Page 63 of After the Storm

“Can you give me one more?” he asks, slipping a hand between us and rubbing circles on my clit.

“I think so.” I nod.

“I know so.” He smirks at me. He drops a kiss on my lips, then a trail down my neck and chest until he reaches his destination and pulls one of my nipples into his mouth. Gently sucking and passing his tongue over it until he takes it between his teeth and bites down just enough to send a shock wave straight through me.

“Oh my God,” I almost scream out into the crook of his neck. My orgasm rips through me. My legs tremble and every muscle in my body tenses around him. My fingers cling tight in his hair. “Come with me,” I plead in his ear.

He doesn’t take much convincing. His thrusts quickly become sloppy and uneven. He pushes deep inside and stills, filling me. We both just sit there for a moment, connected and panting. Every time with Roman has been so different and so much more than sex ever had been before. But this was a lot, even for us. I’ve never really felt like Ineededit like this before. Like it was my only tether to reality.

“Holy shit.” I finally find the energy to speak and that’s all I come up with.Profound.

“You okay?” he asks, brushing my hair out of my face. I got so caught up in this, in us, that I almost forgot why I was wound up so tight in the first place.

“Yeah. I’m okay,” I assure him. For a change I really mean it though, I’m not putting on a brave face. I feel good. I feel like I took a piece of myself back tonight. Standing up to the person who made me feel so small, is so empowering.

He doesn’t say a word, he just pulls my head back to his chest, holding me against him. He kisses the top of my head and strokes fingertips up and down my back.

It really is the little things. A warm feeling fills my chest that I can’t quite put a name to. All I know is it’s unfamiliar and feels the way the summer sun feels on cold hands. I know without a doubt I’ll spend the rest of my life chasing this feeling. I also know as long as I’m with Roman, I won’t have to search far.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of this,” I sigh against his skin.

“You never have to. You can have as much of me as you need,” he mumbles into my hair.

Chapter26

Roman

This might go down asone of the most emasculating things I’ve ever done.

I pull my hand up and knock on Beck’s door. A few beats pass before finally the knob turns and he opens the door. He’s wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants and I feel even more ridiculous showing up at his door. Normal people just text or call but I was in the car already.

“Come to confess your undying love for me?” he asks, leaning against the door frame.

I huff in annoyance and push past him, sitting on his living room couch. “Wow, what happened to being invited in?” he says dramatically, closing the door and meeting me on the couch.

“Think we’ve been friends long enough that I don’t need to be invited in anymore, bud,” I say with a pat on his shoulder.

“Touche.” He nods. “So, you’re here to tell me you’re in love with me?” he asks again.

“No. I can’t say that’s why I’m here,” I say sarcastically.

“That’s weird because you came and knocked on my door like it’s 1985 and you were asking my dad if you could take me out for a night on the town.”

“You’re a dick.” I groan. “I was on my way to Audra’s house because she wants me to meet her mom, like formally meet her mom. I’m nervous and I need advice,” I admit.

“Oh, you came to talk to Daddy. Why didn’t you just say so?” He laughs to himself.

“I really wish you would stop calling yourself that.” My face scrunches up with disgust.

“What are you nervous about?” he asks.

“I’ve met her before but this just feels different. This feels formal like if I fuck it up I’m going to be thrown out of the picture,” I confess.

“You really think Audra would do that? Kick you to the curb if you don’t impress her mom the first time? She’s better than that and you know it.” It feels a little like a scolding. He’s right though, she is better than that.

“You’re right. I don’t know why I’m this nervous. I just feel like everything has to be perfect with her.”

“And how has trying to make everything perfect gone for you so far?” he asks.

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