Page 96 of His Heart

He was relentless. Fierce. Slamming me into the mattress, making the bed scrape across the floor. He grunted and growled with every thrust, his voice primal and raw. No one had ever done this to me before—fucked me with so much passion and intensity. I didn’t know how much more I could take, but I never wanted it to stop.

The heat in my core built, almost to the breaking point. Tension mounted, like a rubber band being pulled tight. Just when I was about to plunge over the cliff, he slowed. His grip eased and his thrusts relaxed.

He pulled out and turned me over. I backed up onto the bed and he climbed on top of me. His breathing was ragged and he was covered in a sheen of sweat. It glistened off the hard lines of his body, accentuating every angle and curve. His eyes held mine and I watched as they went from glassy and unfocused to piercing, all that intensity trained on me.

His cock slid in again. Gentle, this time. Slow, powerful thrusts had me riding the edge of climax, the mind-numbing pleasure soaking through me. With our eyes locked, we moved together, a slow dance of bodies teeming with heat. With tension and passion. A moment of connection that filled the space in my chest, once left hollow. Filled it to bursting.

I felt his cock thicken inside me and I knew he was close. Desperate for release, I clutched at his back, grinding my hips into him with each thrust. He wouldn’t break eye contact, the fierceness in his gaze demanding I do the same. He could see through to my soul, see every bit of me. I was more naked and exposed than I’d ever been, my whole self on display.

His brow furrowed and his back stiffened. He drove harder, and the first pulse of his orgasm sent me careening off the edge. I burst into flame, hot sparks lighting up every inch of my body. My senses ceased to function, my brain only processing the almost violent waves of pleasure.

The magnitude of it left me gasping, clinging to him. He tucked his face against my neck, his breath hot against my skin. We held each other, sweat mingling, bodies pressed together. Soaking in the moment.

He lifted himself up and brushed my tangled hair from my face. His kisses were gentle—reverent. Our eyes met and the fullness in my chest almost brought tears to my eyes.

“I’m sorry for what happened,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. All that matters is us.”

I nodded. “It’s okay, and it’s not your fault anyway.”

He kissed me again, then got up and went into the bathroom. I took off my boots and set them beside the bed. A minute later, he climbed back in bed with me and drew the covers up around us. I tucked myself into the nook of his strong arm and rested my head against his chest.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course,” he said.

“Do you really want to work for your dad?” I asked. “You’ve never talked about that before. I didn’t realize that was what you were planning.”

“That’s because I don’t know if it is anymore,” he said. “That was the plan, once. I guess back in high school, it made sense. My dad had been a wrestler, gone to college. He opened his first dealership when he was my age. It seemed natural that I’d follow in his footsteps.”

“But that was before,” I said, my voice soft.

“That was before,” he said. “I don’t understand why no one wants me to be any different. It’s like I was traveling down a road, and when my heart gave out, I veered hard to the left. And I kept on veering, taking unexpected turns. I wasn’t even going forward anymore. Sometimes backwards, sometimes sideways. Then after my surgery, I started to get better. At the time, it seemed like it was never going to end, but eventually I was healthy. It seems like ever since, people in my life keep waiting for me to get back on that original road. But I veered so far away from it, I don’t even know where it is anymore. And if I found it, I don’t know if it would be the right one.”

“That road ended in Waverly,” I said. “Working at your dad’s dealership.” Married to Cami, or at least someone like her. An Iowa girl with corn silk hair.

“Exactly.” He paused, still caressing my skin. “I almost died. And it was agonizing and slow. I don’t know how my parents could watch me go through that and not see how it changed me.”

“I guess sometimes people see what they want to see,” I said.

“Yeah.”

“What do you want?” I asked. “If you don’t want that life in Waverly.”

He took a deep breath, his chest expanding against me. “Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Why would I laugh?” I asked. “Unless you’re going to say you want to be a drag queen. Then I make no promises.”

“No,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve been thinking about going into architecture.”

I propped my head on my hand so I could look at him. “Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve always been interested in it. Although back in high school, I was so focused on sports, I didn’t think about much else. I figured I had a job waiting for me after college, so why worry about it? But when you can’t do sports, and you’ve lost almost all of your friends, you have a lot of time on your hands. I did a lot of reading when I was sick. I read about a lot of things, but architecture fascinated me. I actually had a subscription to Architectural Digest for a while, but I stopped getting it.”

“Why did you stop?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “It seemed stupid. I’m already so close to finishing school. There’s nothing wrong with a business degree, even if I don’t work for my dad. I can do a lot with that. I’m already behind, you know? I lost years to my illness. If I start over now, with a completely different major, it will take that much longer before I’m finished.”

“It doesn’t seem like the time should hold you back,” I said. “But college is expensive.”

“Yeah, but that’s not a big issue,” he said. “I don’t want to sound like an asshole about it, but my parents have plenty of money. They gave me my entire college fund and let’s just say it was overkill. I haven’t even gone through half of it yet.”

“Wow, that makes it easier,” I said. “Then what’s holding you back?”

“That’s a good question,” he said. “Maybe I’m still trying to figure out what road I’m supposed to be on.”

I settled down against his chest again. The warmth of his body was so relaxing. But I couldn’t help but wonder if the road he was meant for was a road also meant for me.