Page 49 of Home Tears

“Okay.”

She fell asleep like that, still holding his hand.

Dani woke, gagged, and immediately covered her face with a pillow. Her entire body felt like it’d been rubbed raw against a tree. Her throat had digested the bark. Beside her, she heard a low chuckle as Jonah turned and pulled her against his side. He hid his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder.

“Not funny,” Dani rasped out into the pillow.

“It is.” Jonah lifted the pillow away and grabbed Dani’s hand as she tried to cover herself. He lifted his head and grinned down at her. “Aren’t hangovers the best?”

Dani curled away from him and hugged her pillow.

Jonah fitted himself behind her, entangling his legs with hers, and leaned over so his face was beside hers.

Dani’s breath escaped her as Jonah’s body blanketed her.

“Aren’t they?”

“You suck.” Dani breathed on him, letting him have the full force of her hangover breath.

Jonah laughed. “I brushed your teeth last night so good try.”

“What time is it?” She looked. Seven thirty in the morning. “What time did we go to bed?”

“Around three.”

Dani groaned and tried to pull her blanket over her. Jonah blocked her efforts and tucked her underneath him. She was captivated by the spark in his eyes. It was instant, and just like that, one look from him, and she felt like sunlight fell over her, warming her from the inside out. Startled by her reaction, she blinked a few times as he moved to straddle her. He braced himself with an arm on each side and looked down at her.

“What are you doing?” She felt the tingles starting. Her fingers enclosed over his as he touched one of her hips. It was an inviting touch. Dani held his eyes. He was asking for permission, and just like that again, one touch and her insides were engulfed with longing.

She wanted him.

She nodded, so slight, but it was enough. He bent down and pressed his lips to her stomach.

Dani closed her eyes.

Jonah lifted her shirt and pressed a second kiss to her flat stomach. Then he shifted so he lay between her legs. He glanced up, held her eyes, and lifted underneath her waist to fit her against him.

Her heart was thumping hard, pressing against her chest, and she bit down on her lip. She had woken in pain, but with a few touches he took over her body. She was in a different pain, but she was waiting. She was anticipating. She wanted him to do more.

She couldn’t wait.

And she sighed, surrendering to what would happen. It felt right, and she didn’t think about it. She answered his body’s urgings because her own was switched to autopilot. She wasn’t going to think of the ramifications, consequences, or what-ifs. She let her body take over. Shutting everything off, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Dani,” Jonah murmured. So soft. She heard his own aching, and then he was pushing her shirt the rest of the way. She sat up, letting him slip it off. They both paused, suspended in the air, chest-to-chest, face-to-face. It was just the two of them, and whatever was happening between them. Then he dipped his head to take her lips in a soft kiss. They paused again, their lips on each other’s, and she felt he was asking for permission once again. A groan came from her, and it was enough. His tongue swept in.

Yes.

Dani laid her arms on his shoulders, falling back to the bed as his hand helped guide her. She pulled him with her. Then he was kissing her neck, the corner of her eye, her lips again. Jonah was weaving a spell only her body could answer. His fingers swept around her breast as another caressed her leg.

Heated sensations speared through her, all the way to her little toes. They curled, and she gasped, just wanting more. The aches and pains vanished. A throbbing replaced them, and pleasure had her body writhing. She needed more. Desire like she’d never experienced had her answering his body’s urgings, meeting her lips to his, and demanding her own entry.

They kissed, caressed, and teased each other until finally the ache was too much for both of them. Time stood still for a moment, when he paused right before sliding inside. He looked up, poised at her entrance, and her hand tightened over his arm.

Then he moved inside of her, and she came alive.

The rhythm built between them. She was blind, turning to him for everything she needed, every touch she wanted, her body feeling an addictive high. She sought his mouth, and he met her. Their mouths fused together as he continued thrusting into her. She trembled, meeting him, answering his strokes with her own. She was right with him. They were riding this moment together, until she arched her back, coming to the edge. She sucked in air, and still Jonah kept going.

As they climaxed, he pulled her tight against him. She clasped on, and both shuddered as their bodies were feeling the waves crashing over them. Dani sighed and curled into Jonah. He ran his hand up and down her body, a soft and tender caress.

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