Page 12 of Downfall

My knees buckle as my orgasm hits me, but Kolson holds me up, pumping into me twice more before he stills, spilling himself inside me.

Moving his hand from my mouth to my jaw, he turns my face toward him, kissing me deeply. When he forces his mouth from mine, he drops his forehead to rest against my own, breathing heavily. We both feel it—the connection we share. It can’t be ignored, though I’m trying to fight it.

He slowly pulls out of me, our combined release dripping down my thigh. I dig a spare sports bra out of the bottom of my bag and clean myself up quickly. We pull our respective pants back into position before we start our walk to my apartment. He grabs my bag and pepper spray from the ground, along with a second, much smaller bag that I hadn’t noticed before, and rests his other hand on the small of my back, ushering me out of the alley.

“How was your night?” he asks after a few minutes of walking in comfortable silence.

“It was fine. One handsy fucker, but nothing new. You?”

“I sold out, so a good night for me. Are you okay with me coming back to your place?”

I smile at his hopeful tone. “It would be a shame if you have to take your backpack home so soon,” I tease, grabbing his hand.

Our instant chemistry over the past twenty-four hours has my thoughts in a tailspin. I wasn’t looking to get into a relationship or form a connection with anyone.

I have seen firsthand how easily a person can abandon the people they love, and I refuse to give anyone that power over me. It wasn’t in my control the first time, but I hold that control now, and I will protect myself.

But a few more days couldn’t hurt.

Chapter 11

Kolson

Theentirewalkbackto Abby’s apartment, she’s stuck in her own head. Even when we talked for a few minutes, I could tell she was distracted by the set of her eyebrows, so I just let her be.

I don’t mind silence. It gives me time to think about my plans—my plans for tonight, for my future, and my future plans with her. I don’t care that it’s been one day. She’ll be mine until the day I die—I’ll make sure of it.

I’m still working on exactly how to make that happen; I know I’m not worthy of her. Tonight, I’ll show her how I feel. That will have to be enough for now.

Abby unlocks her apartment door and, just like last night, walks straight to the bathroom, kicking off her shoes on the way. Seems this is her after work ritual.

I leave both of our bags by the door, shutting and locking it, before following in her wake. I lean against the doorway as I watch her tug off her leggings and hoodie. She’s fucking gorgeous, her long dark hair brushing the swells of her round ass. I want to wrap it around my fist again, but I refrain. We both need to shower, and I need to pull her out of her thoughts.

She walks into the tiled shower, moving to stand directly under the stream, allowing the water to cascade down her face. I undress, watching the tension drain from her body through the glass surrounding the shower stall, then step in behind her and wrap both my arms around her middle.

Her head falls back against my chest, and I nuzzle my nose into her neck.

“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, siren?” I ask, keeping my tone low and even. I don’t want to spook her, make her think that I’m pressing her. If she pretends that it’s nothing, then I will leave it at that for the moment. She still thinks of me as a virtual stranger, but soon she’ll see that we are just two broken halves of the same whole.

Rolling her head so she can look up into my eyes, she hums, deciding how much to tell me.

“I like you.” She says it skeptically, like she’s not sold on feeling that way at all.

“You make it sound like a problem that needs solving.”

“It is, Kolson. Look, we don’t know each other yet, and I have… I just don’t know if I can or ever will be able to trust someone enough to be in an actual relationship. You didn’t ask for that, and I don’t even know how you feel about me, but—”

“Siren,” I cut her off. “I like you, too. I’m happy to take this slow. No rushing into anything.”

Turning around in my arms, she reaches up on her tiptoes to kiss me, effectively ending our conversation.

We wash up quickly, getting out of the shower and drying off in record time before falling onto her bed. I spend another sleepless night inside her, and I can’t deny that I have become obsessed with her. I will do everything in my power to become the man she deserves.

I wake up alone in her bed on Sunday morning. Grabbing my phone off the nightstand, I see that it’s only nine. I can hear the shower running, so I untangle myself from the blankets, assuming she has somewhere to be if she’s already up.

Completely naked, I admire her from the bathroom doorway for a moment. Her back is to me, her hair tied into a bun at the top of her head as she showers.

“Hey,” I croak, clearing my throat of sleep.

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