Page 64 of Artfully Wild
I deserve him. I am worthy of him. And I amenoughfor him.
So, instead of trying to figure out a way to talk myself out of those three words, I wait for a few seconds before repeating them.
“I love you, Jacob.”
His face breaks out into a wide Jacob smile, both dimples surfacing this time. “I heard you the first time, but I had to be sure I wasn’t imagining it like I have a million times before.”
“You’ve imagined this?”
“This exact scenario.”
“Skiing down a mountain after telling each other one of our biggest secrets only to have me have a full on meltdown, followed by half a day of wallowing over my dead sister, and surrounded by dozens of half eaten trays of room service?”
“Okay, maybe not thisexactscenario. But hearing it from your actual lips I think made my heart stop.”
A blush creeps up my neck, settling deep into my cheeks.
“Do you want to know another secret?” he asks, moving closer to me on the bed. He reaches for me and pulls me on his lap until I am straddling him and I don’t think my body has ever felt more at home than it does when it is flush against his.
“Yes,” I whisper, pressing a light kiss to the corner of his mouth. I repeat the action on the other side.
“I would rock climb every day.”
I can’t help but laugh at his admission. “What are you talking about?”
“I would rock climb every single day if it meant I got to spend more time with you. I would ride that damn ski lift over and over as long as you were sitting beside me, holding my hand. I would climb the mountain trails and hike to the highest peak if it meant that I got to shout from the top how much I am completely in love with my best friend.”
By the end of his admission, there are tears cascading down my cheeks, coming together in one teardrop in the middle of my chin before dripping down onto my robe.
With the pad of his thumb, he gently swipes the tears away before framing my face with his hands and drying my cheeks.
Bringing my forehead to his, he lets out a long breath that sounds freeing and I get the sense that he feels at home too.
“I love you.”
“I love you.”
The words come out in unison and we finally meet in the middle, firmly pressing our lips together. He starts to move his slowly and I follow him, threading my fingers into his thick hair and gently tugging him closer.
The hard length of him is already pressing against me, ready for any kind of attention. I answer the need and trail my hand down his body until I get to him. Parting his robe, I wrap my hand around the base of him and stroke to the head and back down again. He gasps and I can feel his heart rate quicken under the hand against his neck.
“Fuck, sweetheart, that feels good,” he manages. I like seeing him like this. His cheeks are flushed and his body is relaxed and open from the lust now heavy and thick in the air.
“You know what would feel better?” I tease.
“Your pussy?” I cringe without meaning to. “Okay, that word isn’t your thing. Noted,” he responds with a smile.
“I like dirty talk, but that one is a no go I think.”
“Just more things to learn about you, Skylar Waters.”
“Mmm,” I moan. “Just one more thing in the well of secrets I have that you get to discover.”
“A garden of secrets,” he gasps.
“My own secret garden,” I joke.
“Speaking of secrets, you never told me about Max?”
