Page 84 of Where You Left Me

He could promise to give me the whole fucking galaxy on a silver platter, and I’d believe him.

“Please,” I plead in a desperate whisper.

“That’s it, Peaches. Beg. Beg me to finish you off.”

“Please, Jones, please fucking make me come,” I whimper.

At last, he does. We come together and it’s so mind-blowing phenomenal, it’s practically spiritual.

He drops on top of me, and we dissolve after such a triumphant finale. I reach my hands around to his back where the skin is warm and deliciously clammy. Our chests rise and fall like they’re battling one another for breath.

When he lifts his chin to look at me, a smile pulls at his lips, and he chuckles. “That was amazing. Better than amazing.”

“Seriously, for a second there I thought I was gonna cry it felt so good.” I laugh, almost embarrassed to say the words out loud.

His vision dances over mine. “That might be the best compliment you’ve ever given me.”

He lowers his lips to mine and kisses me. It’s soft and quick but sensual. My stupid brain has a moment of relapse. Where I imagine a life like this. Of nights spent with Jones. But I quickly shove those ridiculous thoughts away.

Jones rests his head on my chest where my heart is finally starting to slow. I brush his hair back before pushing my fingers through it. He traces my arm with his fingertips, causing a shiver to rush through my body.

I focus on the moment. So I can remember it after I’m gone. But mostly because I’m certain my life will never be better than it is at this moment.

CHAPTER 23

Jones

As we lay in my bed tangled up in each other’s arms I can feel Mia slipping away from me. Even after an incredible day spent with her at Bikes and Beers. And even after I fucked her so hard she screamed my name like I was a famous rockstar until her voice cracked.

I’m going to lose her. Again.

It’s a harsh reality that no matter how much I convinced myself the outcome would be different this time, it’s not. During the months leading up to now, Mia and I have been inseparable. I changed my plans, and my routine, to make room for her. How does she not see that?

She buries her face in my neck and releases a raspy moan. The intoxicating sound reverberates through me, turning me on in an instant. There’s this deep, guttural craving to hold onto her. Somehow I’m delusional enough to believe that if I do that, if I grab on tight, she won’t disappear.

I knead my fingers into the soft, warm skin on her back and kiss her head. “This is nice,” I whisper, not even sure she’s fully awake.

“It is,” she agrees, releasing a long sigh.

“I could wake up like this every day and never grow tired of it.”

She stiffens in my arms. It’s slight and if I wasn’t already wary of her actions, I might not even notice it. But I am. And I did.

“I love you, Jones,” she rasps against my neck.

I tense. “Don’t do that,” my words come out harsher than I planned. “Don’t fucking minimize my words.”

“I’m not,” she answers meekly.

“That’s bullshit, Mia. You know what I mean. Iwantto wake up like this every day, with you. And you didn’t agree.”

She rears back slightly but doesn’t look at me. It’s like shecan’tlook at me.

And it kills me.

“What do you want from me?”

I loosen my grip on her and roll over to my back. “I want you to agree with me. I want you to tell me you want to be with me. For good. Here, with me. You can’t just keep telling me you love me. I know you love me, Mia. But that’s not enough. I need more.”

---