Page 90 of Am I the Only One

Right now, I can’t, but one day, I will.

For now, I give him all I can as our bodies move together in a way I never could’ve predicted.

“I love you so much,” I breathe through the unbounding pleasure he’s giving, and then he kisses me, stealing the words off my lips and swallowing them so they can find their home within him where they’re safe. Because that’s what Luca is—he’s my one true place of safety, accepting me for all I am, loving me when I feel so unlovable.

With each pump of his hips, he breathes life into my soul, reminding me that I’m still alive and that I’m loved and that, maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay.

For the first time since my parents’ death, I believe him.

Emma

Naked and warm, Luca holds me in his arms. The two of us just woke up to a snow-filled morning. I thought it would be weird, but it’s the furthest thing from it. There’s no awkwardness between us; it just feels right.

His hand runs along the length of my spine, and I tangle my legs with his as large flakes fall outside my window. Lazily, we kiss, his lips soft against mine. Being with Luca last night wasn’t what I had expected. Never did I imagine him being as loving as he was—fervent but in the gentlest way.

Afterward, he confessed how different that was for him. It was different for me too, but the two of us have only ever had casual hookups. I can’t even begin to explain how right it felt being with him.

When I sense him hardening against me, we shift to our sides and he drapes my leg over his hip. I say nothing as I reach down, not wanting to interrupt this moment to grab a condom, and guide him inside me. We’re silent aside from our heavy sighs as he sinks deeper. We’re skin on skin, entirely vulnerable to each other, yet I’ve never felt more secure than what I do right now.

In no rush for this to end, we move slowly as we quietly make love and explore each other’s bodies. His breath is all over my skin, and I crave more. With my hands pressing into his strong muscular back, he flexes his arms around me tighter, pulling me closer against him. I shut my eyes and get lost in the rhythm of his body. Time vanishes into blank space as the world around me swims out of focus. The longer we make love, the more eager we become, picking up the pace, grabbing on to each other, and growing louder. The room spins, and when I open my eyes, he’s right there, his damp forehead pressed against mine.

My hips meet his, harder and faster, and when he swells inside me, I rupture into a thousand fractals of ecstasy. Neither of us stops, hungry to ride out this pleasure for as long as we can before fatigue takes over and we collapse into each other’s arms. Sweaty and short of breath, I rest my head over his heart, which beats wildly in his chest. Closing my eyes, I listen to its cadence as it begins to slow. He tucks me in close, and I swear I could live in this moment forever.

Showered and dressed, we finally have our first cup of coffee around one in the afternoon.

“We’re all out of creamer,” I say as I grin and pour the last drops.

“That’s because you dump half the bottle into your coffee.”

“It’s good that way,” I defend as he takes a loud slurp of his unsweetened tar.

“Hey, I talked to your brother a couple of days ago, and it got me thinking. What if we flew him here to spend time with us? We could take him over to Gravelly Point to watch the planes and show him around the city.”

“He can’t fly by himself. We’d have to drive to Tennessee and fly back with him, but I don’t have money for plane tickets.”

“I didn’t ask you for money.”

“It doesn’t feel right having you pay for all that since you just paid for our hotel.”

“You’re looking at it all wrong,” he says. “I’m flying my friend out here to spend time with him. It just so happens that my friend is also your brother.”

We head into the living room and settle onto the couch. “You know what I mean.” I sip my coffee, taken aback that he would even offer to do such a thing, but even more so that he’s selflessly put time into getting to know my brother on his own.

“I’m serious. Spring break is coming up in a couple of months.”

“You’d really do that?”

As I cradle my warm mug, he reaches over and runs the back of his hand along my cheek, saying, “I kind of already mentioned it to him.”

“Oh, God. Then we have to. You can’t say something to him and not follow through with it.”

“I know,” he quips, and a smirk grows on his lips. The same smirk that I used to find annoying, but now find insanely sexy. Funny how things between us have changed in such a short amount of time. “Have you started looking into moving him here yet?”

“I don’t feel comfortable doing that until I know there’s money in the bank.”

He takes a sip from his mug before setting it down. “Come here.”

I scoot closer to him, nestling myself under his arm. “Speaking of, I need to talk to Carly. She was supposed to get me money a few weeks ago, but with everything going on, I haven’t pushed or even spoken to her.”

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