Page 122 of Kismet

“I think you’re underestimating me and what I can do to your body.” With that, I pick up the pace, pummeling into his ass while I work his length with the same strength. The sound of my pelvis slapping his ass echoes in the open space, as does his breathy pants and moans. My release creeps up my lower spine, but I fucking refuse to let go without him. “Come on, baby. Give it to me,” I growl through gritted teeth.

“Fuck!” he cries out as he reaches down to pinch his nipples with his fingers. “Don’t fucking stop. Shit, I think I’m gonna come again.”

“Atta boy. Come for me. Come on this fucking cock.” My muscles tighten, body shuttering against him as my release powers through me, emptying into him. We both watch with hooded eyes in amazement as his dick spurts cum for a second time all over my hand. His body twitches as I milk every last drop from him, his ass squeezing the life out of my cock.

I collapse on top of him, sweaty and out of breath. His fingers trail up and down my back soothingly as his lips press kisses over the expanse of my shoulder and neck. We’re both covered in his cum, but we couldn’t care less. After a few minutes, the wind starts to blow, giving us both goosebumps, so we eventually get up and wipe ourselves off with the blanket and head back inside.

We shower together, cleaning up and fooling around again. Once we get out and are dressed, we head downstairs to make some pancakes, spending the rest of the night eating and lying wrapped up in each other’s arms.

Just how it was always supposed to be.

Chapter Forty-Six

Cash DeMarco

The last week has flown by. Between moving all my stuff into the new house, cleaning my old apartment, and sending my manuscript to an editor, I feel like I’ve barely had a chance to sit down and breathe. I promised myself I was going to publish it once I got home, and I knew if I sat on it and thought too hard, it would never happen.

So the morning after I got back, after christening every inch of the house with Stone, I promptly found an editor with availability and sent it over. It’s happening, and I don’t know how I feel about it. I’m a mix of happy, sad, overwhelmed, terrified, and anxious. This book, those words, and that story are so deeply personal to me and everything I went through over the last half a decade. I feel cut open, raw. The world will soon read my thoughts, my feelings, my everything… and that’s terrifying.

Stone has been nothing but supportive. He’s my biggest cheerleader and I love him for it. We’ve been so busy with getting our lives situatedtogetherthat he hasn’t had an opportunity to read it. If I’m being honest, I’m kind of thankful for that, because having him read those words is far more terrifying than the rest of the world. It’s about him. About us. It’s brutally honest, and while it’s technically fiction, that doesn’t negate from the fact that it was loosely based on our experiences.

We’re just getting home now. We spent the morning making sure my apartment was in tip-top shape before returning the keys to the landlords. It’s official… Stone and I live together. Which, yes, we’ve been doing that for the last week, but the apartment was the last thing standing in our way.

Thinking back to the beginning of the school year, first arriving in Lubbock, I had absolutely no clue what the year held in store for me, let alone my future. I knew it would be an interesting year… starting over somewhere new where I knew no one, but I never could’ve anticipated all of this.

So much was accomplished in a year. So much has changed. It’s surreal. I moved halfway across the country, successfully finished my first year of teaching, finished my fucking book, and made my way back to Stone. In one year’s time.

I’ll never forget the terror, the nausea, the anger I felt seeing Stone in his office that first day. Coming face to face with the ghost from my past. The one who had the power to destroy me—and did—and realizing my fresh start wasn’t so fresh after all. Feeling hopeless and trapped here.

I never could’ve predicted all of this, but fuck, am I happy it all went down how it did. Everything that happened led us here, and it’s exactly where we’re supposed to be. I don’t have a clue where our lives will take us in a year from now, or two, but I do know wherever it is, we’ll be together, like the universe meant for us to be.

Maybe we’ll build more houses. Travel the world together.

Maybe we’ll get married like Aston and Knox, or have babies like Branson and Luca.

Whatever it is, I can’t wait to see it all. Live it all.

Big, strong hands come up and rest on my shoulders, pulling me out of my thoughts. Peeking over my shoulder, Stone’s handsome face lights up as he watches me. “What’re you thinking about?”

“Just about how happy I am, and how this year turned out way different than I ever thought it would.”

“I’m happy too,” he replies, massaging my shoulders. “Is it okay if I read the book now?” The shake in his voice lets me know he’s probably as nervous as I am to read it. It may be bits and pieces of my heart and soul, but it’s bits and pieces of him too, and I’d imagine it’s intimidating and maybe a bit daunting to see it on paper. To see yourself through someone else’s eyes.

Sucking in a deep breath, I turn around to face him. “Yeah, go for it. If you wanna go up to my office, it’s on the laptop that’s up there. I’m gonna stay down here, if that’s okay. Do some unpacking and let you have your privacy with it.”

******

Stone Philips

With shaky fingers, I open Cash’s laptop and enter the password. When it unlocks, the manuscript comes on the screen. Swallowing a heavy breath, I mentally tell myself it’s okay. Whatever is in here, whatever this says, it’s okay. It all led us back together.

Feigning more confidence than I feel, I begin reading. His words are as beautiful as I thought they’d be, if not more, and it’s easy to lose myself in reading. I’m not sure how much time passes, but eventually, Cash comes up with a plate of food and a beer. He checks on me, but I can tell he’s dancing around asking me what I think. He’s nervous, if the way he’s fidgeting with his fingernails is any indication. After a few minutes, he leaves me to it, heading back downstairs to do some more unpacking.

One hour quickly turns into two hours, which quickly turns into several more hours. At one point, Cash pops in to let me know he’s going to bed and asks if I want to join him. I’m physically unable to peel myself away from this computer, from his words, so I decline. Reading about us, about his experiences, about what I did to him, through his perspective, is chilling. Beautiful… but chilling.

I read all the way through the night until the sun starts to rise in the sky. My eyes burn, both from exhaustion and dried tears. I finish the whole thing. It was so beautifully painful and remarkably heartwarming all at the same time. There is one part—the very last page—that I’ve reread five times now:

“And in the end, everything is how it was meant to be. There are some things you can count on… some things that remain a constant no matter what. The stars always shine bright every single night. The sun always blazes after the moon falls every morning. And knowing souls always find their way back to each other. There is no way around it. No magic formula to deny it or fight it.

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