Page 78 of Fall Apart

“Fuck, Lizzy.” He grits out. “Yes, just like that.” I feel his cock throb and twitch as he spills himself into me. We stare at each other, our breathing the only sound in the room. But I feel it, I know it. Thisismore.

I reach up to him, my hand running through his tousled inky hair. “What are we doing, Clay?”

“I have no damn clue,” he says softly, still catching his breath.

“But I know I’m craving every second I can get with you.”

I smile softly back at him. “Or in me?”

He snorts a laugh that I can feel to my core with his hard cock still in me. “Yeah, and that.”

His eyes search my face and that soft smile, the one I saw on the river today, is there. I can practically feel the words on the tip of his tongue before he speaks.

“But I know one other thing.” He runs the calloused pad of his thumb over my flushed cheek. I reach up to hold his hand there. “I know that I’m madly in love with you, Lizzy.”

My lips part and I know he can see it in my eyes. I might feel it too, but I’m not ready to admit it to myself, much less say it.

As if he can read my thoughts, he puts a finger to my lips, making me focus back on him. “I know you might not be there yet. I know youmight not be ready.” He brings his lips to mine for a tender, short kiss. “But when I said you’re my everything, I meant it. I can never get enough of you and I will spend every waking minute waiting for you to get there with me.”

I swallow hard and nod. “OK.”

“OK? So we’re doing this for real?” he asks, that boyish excitement from earlier is back on his face. The one that makes my stomach feel warm and fuzzy.

I roll my eyes before smiling back at him. “Yes. We can give this a real shot. I’m pretty much able to work in Utah at the plant or remotely indefinitely. So yes, let’s try this.”

His infectious, giddy smile hardens and his thumb traces my cheek again. “I mean it though. You know I don’t open myself up to heartbreak, but I trust you. I’m trusting you with my heart.” He swallows hard and I can feel the tension build in him. “And I’m going to be here in this with you, waiting for you to catch up. I’m not going to run from this because I know you feel it too.”

I reach up to him, running the back of my fingers over his stubble, a feeling I’ve come to crave.

“I know. Thank you. I’m not going to run from it either. I think I’m just a few steps behind you.”

A thought hum rumbles from his chest while I think about what just happened. “So now what?”

I wrap my hands around his head, pulling him down to kiss me. “We could go again.”

He cocks his head, looking away in mock thought. “I think we’d actually have to have stopped to be able to go again.”

We both look down between us, again realizing he’s still deep inside me. Laughing, we fall into each other's arms, one thought running through my mind.

Maybe I can do this. If there’s anyone I’d want to try with, it would be this man that makes me feel ok to be me.

No. Not just ok. He makes me feel good about being me.

Both of our heads snap up when we hear the double chime of the alarm system for the garage door.

“Shit,” he says, getting up and sliding out from me, leaving me feeling unexpectedly empty. He gets out of bed and grabs his sweats in the corner of the room he left the other night. “Stay there. I’ll go see who’s here.”

Before he can even reach the door, there’s a knock and we both freeze.

“Relax you two, it’s just me.” Grace’s voice calls from the other room. I look at Clay, the same sense of relief washing over his face as the one flooding me. “I tried texting you, but I’m assuming you two were too busy to check your phones. We called it an early day on the slopes. You’ve probably got about five minutes before the other lovebirds finish putting their gear away in the garage.”

Clay palms his face, sighing. “Thanks, sis. See you in a bit.”

A laugh echos from the other side of the door. “God, I love being right.”

Clay throws his head back groaning before walking back to the edge of the bed. He looks down at me, my head propped up on my elbow, while I admire the way his sweats hang off his hips and his still mostly hard erection strains against them. I look up to meet his eyes, practically melting under the heat of his stare.

“You still want to hold off on telling them?” he asks, a concerned look taking over his face.

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