Page 22 of Lies We Tell (Thistle Cove 3)

“I’m ready,” she whispers, kissing my ear and neck.

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

She sits up, giving me a fantastic view of her body—the body she’s pushed and transformed over the last few months. She’s strong. Beautiful. Fierce. I run my hands over her breasts, tug

ging at the lace, and revealing a brown peaked nipple. I rise up and lick the tip, eliciting a shiver that runs through her body.

Heat courses through me, long held-off desire. I kiss her mouth, her shoulders, her breasts. My thumbs slide under the thin strap at her hips and she lifts, giving me room to slide them down. I’ve seen her before, tasted her, but this is different. This isn’t just pleasure—it’s bonding. She came to me, she’s giving herself to me, and I want to give myself back to her.

I don’t know how far she’s gone with the other guys—I don’t want to know—her movements are excited but sure, any nerves are about the two of us doing something new together, rather than about her being a virgin.

She pulls at my shorts and I lose them quickly, my cock bobbing in excited freedom. Kenley touches me, running her thumb across the gooey tip, before taking me in her hand and stroking my shaft.

“Hey,” I say, touching her face. My heart hammers harder than it ever has before in my life. “I love you.”

She smiles and blushes, less from being on top of me nearly naked and more from my words. I swallow back the fear of her not feeling it too, of going too fast, of being a cliché or cheesy or lame. Her finger traces my lips. “I love you too, Finn Holloway. I always have.”

I smile in return, feeling a rush of euphoria. My hand skims down her side and I reach for my bedside table. I knock my phone off the top and rummage around for the box of condoms that has remained untouched for the last six months. My fingers graze the foil and I pull it out.

Kenley takes it from me, tearing the package with her teeth. I lean back as she rolls it on, hands gentle and precise.

Yeah, she’s done this before.

My balls tighten, my belly twists, I’ve never been so turned on in my life.

I wrap my arms around her and rolls us over, holding my weight while pushing against her. Her eyes hold mine; eager and watchful. I kiss her as I enter, her breath becoming mine as I become one with her.

“Okay?” I ask, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

“Yes,” she replies in a low exhale, her legs wrapping around my body.

I go deeper, and we fall into an easy rhythm. I love the way she looks under me, I love the way she feels. Tight, but not tense, sweet, but dangerously sexy. I’ve known it for a long time, but as she comes undone, and our bodies succumb in a mix of pleasure and ecstasy, I know for certain Kenley Keene is the only girl for me.

Ever.

12

Kenley

“I should go,” I say, snuggled against the warmth of Finn’s body. It’s the last thing I want to do but there’s no way I can stay. It’s two a.m. and every nerve in my body feels like a live wire. Sex with Finn was as good—no, better—than I ever expected.

“Get dressed and I’ll walk you over.”

“I can go back the way I came.”

He shakes his head. “Not a chance. Don’t ever do that again. Especially if you’re on your own.”

His protective streak is endearing, even if it’s a little annoying. I kiss him and relent, searching for my clothes. I extend my arms around my back to fasten my bra and feel his fingers on my skin as he slides the hooks into place. He kisses my shoulder.

“Don’t do that,” I say, reaching for my hoodie on the floor, “or I’ll never leave.”

“One day.” He tosses me my shorts.

He’s right. One day we’ll get out of Thistle Cove and live on our own—maybe together. Maybe with the other guys. There are so many possibilities for us once we leave this little town.

We quietly walk down the stairs and out the back door. I search for the hidden key under the back deck and unlock mine. Even now, Thistle Cove is the kind of place where people don’t have security systems.

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