Page 67 of Here's to Now

“Now they’re really sealed.”

“You’re terrible at this,” I tease.

She smiles. Never have I wanted to kiss a smile off someone’s face, and I can’t stifle the urge I have now. I’ve tried for the past ten seconds to do so, and, in my book, that’s far too long. Giving in, I press my lips to hers. This time it’s harder, more urgent. I want to kiss away any doubts she’s having because Iknowshe’s having them. She opens up for me as I trace my tongue across her lips. I explore her mouth with languid sweeps, committing it to memory.

Strawberries. She tastes like strawberries from the wine we had earlier.

She moans, and it’s as if the sound is tethered to my dick. I don’t care that I just emptied myself not even twenty minutes ago; I’m ready for more.Shemakes me ready for more.

Plain and simple, I want her. Badly. Now. Again.

I move close, diminishing the distance between us because I can’t stand it. Ihaveto be closer. My body is begging for her warmth, her soft skin, her sweet smell. I want to wrap myself up in her. It’s been too long since I’ve had sex and now I can’t seem to get enough.

The kiss in the shop earlier just…happened, but we stopped it…only for it to be picked back up on the couch. One minute we were sitting there, her head on my shoulder, watching a Disney movie I still don’t know the name of, and then next she was in my lap and we were making out.

With the sexual tension brewing between us since this afternoon, I can’t say I’m surprised this is where we ended up. If you’d asked me yesterday if I would be naked in bed with Haley today, I’d have said you were insane, because we weren’t even talking yesterday.

How does that shit happen? Going from one extreme to another all in the span of 24 hours—or in our case, less.

Life is weird.

She makes a small, soft sound, bringing my attention back to the fact that she’s naked next to me. I drop my eyes to her exposed breasts and a need rises in me, one I haven’t experienced in a long time.

“I need to fuck you again,” I whisper, rolling us over until I’m hovering over her. She parts her legs instinctively and I settle between them, grinding myself against her warm center. She moans and my dick jerks at the sound. The fucker is rock solid, ready for round two.

“Gaige, I have to work tomorrow. I need sleep.”

I pull back instantly, staring down at the beautiful siren that just shot me down. Her body is telling me she wants more like I do. It’s her eyes I don’t like.

They’re telling me she’s overthinking this again. Her mind is going a mile a minute, and it’s evident in her stare.

I asked her not even an hour ago if this would change things in the morning. Guess we didn’t have to wait until then.

I feel…used. I know that’s dumb as hell and I shouldn’t feel that way, not with Haley, but it’s true.She’sthe one who pursued me. Twice. I understand I wasn’t entirely innocent in this, but it washeridea. How can she take something so important, something she initiated, and throw it off as so…trivial?

“One-night stand, got it.”

She pushes at me and I roll off with pleasure, my own annoyance starting to kick in.

“Did you just…” She gets out of bed and I follow suit. She crosses her arms over her heaving chest, only this time it isn’t moving in rapid succession because of desire. No, that’s anger fueling it—angerIput there.

I want to shout,You’re upset? Join the club!I don’t. It’s the hurt in her eyes that stops me. I hate that. I don’t like not knowing why she’s upset. I don’t think I said anything she wasn’t thinking herself. Is that not what she told me?Thanks for the fuck. Now please leave.Because to me it’s practically what came out of her mouth. Am I the one who’s wrong?

We’ve been…friendsfor some time now—silent, sneaky friends, but friends nonetheless. Tonight, we took it to the next level.

We fucked. Fast. Hard. Gloriously.

And it was amazing.

My dick twitches at the thoughts running through my mind. How she curled up into me on the sofa, the same as she has so many times before. How good her soft body felt against mine, something I’ve experienced every night we’ve slept next to one another. But tonight, everything was different. It was different in the way she climbed into my lap, how perfectly her ample tits fit into my hands, and the sweet taste of her rosy nipples. The way her moans and cries pleaded for me to move faster, harder, deeper.

Yeah, it was different. In a good way, too.

“Is that what this is?” Her words are sharp, pained even.

I jump at tone of her voice, not about to let myself get kicked down by her sudden attitude change. Mirroring her pose, I stare her down, ready to set her straight.

What the fuck did this turn into? A naked standoff?

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