Page 27 of Baby for My Best Friend's Brother

I empty myself into the condom with a roar.

Still panting, I collapse onto the bed next to her and pull her close to me. I link my fingers with hers, playing with them lightly.

“Fuck me.”

“I know.” She gasps for breath.

“It’s never been like…” I shake my head and press my lips to her neck.

Sophie lies curled on her side, her face nestled into the crook of my arm, one leg draped over mine. The sheets are twisted around us, her hair a soft tangle against my chest.

I’ve had sex before. Great sex, even.

But this—whateverthisis—was something else entirely.

She didn’t just let me in. She gave me everything. Every breath, every touch, every shiver. Like she wanted to remember it for the rest of her life. Like sheknewthis was the last time.

And maybe it is.

I stare at the ceiling, trying to ignore the ache that’s settled deep in my chest. I should be satisfied—hell, I should be smug. Imade her gasp. Laugh. Come apart in my arms more than once. That was the goal, wasn’t it? One night she’d never forget.

But I didn’t expect it towreckme.

She shifts slightly, her palm sliding across my chest. “You still awake?”

“Yeah.” My voice comes out low and rough. “Did I wear you out?”

A sleepy smile tugs at her lips. “A little. But in the best way.”

I chuckle softly. “Good.”

We fall into silence again, the kind that feels full, not empty.

I want to ask her to stay. To push her flight back. Hell, cancel it altogether and move in with me in the woods. But I can’t.

That’s not who she is.

She has a life. A real one, built on talent and hard work and a vision that doesn’t involve hiding out in a cabin or hanging flannel on a clothesline. She’s got her sights set on something bigger. Something that doesn’t include a man like me.

“Are you having second thoughts?” she asks suddenly, her voice barely audible.

“What?”

“About tonight. About… this.”

I blink, turning my head to look at her. “Not for a damn second.”

She lets out a breath I didn’t realize she’d been holding and nods against my chest. “Good. Me neither.”

I run my fingers through her hair. “You don’t have to explain anything, Sophie.”

“I know. I just…” She lifts her head to meet my eyes. “I don’t want to make this harder than it already is.”

“Too late for that,” I say, trying to smile.

Her eyes soften. She reaches up and brushes her fingers along my jaw. “You’re a really good man, Cliff.”

I swallow hard. “You don’t have to say that.”

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