“Okay?” he asks as he pulls back and seats himself in me again, his eyes locked with mine.
“So much better than okay,” I say, fighting the stinging sensation at the backs of my eyes. I’m not going to start crying during sex and getting all sappy and shit. That’s not who I am or anyone I ever want to be.
He brushes my hair from my forehead as he stills inside me. “Are you sure? You look…sad.”
I shake my head, fighting to swallow past the lump in my throat. “Nope.”
He frowns, clearly unconvinced. “You can talk to me. You know that, right? And we can stop if you want. Any time.”
I shake my head harder. “No, I don’t want to stop, I want…” I suck in a breath, but it does nothing to stop this unexpected meltdown. “I don’t know. I just… I just feel…a lot all of a sudden.”
Warmth softens his expression. “Yeah. Me, too. I feel a lot, too.”
I press my lips together, fighting for control. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” He kisses me, soft and slow and so sweet it feels like it’s breaking me and putting me back together again at the same time. And then he pulls back, his eyes burning into mine as he says, “You aren’t alone, and you don’t have to be scared. I’m right there with you, and I’m not going anywhere unless you kick my ass out of bed.”
“I’m not going to kick you out,” I whisper. “And I’m not scared.”
His lips curve. “Liar.”
The lump in my throat eases a little as I huff, “I am not.”
“Yes, you are,” he says, gliding into me again, making my lashes flutter and my eyes threaten to roll back in my head because he just feels that good, that right. “But that’s okay. Falling in love is scary. If you need to lie about it for a while, that’s fine with me.”
“I’m not falling in love with you,” I lie.
“Well, I’m falling in love with you,” he says, thrusting into me with more force, enough to make my breath catch and my pussy insist we chain him to a wall and keep him and his dick with us forever. “So, you’re just going to have to put up with me hanging around, showing you how fucking amazing I think you are, until you realize how amazing I am, too.”
My legs wrap tight around his waist as I arch into him, meeting him thrust for thrust even as my heart runs in frantic circles in my chest, uncertain what to do with the bomb he just dropped.
Finally, I pant, “Fine, I think you’re amazing, too.” I dig my nails into his ass as he slips his hand between our writhing bodies, rubbing my clit as he tunnels into my core. “So amazing. Especially when you do that. Oh God, don’t stop. Don’t ever stop.”
And he doesn’t, not until we’ve both come so hard, I’m pretty sure we wake up the hibernating bears in the mountains outside. We absolutely wake up the people above us, who pound a foot on the floor afterwards in a non-too-subtle request for us to keep the loud orgasming to a minimum from here on out.
“Back to the shower?” Derrick suggests, kissing my forehead as we lie catching our breath and giggling about getting caught like teenagers. “The water should cover at least some of the sound.”
“That’s one idea,” I say, kissing his chest. “Or I could gag you with a washcloth while I figure out reverse cowgirl. I’ve always wanted to try it, and I just feel…inspired, you know?”
He groans low in his throat. “You are so hot when you’re inspired. And I am so on board with that idea, I can’t express it in words.”
“Don’t get too excited,” I warn, propping up on my arms to catch his gaze. “Let’s see if I’m any good at it first.”
“You’ll be good at it,” he says, cupping my face in his hand. “You’re good at everything you do, and even if you weren’t…it will be good because it’s you. And me. Together.” He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip. “I meant what I said, Bossy, and I’m not taking it back. It’s going to be the real deal with us, just wait and see. Now go get that washcloth and gag me before I gag you first and make you ride my face like your favorite roller coaster.”
“Oh no, I’d better hurry,” I mutter dryly, grateful he set me up to defuse the moment with a joke. “Because that sounds horrible. I really hope nothing like that happens tonight, say…after the reverse cowgirl, but before we go to sleep.”
He grins. “It’s a deal, baby. Better grab some water while you’re in the bathroom. Might be your last chance to hydrate for hours.”
“Hours.” I sigh and roll off the bed, adding over my shoulder as I sashay to the bathroom, “I’m going to hold you to that.”