Page 94 of Loving Lies (Granton University 3)

She arched her head back and moaned.

“You are so…beautiful.” Focusing on nothing but her pleasure, he pumped her again with nearly similar results. Discovering her sweet spot, he took advantage and made sure to hit it with every thrust he made.

Her nails dug deeper into his back, and he gnashed his teeth because he wanted to come so bad, but not until—

“Jonah,” she gasped, gaping at him from wide, surprised eyes. “Jone…Jo…” When she fell apart under him, that was it. He pushed into her one last time and found his own release within the bonds of hers.

Unlike Bailey, Tess was usually a solid sleeper. But for some reason, she stirred when the mattress shifted beside her at some point during the night. Vaguely aware of Jonah leaving the bed, the hush of his bare feet shuffling an uneven hobble across the floor, she roused even more. But she didn’t fully waken until a small stream of light flickered on inside the bathroom and moved across the walls, alternating between red and white.

Smiling because he was using the gift Bailey had given him, she sat up and shoved unruly hair out of her face. The blankets pooled around her waist, brushing cool air across her bare shoulders. It had to be the first time in her life she didn’t feel completely self-conscious to be without a stitch of clothing. After what she’d just experienced with Jonah, she was still feeling as beautiful as he’d insisted she was.

A sniff came from inside the bathroom. The flashlight’s beam shifted slightly, and she frowned, pushing the covers the rest of the way off. When she stepped on a piece of clothing in the dark as she tiptoed forward, she paused to pat around the floor until she discovered she’d stepped on Jonah’s shirt. Quickly slipping it on over her head, she finished making her way to the bathroom. Afraid to find him upset for any reason, she clutched the frame and cautiously peered around the corner.

He sat on the closed lid of the commode in just his jeans, toggling the laser of his new flashlight on and off.

“Jonah?”

He lifted his face with a startled expression and sat up straighter. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?” He didn’t appear to have any tears in his eyes, but he didn’t exactly look like he was full of joy, either.

She let go of the doorframe and approached him. “What’s wrong?” As she slid into his lap, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close so he could bury his face in her hair.

“Tonight was the best night of my life.”

Tess didn’t smile over the announcement as he kissed her hair. She touched the scruffy beard on his cheek and pressed her forehead to his. “Then why do you sound so sad?”

“I don’t…Jesus. What the hell am I doing, Tess?” he asked in a tortured whisper. “Why am I having the best night of my life—being this happy—when my best friend on earth is cold in the ground and has only been gone a few months? When it’s my fault he’s gone? It’s my fault they’re all gone.”

“Oh, Jonah,” she started, wanting to cry for him. “Please don’t—”

“I know, I know.” He shook his head. “Samantha went over and over this with me. It’s supposed to be natural to feel guilt every time I smile for a while. And, shit, I even said something like that to Aubrey just the other morning—that it’s okay to move on. But actually dealing with it head-on, moving on and being happy…It’s hard. It’s so fucking hard.” He began to run his fingers through her hair and then curling red ringlets around his finger. “I’m sorry I woke you. I didn’t want to bother you with this and ruin your first time because of my personal shit—”

“Jonah Abbott,” she scolded before he could finish his apology. “Don’t you dare. I’d be bothered if you didn’t share any of this with me. I want to be able to experience all of your life with you, especially the hard parts.” She leaned in to press her cheek to his heartbeat and just hold him.

“I don’t deserve you.” He gulped loudly as if swallowing back tears. “I don’t deserve to be this happy. All those people died, and I’m here with you. It’s not fair.”

She smiled softly, relaxing against him. “If you think about it, none of us deserve true happiness. We all have our sins and selfish ways and bad thoughts.”

“But some of us deserve a lot less than others.”

Tess sighed, realizing she needed to come at this from a different angle. “Did you know Logan killed Paige’s brother?”

Geesh, if she didn’t have a point to that statement, one might’ve thought her stupid-gene was returning. Or maybe it was.

Jonah glanced at her sharply. “What?”

“Yeah. I guess he was a big basketball star in high school. But one night he got into a fight with some guy from a rival team. One punch, and bam, Paige’s brother fell over and hit his head on something. He died instantly.”

“Shit,” Jonah breathed, reaching up to touch the area on his own skull where she remembered he’d had a bandage from hitting his head and falling into a coma. He could’ve had the same fate as Paige’s brother so easily.

Tess shivered and held him a little tighter. “Afterward, Logan’s parents kicked him out, and he was forced to live on his own. He ended up in Granton and started college. But a few years later, Paige enrolled there as well, and on her first day of class, she realized she had a class with her brother’s…well, you know.”

Jonah blinked. “And now they’re dating?”

Tess nodded. “It just goes to show you that things aren’t always as they seem. Logan never thought he deserved to be happy again either. But Paige—Paige, of all people—saw something in him that was redeemable.” She paused. “I know you’re working through a lot of things, not just Sean’s death. But I see something very redeemable in you. And I know someday you’ll see it too. Until then, I hope you continue to let me hold you and be with you through these dark parts.”

Pulling in a sharp breath, Jonah nodded and squeezed his arms tighter around her. “Always,” he promised her. “With you, I know I can make it through anything.”

Their lips met, and fingers skimmed over bare skin. Jonah set his flashlight on the counter of the vanity beside him so he could free up his other hand. He slid it up her thigh and under the hem of his too-large-for-her shirt. When his fingers discovered she wasn’t wearing panties, he groaned. She followed with her own gasp of pleasure as he sank a thick digit inside her.

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