"And that. That sexy little noise you make when you want me inside of you. I'm addicted to that noise. I could live in moments like this. Where I have you in my arms. I need this. Whenever I'm not with you, I crave these moments. It's all I think about. You're all that I think about."
"That's love."
"Not when you're sick. Not for me."
"Don't say that."
"I'm an addict."
"No. Youwerean addict. You're good. We're good."
"It doesn't go away. I just found something healthier. For me. Not for you. You deserve better than this."
"Stop. Nothing is better than this. This is love. What we have is love." I put my hand on the left side of his chest. "You're labeling this wrong."
"No I'm not. I'm addicted to the way you make me feel. I'm addicted to you, Penny." He pushed the hem of my dress up, trailing his fingers against my skin.
"No, James. That's love. That's just love. I feel the same as you. I do. James, it's okay. We're okay."
He grabbed my hips and pulled my thong hard, ripping the lacy fabric in his hands. "I need you all the time."
Holy shit.I could feel his erection pressed against me. It was so hard to focus on his words when I was so incredibly turned on. "I need you the same way you need me. Don't you see that?"
"But it's just like you said. You didn't need saving, Penny. I did." He thrust into me hard.
Fuck.My fingertips dug into his back. "I thought I lost you," I moaned.
"I thought I lost you," he said back as he thrust even deeper inside of me.
"You'll never lose me." This was love. This was our love. And to me, it was the best kind of love possible.
He pushed my dress up and I lifted my arms up so he could pull it the rest of the way off. He made short work of my bra. And as soon as his hands touched my breasts he moaned into my mouth.
"I'm addicted to every inch of your body, baby. Every fucking inch." He slammed into me hard. My back was digging into the edge of the granite counter top.
I knew he was exhausted and upset. But he was also wrong. He was just plain wrong. This was not unrequited love, it never had been. He wasn't addicted to me. He was in love with me.
I grabbed a fistful of his hair to pull his mouth off mine. "I love your smile. And your laugh. Whenever I smell your body wash or cologne I get turned on." I felt the same as him. And it wasn't a sickness. It was love.
"Penny."
"I love having your arms wrapped around me. And the way you absentmindedly run your fingers through your hair. I love the color of your eyes and the way that they're always on me. And I love this," I said as I tightened my legs around him. "I crave this too. I miss you when we're apart. I love every inch of you too. Love, James. Not addiction. It's love. I love you."
"Penny."
"So how about you stop fucking me and make love to me because that's what we have."
"Baby, I'm so sorry." He pulled my face against his chest. "I'm so sorry." He held me like that for a moment. My hair was wet, so maybe I imagined it, but it felt like his tears were falling on the top of my head. I hadn't been wrong. I hadn't imagined it. We had grown together. What we had was real.
"Make love to me, James," I whispered against his chest.
"I always make love to you. Always, Penny." He grabbed my hips firmly and walked over to the master bedroom. He kicked the door open with his foot.
"Not here, James. Not in Rob's bed."
"It's our bed. Remember?" He threw me down onto it.
"Of course I remember." I looked up into his eyes. There was something there that I had never seen before. They almost looked stormy. Like something was brewing in his mind and it couldn't be stopped. I watched him pull off his t-shirt.