Page 133 of In Your Dreams, Holden Rhodes

“Holden.” She gasped it, eyes clenched closed. Her core clamped down on me and fucked her hard from below with everything I had. She shook and gripped me like a tight fist. I choked on air, drinking up everything she was giving me.

“Come with me.” Her words slipped out as moans. “Please. Need you to come with me.”

Fire seared up my spine into my brain and I came hard, releasing everything deep inside her with a shout. Our gazes locked and the moss green of her eyes cut my brain in half and then cut it in half again. My body bowed towards her, lost in her eyes, buried deep within her where I belonged.

Right. This was so fucking right. Nothing would ever be as good as this moment with Sadie sitting on my cock as she worked my soul out through my cock. Nothing.

I fell back onto the pillow, drained, blood still rushing through my ears and heart pounding in my chest. Sadie let out a satisfied sigh and leaned forward. I pulled her against me, one hand locked tight around her back and one in her hair as I caught my breath. My chest was slick with sweat but she didn’t notice or care.

“Holden,” she sighed against my chest. “Having sex with you is the best thing I’ve ever experienced. I never thought it could be like that.”

My heart fuckingsangwhen she said that. I smiled into her hair, heart rate slowing. Post-orgasm sleepiness crawled through my brain like fog.

“Fucking you is what I was made for,” I said into her hair.

She laughed softly and my heart twisted at the sound. I closed my eyes to memorize it.

A few minutes later, when I had taken care of the condom and brushed a washcloth over her, grinning at her embarrassed smile, I pulled her under the covers and against my chest.

Sleep bled into the edges of her eyes but she gazed up at me, watching. Her hand flattened on my chest, stroking lightly.

She gazed back at me like we were the only people on the planet.

I loved her.

It bloomed in my chest, warm and tight. I was head over fucking heels, stars in my eyes, head in the goddamned cloudsin lovewith Sadie Waters.

I realized something. All those guys before me, they took from her in different ways. Begging her to stay would be selfish.

I couldn’t ask her to choose me over everything she had waiting in Toronto. It had to be her decision.

We lied there a few moments, hearts beating against each other, sinking into the bed and listening to each other’s breath. I reached over to turn the bedside lamp off.

She inhaled a deep breath and let it free, deflating and relaxing against me. I pressed a kiss on top of her head and inhaled her hair. She made a muffledmmmnoise against my chest and I smiled.

When I had gifted her the boots and raincoat, happiness had radiated out of Sadie, like she couldn’t believe someone would do that for her.

An idea formed in my head. I didn’t have to tell Sadie I loved her.

I’d show her.

49

Sadie

Two Sundays later,Holden and I were walking along the beach in a neighboring town. The rain had let up for the afternoon and we had spent the morning in bed before I dragged Holden out to have our Sunday adventure.

I slipped my hand into his as we wandered down the beach, watching the waves crash on the shore. He looked down at me and smiled.

“How’d painting go this week?” he asked.

My mouth twisted and I shrugged. “Fine.”

A couple mornings after I started staying at Holden’s, I walked past one of the spare rooms to find him setting up my easel and painting supplies. The morning light shone through the trees and lit the room up. Sometimes I opened the window and listened to the birds chirping.

I’d been thinking about Holden’s words at the art gallery, about trying to paint another self-portrait. I’d shoved it to the back of my mind for years but the idea was back with a vengeance. Holden’s encouragement and belief in me made me want to do it.

Every time I set up my paints and stared at the blank canvas, though, I came up with nothing. I didn’t even know where to start.

---