“Yes, you should.”
“We’ll deal with it together. Stop with these unilateral decisions when it comes to our future!”
“Do we have a future, Becca? Or have I messed this up so badly, you’re done with me?”
“You have messed up, yes. But not to the point of being done with you. Not by a long shot.”
He closed his eyes, his shoulders sagging with relief.
I leaned forward, my voice firm. “Listen to me, Reid. What did Sandy tell you? You aren’t alone anymore. We can take your problems and break them down, one by one, and solve them. The same way you do with an IT problem. You never tackle it as a whole. You break it into manageable steps, and you work at it until you solve it. Until we solve it. But you have to let me in. Talk to me. Talk to your friends. We all love you and want to help.”
His eyes flew open. “You-you love me?”
I hadn’t meant to say those words to him. I didn’t think he was ready to hear them. I didn’t think I was ready to say them. Yet, there they were—hanging between us like a shining spotlight. I knew I could tell him I loved him as a friend and that he meant a great deal to me, but not the way it came out.
But tonight was about the truth.
“Yes, Reid Matthews. I’m falling in love with you. That’s why this hurts so much.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Stop shutting me out. Let me share your life.”
Our gazes locked. His was filled with emotion and worry.
He blew out a long breath. “I can’t tell you I’m falling in love with you, Becca.”
My breath faltered. “Oh.”
He cupped my face. “Because I’m already there. I love you, Becca Holden. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I love you so much and I want you in my life.”
I wasn’t sure who moved first, but I was under him on the sofa, his mouth on mine.
Hard and deep.
Possessive and claiming.
Filled with want and passion.
Repeating with his body, the words he had said out loud.
I love you.
His firm, rough chest pressed into mine, his body pushing me deep into the cushions of the sofa. I slipped my hands under the blanket surrounding him, caressing the warm, damp skin on his back. He groaned into my mouth, kissing me deeper, overwhelming me until all I could think about was him. His taste. His scent. How he reacted to my touch. The way I felt his desire.
How much I wanted him in return.
He pulled back, his breathing erratic. “I’m squishing you.”
“What a way to go,” I teased.
“I need to be with you, BB. Will you let me?”
“You never have to ask.” I trailed my fingers down his cheek, feeling the coarseness of his stubble and the dampness of his tears. “I’m yours, Reid.”
“Say it,” he pleaded. “I need to hear it.”
“I love you.”
“I never thought I would hear those words from anyone.”
“I’ll say them every day.”
One more tear ran down his cheek, then he stood and scooped me up, holding me close to his chest. He walked swiftly to my room, his arms keeping me tight to his body.
“I’m going to work to be the man you deserve, Becca.”
I smiled at him.
“You already are, Reid. You already are.”
I expected Reid to toss me on my bed and be all over me in an instant. I knew he was ready. I had felt how ready he was. But he surprised me when he laid me down tenderly, kneeling beside me, only looking, not touching. I felt his gaze everywhere, warming my skin, making me long for his touch.
“Reid,” I whispered. “I need you closer.”
“I need you to know how much you mean to me.”
I opened my arms. “Show me.”
He crawled up the mattress, nestled between my legs. His mouth covered mine, the stroke of his tongue long and sensuous. Piece by piece, he pulled off my clothes, and let me push away his boxers so we were skin-to-skin. Rough rolling over soft. Hard muscles sculpting and fitting into my rounded curves. His hands never stopped—they touched and stroked. Caressed and teased. Plucked and rubbed. All done with gentle sweeps, tender arcs, and the lightest of pressure. He touched me everywhere until I was nothing but a mass of desire, wanting him more than I had ever wanted another man. The whole time, he whispered to me, words filled with devotion and love.
“You are so beautiful.”
“Always, Becca. I will want you this way always.”
“You are home. You’re my home.”
“I love you.”
Finally, I begged, “Please, Reid.”
He hovered over me, the blunt head of his thick, hard cock rubbing against my center. Our eyes locked, our gaze never wavering as he slid in, inch by inch, until we were flush. I groaned at the sensation of having him inside me. He began to move, his thrusts slow, even, and deep—his movements meant to draw out my pleasure. He kissed me, his tongue mimicking his cock, drugging my senses.
All that existed was Reid. His body. His cock. His love.
“More, please.” I arched, wrapping my legs around his hips to bring him closer. “I need more of you. Faster.”
“No,” he groaned. “I want to savor you. Savor this. Just feel me, baby. Feel how we fit together. Know we’re going to be this way every time.” He slid his hand under my ass, lifting me, pushing deeper. His forehead pressed to mine, his breath hot on my face. “Every single time I make you mine.”
He sped up, still gentle, but hitting me exactly where I needed. I tumbled over the edge, crying out his name.
He stilled, his body taut, groaning my name as he rode out his orgasm. He buried his face in my neck, murmuring words I couldn’t understand. I didn’t need to—his tone said all I had to know.
He was with me, and he wasn’t going anywhere.
Reid was back. And he belonged to me.
Reid
The lazy feeling of serenity drifted through me. The rain had picked up, and unlike the cold wet that had beat against me outside, now the sound was soothing as it hit the window. Becca was nestled beside me, her warmth and scent wrapped around me like a blanket. Turning my head, I pressed a kiss to her crown, gently sliding my hand up and down her arm.
She lifted her head, smiling at me, languid and sated. “Hey.”
I lowered my head and kissed her plump lips. “Hey, BB.”
“You okay?”
I grinned. “More than okay. You?”
She snuggled closer, draping her arm over my waist. “Perfect.” She chuckled softly. “You wore me out, though.”
I tucked her head under my chin. I had made love to her twice, the second time nowhere near as sweet as the first. That had been to show her my feelings—how much she meant to me.
A short time later, watching her slumber, seeing her breasts rise and fall, the nipples still rosy and peaked from my mouth, my cock had stirred. I tugged down the blanket, revealing more of her naked perfection to me. Her body was a work of art. The swell of her breasts, the curve of her waistline, the roundness of her hips. Her skin was silky and smelled of vanilla and sugar. She was delicate yet strong, her limbs and muscles toned and flexible. Compact, but powerful. I loved how she felt against me, our bodies meshing, aligning so well despite our differences.