the words filling me with joy. I don’t think I’ll ever get over him saying that to me.

He leads me to the bed, laying us down facing each other, our legs tangled together, the light circles he traces along my back like heaven. He kisses me again with drawn-out, drugging kisses that both soothe and rouse me, his body a work of art as I shape my palms over his shirt, tracing his heavy pectorals, the flat planes of his stomach, lifting the hem to run soft fingers over the dark trail of hair that leads down into his boxers.

“Are you trying to turn me on?” he asks coquettishly.

I grin against his mouth, full of lightness. “Yes.”

“Good.” He rolls over so he’s on top of me, bracing himself on his forearms. “It’s working.”

Our kisses grow steadily longer, greedier, rougher the more we continue, his hips grinding into me, dick hard behind his fly. This time, there’s no hesitation on my part, no one else on my mind as I tell him that I want him, that I’m ready for him, that I need him this minute.

He strips us both, pulling a condom out of his wallet to roll on. “I put this in here the other day,” he says. “For us. I don’t always carry one around.”

“I believe you.” I have no reason to doubt he’s telling the truth.

He settles back over me, pressing kisses to the length of my neck as he rubs my pussy, gliding in once, twice, working me up, making sure I’m ready for him before he enters me. There’s pressure, but it’s never painful as he goes slowly, giving me time to adjust to him, his murmured words of encouragement in my ear doing more than he knows to relax me.

My neck arches off the pillow as he begins to move inside me, pumping, our bodies growing slick with sweat the longer we go, that feeling of rightness intensifying. It’s like every sensation within me is magnified as he works my body, need winding through me, my breaths growing harsher in the quiet of the room. My nails dig into his shoulders and he groans, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows heavily.

I stare up at him, liking his reaction, wanting to see more. I snake a hand down to brush my thumb over his nipple, to stroke his happy trail again, to grip his ass.

“Lexie,” he grunts. “I’m going to come if you keep that up.”

“Isn’t that the idea?”

“Yeah, but you need to get there first.”

God, he’s so good to me. “So make me come,” I challenge.

He leans in, murmuring in my ear, “Anything you want.”

He lifts one of my legs, propping my foot on his shoulder, changing the angle so he hits deeper, just as he picks up his pace.

Oh, shit. Now this is where it’s at.

---