Page 16 of Before We Fall

“I’m so damned sorry about that, Junie. God, you have no idea, and I know you won’t believe me, but I hurt myself too.”

“What does it even matter, Ben? That was a year ago. It’s over and done.”

“Turn around and I’ll show you why it matters,” I dare her.

“Ben…”

I don’t back down, I don’t reply.

I wait.

Indecision wars on her face, my chest goes tight because no man wants to think he could hurt a woman so deeply that he causes her this pain a year later. At least I don’t.

I watch as she swallows, the sweet movements of her throat that probably aren’t meant to be sexy, but to me are, because I imagine her swallowing down my cum.

Fuck.

She turns around.

Jesus Christ, she turns around!

I clear my throat, because suddenly it’s tight. When I speak, my voice is hoarse and raw.

“Now put your hands flat against the door of the fridge, Junie.”

“I need my fucking head examined,” she mutters under her breath. She slaps her hand against the fridge and my heart tumbles in my chest at the echoing of the sound. I count them in my head.

One. Two.

My eyes close in relief. Then, they’re open and on the woman that I’ve needed in my arms since the day she walked away from my bed. I get behind her and reach out to drag my hand along the swell of her breast, taking my time to move the pads of my fingers over her ribs and down to finally rest on her hip. I feel the shudder that moves through her and hear the sound of her soft intake of air, betraying the fact that she’s needed this almost as much as me.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I murmur against her ear as I lean in. I’m rewarded with her body trembling, her hips rotating, her ass pushing out toward me. “I’ve missed you, Junie,” I add, my hand sweeping against her stomach, slipping under her shirt.

Warm, soft, delicate…

“This doesn’t mean anything,” she denies, but her voice is muted and trembling.

“Whatever you need to convince yourself, Junie.”

“You’re just an itch,” she utters, but I smile regardless, because I think she’s lying through her teeth.

“It means something to me, Junie,” I tell her, still keeping my lips next to her ear. I let my fingers creep up to tease the underside of her breasts, wishing she didn’t have a bra on. “Youmean something to me,” I growl in her ear. I move my lips to her neck, kissing her pulse point—which is thundering beneath her skin. I inhale her scent deep into my lungs and kiss along the side of her neck, letting my teeth rake against the tender flesh.

“Do you expect me to believe that?” She’s literally moaning as she tilts her head to the side for me.

“Someday,” I admit. “I’m going to prove it to you.”

“Ben—”

“Until then, whenever you have that itch you need scratched, Junie. I’m fucking good with being the man you call to help you out.”

“Jesus—”

“Tell me, Baby, do you need me to help ease that ache between your legs?”

“Yes…”

That word, being moaned out of her sweet mouth makes my body tremble more than hers. I move up to hold her breast, squeezing it, because I can’t stop myself. Junie lets out a long moan that is loaded with the promise of sex, dragged from her lungs so harshly it comes out raw and needy. The sound echoes through the garage, which is silent except our heavy breathing. Somewhere far off, I can hear the others, but I ignore them. I can only think about Junie right now. I keep one hand on her breast, kneading it, as my other one quickly undoes the button of her pants and slips inside. I hook my finger into her panties immediately, pushing them to the side.

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