Page 94 of Conflict
I turn my head to find Alyssa’s lips, our mouths mingling while I remain locked deep inside her. Another first. I’ve never been one to linger, but with her? I don’t even want to leave.
We’re both naked, chest to chest, cock to pussy, connected in the most intimate way. If I’m honest with myself, I could stay in this position for the rest of my life and be a contented man.
I told her that anticipation would make this so much sweeter. I just didn’t know that it would ring so true for me, too. I have no desire to ever leave this bed—or her.
And that’s why, for the rest of the night, we stay wrapped up in each other. Kissing, touching, making love over and over until we can’t keep our eyes open anymore.
As I drift off to sleep, with Alyssa’s naked body half covering my own, I have one final crazy thought.
It’s not that I could get used to this.
It’s that I already have.
Sunlight shines on my face when I wake the next morning. I stretch, feeling achy in muscles I didn’t even know I had until last night. The memory of Shane working me out in such an intimate way sends a shiver of pleasure down my spine. I turn to face him and watch as his eyes slowly open. He’s gorgeous in the morning, especially with his dark hair rumpled from the tugs of my fingertips during our sex-crazed night. When he catches me staring, his lips curve up into a sleepy grin.
Shane Wellington sleepy smiling is the thing dreams are made of.
“Do you sing?” I ask, cocking my head and staring at his dimples.
Shane looks surprised. “Umm, in the shower?”
“It’s just…I realized you look like Derek Klena, my current Broadway obsession. I always thought it was unfair, how pretty he is with that killer voice. And if you can sing, well, there go my panties.”
“You aren’t wearing any panties…” he reminds me, his hand coming to my hip and sliding back to squeeze my ass.
I lean in and capture his mouth with mine, kissing him until I’m breathless. “It’s nice to see you in the morning,” I tell him.
He grins. “Wow, we’re already at the point in our relationship where we’ll kiss even with morning breath? It’s getting more serious than I thought,” he teases.
I sit up, holding the sheet across my bare breasts and give him a mocking glare. “Tooserious?” I ask, teasingly.
Shane knifes up on the bed and pushes me onto my back, hovering over me. “I didn’t say serious was bad. In fact, I was planning on asking you about going to my parents’ thirty-fifth wedding anniversary party next month.”
My heart hammers as I stare up into his gaze, his eyes searching mine.
“Or is it too soon? Am I moving things too fast with the whole meet-the-parents thing?”
“No!” I shout, wincing at my loud tone. “No. It’s just… I would love to go. It’s not too soon. You’re not moving too fast. I promise. In fact, wasn’t I the one who insisted you stop the slow nonsense last night?”
Shane’s eyes light up. “Baby, let me show you just how good slow can be.”
An hour later, I’m a convert. Shane does slowreally, reallywell.
In fact, my heart’s still all aflutter while I sit at his kitchen island, watching his bronzed muscles as he sets coffee to brew and then makes us breakfast. Which, of course, is some fancy concoction that has my mouth watering when he places a plate in front of me.
“Espresso waffles with a mocha drizzle,” he informs me, looking all too pleased with himself.
I take a bite of the waffle and groan at the decadence. He’s watching me intently, and I tilt my head to stare at him. “Dinner, breakfast, and amazing sex? I may never let you go.”
His eyes soften. “Don’t make a threat you don’t intend to keep.”
My heartbeat quickens. “Trust me, Shane. I plan on keeping you. You better get used to it.”
“Oh, I plan on it. After all, you’d have a hell of a time getting me to go, even if you tried.”
After taking a sip of coffee that puts even the best barista’s to shame, I sit back and look at him, contemplating how far we’ve come from the first night we met. Sure, it was a bit of a struggle to get here now, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
“You know,” I say, “I’d imagined things between us would’ve been a lot more challenging than they’ve turned out to me. That we’d have more conflict. But this? It’s easy. It’s comfortable. Being with you just feels right, if that makes sense.”
Shane’s fork, which was heading towards his mouth, drops to his plate. A contemplative expression crosses his face, and I wonder if I’ve said too much.
But then he reaches across the island and grabs my hand. “It feels right to me, too. The hardest part was getting here.”
And he’s right. I don’t know what would’ve happened if I hadn’t left Florida, and that’s fine. We have now. We have the future. That’s enough.
