Page 99 of All I Need

THE MORNING SUN IS BARELY creeping through the shades when I wake up. Stretching my arms above my head, I notice the body next to mine is not firm, nor does it smell all that great, and the snoring is so loud, it’s almost vibrating the mattress.

Not exactly how I envisioned waking up the morning after sleeping with Walker for the first time. Scrunching up my nose, I brace myself before rolling over.

To Brutus.

He farts, waking up and looking at his butt as if to question whether or not he was the offender of such a thing.

“Oh, right. Like that was me. Don’t try blaming your morning flatulence on me.”

I reach out a hand and rub down his back. He arches into my touch and blows out a stinky breath, fat lips flapping.

“Good morning, handsome.”

He doesn’t reply but then again, why should he? He’s the king of this castle.

“How’d you manage to crawl your short legs up here?”

Snore.

The side of my mouth turns up in a small smile and I cuddle into Walker’s soft, fluffy mattress. I press my face into the pillow and am greeted by the wonderful scent I was looking for earlier.

I squeal, the sound muffled by the pillow. Brutus grunts beside me and I turn my head, petting him so he’ll relax.

“Oh stop, you old grump.”

He licks my wrist and I take it as a sign he forgives me for interrupting his slumber.

I find Walker’s shirt draped over a chair in the corner and slide it on, the hem of the t-shirt coming down to mid-thigh, and make my way to his bathroom attached to his bedroom.

After I finish up, I wash my face, staring at myself in the mirror after it’s clear of makeup. My eyes are clear despite the sleepiness I still feel and my lips are slightly swollen from a long night of kissing.

Round three happened around 3:30 am when I shifted in my sleep. It only took a single brush of his body against mine for me to slide between the sheets and take him into my mouth. He responded by holding my hair back so he could see me. Before he was able to come, he growled and pulled me up, rolling us over so he was on top of me. I learned that as much as he likes me on top so I can show him what I like, he likes to be in control even more.

He showed me with his body what he hadn’t said with his words and I only hoped my body did the same.

I didn’t think I’d find love again.

Didn’t even want to.

I had fallen so head over heels in love with Michael that when he blew my perception of him out of the water, I made the decision to keep my heart safe. It was easier that way. My parents never showed me the kind of love my heart longed for but then Michael came along and I had thought I’d finally found my happily ever after. I clung so tightly to him and our relationship, especially the family I found in his family. He knocked the wind out of my sails, so to speak, when he cheated on me. I expected disappointment from my parents. Not from the man who asked me to marry him.

I was closed off for a long time. Choosing Gary wasn’t about love. It was about companionship and being with someone who I thought would be there for me. I had chemistry with Michael and it screwed me over, not having it with Gary was a blessing, in my warped mind.

My feelings for Walker are on a whole other level than anything I’ve felt before. It’s not just companionship or chemistry. It’s a crazy, intense combination of everything that makes him right for me. I don’t love him because he’s either safe or not safe. I don’t love him because he’s giving me something I didn’t grow up with. I love him because for the first time, possibly in my life, I can be myself around someone. And I’m accepted.

It’s a heady feeling but I’m ready to accept it.

Following the smell of coffee, I make my way to the kitchen. Leaning against the island, I watch as Walker works at the stove, his back to me. He’s wearing only a pair of bright green boxer briefs and, God love him, a black apron. I have to bite my fist to stop myself from laughing. I’m also busy trying to burn the image before me into my eyeballs because hot damn he’s a sexy beast.

His butt cheeks actually flex under the tight boxer material as he moves around the kitchen, stirring something on the stove and leaning down to check on whatever he has baking in the oven.

The muscles in his thighs stretch the boxers, and don’t even get me started on his back. Everyone always talks about abs and how sexy they are but it’s like the back is full of hidden treasures. The dips and curves. The strength of his physique obvious from where I’m standing. The bulge of his shoulders is a stark reminder of Round 2 when we took a water break and couldn’t get through a bottle before attacking each other again.

He lifted me up, slammed me against the fridge and took over. Our bottles of water crashed to the floor, spilling onto the hardwood floor. I was at his mercy and loved every single second of it. My eyes drift to the fridge, my skin heating up with the delicious memories. We had collapsed into a heap on the kitchen floor, chests rising and falling with the deep breaths.

“God, Ellie.”

“I know.”

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