Page 96 of All I Need

“ONCE WE DO THIS, YOU’RE mine. You get that, right?”

“You say that as if I wasn’t already yours.” If I wasn’t hard already, her words would have just made me that way.

“Again.”

“I’m yours,” she answers without hesitation. I slam my mouth to hers, our tongues battling for dominance. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of her taste or the sound she makes at the back of her throat when we kiss.

As soon as I cross the threshold into my bedroom, I waste no time in getting her to my bed. She took her time exploring part of my home but she’ll have the rest of the weekend to go through the rest of it. Right now, I have some exploring of my own I plan on doing.

I stretch my body over top of hers, careful to keep most of my weight off her. I went back and forth on what to do with her tonight for our date and was relieved when she showed me that I nailed it. When we pulled up to the drive thru taco place, she beamed. Then, she shocked me even more when I told her where we’d be eating them; on a blanket in the park around dozens of families there to watch an outdoor movie. She flew across the seat and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me so tightly.

I’ve had a lot of proud moments in my life. Graduating vet school, starting my own clinic, being there for all of Grayson’s milestones. But knowing I could make Ellie this happy simply by understanding who she is makes me feel like I could climb Everest. Without training.

I raise up on one forearm, reaching behind me to pull my shirt off. I toss it to the side. As soon as my upper body is bare, her lips are on me. Her tongue making small circles as she caresses my chest with her mouth. She sucks lightly around my nipple and I have to fight against letting my body fall on hers. I’ve been waiting my entire life for Ellie. My hunger for her will never be satisfied. It’s so much more than lust. From the moment I saw her standing along the highway, there’s been a storm brewing inside me wanting to claim her as mine. Every second I’ve spent with her has only made my need for her stronger. My desire deeper. For every part of her—heart, body and soul.

A curse explodes from my lips when her hand slides down my chest, tracing the contours of my abs before her slender fingers slip under the waist band of my shorts. My skin is heated from her touch. I don’t stop her when she shifts to slide my shorts down my thighs. How could I when my nerve endings are firing, ready to explode?

I’m completely naked above her and she’s still fully clothed.

“This won’t do,” I mutter and begin to peel the dress that’s been teasing me all night from her body. Reaching behind her, I struggle with the clasp of her bra.

“It’s like these things are made to torture men,” I groan when I can’t get it unhooked. She giggles, the sound light and tinkling and a direct line making me so hard I’m worried I’m going to explode before we get to the good stuff. She helps me out, flinging her nude silky bra across my bedroom. I hope we can’t find it the rest of the weekend.

In no time, we’re both naked. I sit up, wanting to see her. Needing more than anything to see her—to know this is real. That’s she’s here with me.

Her curves are subtle. Her breasts perfectly proportioned to her body, her hips flare out from her waist. She’s feminine but not delicate. I brush my thumb over a small scar on her stomach. She has an almost matching one on her other side.

She notices me focusing on it and she explains, “When I was little, I would go to this old shed at the back of our property line. My parents never went into it so I kind of made it into my own playhouse. I would spend hours in there. It was my safe space.” Her voice is quiet and I want so badly to ask why she needed a safe space from her parents but there’s time for that.

“And the scar?”

“So stupid,” she grins. “One night I decided I was going to redecorate. I mean, I was ten so my idea of redecorating wasn’t necessarily advanced, however, I knew I wanted to have some little shelves. I found some old wood my dad wasn’t using anymore and asked a neighbor how to make a shelf. He loved wood working so he helped me get them made but I was determined to hang them by myself. Apparently, I shouldn’t be trusted with a hammer,” she rolls her eyes, looking down at me. My thumb continues to rub over the small scar. “I hung one of the shelves kind of low to the ground so it was almost like an end table hanging from the wall. Anyway, it was summertime and hot as balls, obviously, so I was in my swimsuit.”

I waggle my eyebrows then stop. “Wait. Never mind. I’m not some gross perv. You said you were only ten, right?”

She bursts out laughing and nods, eyes shining with happiness.

“Okay, ignore me. Go on.”

“I was hanging out on my hot pink bean bag and suddenly one end of the shelf came swinging down. The corner caught against my stomach, and sliced into it. I was so scared that I would be in trouble so I never told anyone.”

“You probably needed stitches.”

“Maybe, but I’m all healed now.”

I wonder what she’s talking about being healed. Her injury… or her heart? Or maybe her childhood. I have so many questions but the look in her eyes tells me that she doesn’t want story time to continue.

I kiss the small scar, dragging my tongue over the pink skin. “I’m sorry for what happened to you.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“And the other one?”

“My appendix burst.” She says it simply, but I can tell there’s probably more to that story. My guess is that it took her shitty parents a while to get her to the hospital. The thought of her almost dying because of infection spreading in her body due to her parents not taking care of her the way they should makes my blood boil.

Resting my chin on her stomach, I meet her eyes. “I know you didn’t have a great upbringing and when you’re ready to talk about it, I’m all ears. I want you to tell me everything because there’s not a single part of you I don’t want to understand better so don’t take this wrong when I say that right now, we’re going to focus on us and the way we make each other feel, that you’re in my bed and how right it is, and… the fact that we found each other.”

She bites her bottom lip and nods. “I wish we’d found each other sooner.”

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