Page 62 of A Lot Like Forever
He ignored her wishes, wanting it to last, but eventually she wriggled so hard that he did start to move faster, slowing only when she forced him to.
“Stop,” she said, voice firm.
Nate stopped immediately, looking down at her with concern. Only he was met with a smug grin as she moved from underneath him and pushed at his shoulders, palms flat as she forced him to his back.
“I think I need to practice what you’ve been teaching me,” she murmured, moving to sit astride him and leaning forward, her hair covering his face until she shook it away and kissed him on the mouth.
“What’s that?” he asked, happy to be part of any performance she wanted. For all the talk about him being her teacher, there hadn’t exactly been so much teaching as just plain old fun happening between them.
“To do whatever feels good for me.”
He chuckled, then groaned as she moved up, lowering herself over him and starting to rock back and forth. Her head was tipped back, long hair touching his thighs as she moved, brushing against him, teasing him. Faith moved slowly at first, and he raised his hands to cup her breasts, loving the fullness of them above him, holding them as she rode him. Faith’s eyes were shut, but he didn’t shut his for a second, wanting to watch every move she made, keep his eyes locked on the breasts that drove him crazy.
Then she started to ride him faster, her body locked to his, and he cupped her ass instead, held on to her hips, and rocked hard inside her. Just when he started to lose control, knew there was no way in hell that he could hold back, Faith slowed, her body more gentle, the intensity of her actions gone at the same time as he gave in to his own climax. Nate kept hold of her, not letting go of her butt until his body relaxed, then scooping his arms around her so she could collapse on top of him.
Nate inhaled the sweet smell of her hair, hated that it was mixed with the faint aroma of cigarettes from her night out but liked that it was covering his face nonetheless. He kissed her neck, held her tight, their bodies still fused together as they lay in silence.
“You’re amazing,” he told her, surprised by how gruff his voice sounded. “Best sex of my life.”
She let out a low laugh. “How can one man make me feel like utter crap and then you come along and make me feel like a goddess?”
He held on to her tight, wishing she knew how amazing she was without him having to tell her. But then if she knew that already, he probably wouldn’t have fallen for her so hard. The fact that she seemed to have no idea how goddamn beautiful she was or that she was incredible whatever she was doing was all part of the reason he liked her so much.
“I’ll tell you now and I’ll tell you again, Faith,” he said, smiling up at her as she looked down at him. “You are the most amazing creature I’ve ever met. I only wished you could see in the mirror what I see whenever I look at you.”
“Thank you, Nate,” she whispered, looking shy as he stared at her.
“For what?”
She dropped back down on top of him, mouth just close to his ear. “For everything. What you’ve done for me will change my life forever.”
* * *
Faith fought the tears that were burning—stinging—her eyes. Just saying the words to Nate made a choke form in her throat, the finality of what she’d done weighing on her so heavy she could hardly stand it. When she’d come home tonight, she’d told herself that this was it. Her last night with Nate. They couldn’t keep going on like this, couldn’t live in this delicious bubble any longer without one of them getting hurt. And so she’d decided to give herself one more night with him. One more night to enjoy him, to let her body feel pleasure like it might never feel again. To lie with the man who’d changed the way she looked at the world.
She wasn’t lying when she’d told Nate that he’d changed her life. He’d helped her find the job she had, which had put her on the first step of the ladder in the art world. He’d explained to her how to make a success of herself, been so genuine in his appreciation for her, made her feel worthy and beautiful, like nothing or no one would ever be able to stand in her way again.
Which was why leaving him was so heartbreaking.She’d told herself repeatedly to leave before she fell in love, but the reality was that she’d already fallen.
“You okay?” he asked.
Faith nodded and held him tighter. “Yes.”
They lay a bit longer together, neither one of them wanting to move. Their bodies were warm, her mouth was against his skin, and Nate’s hands were stroking her back in big, slow circles.
“Are you going running in the morning?” she asked.
Nate cleared his throat. “Yeah. I’m heading out at daybreak with Chase.”
She excused herself to go to the bathroom, kissing Nate before she pulled away from his embrace.
“Why? You want to come?” he asked with a chuckle.
“No!” she called out, the door to the bathroom still open.
Faith washed the makeup from her face and brushed her teeth before joining him back in bed, still naked, and tucking up beside him. Nate lay on his back and she dropped her head to his chest, making herself comfortable.
“Good night, gorgeous,” he said.
“ ’Night.”
She listened to the steady beat of his heart, heard his breathing change as he fell asleep almost immediately. Faith stroked his chest, squeezed her eyes shut to block the tears again, then eventually moved and reached into her purse that she’d left beside the bed to pull out her phone. She texted her brother, hoping Sam would have his phone with him. He always rose early, which meant he should at least get it first thing if he didn’t receive it now.
Need you to pick me up from King Ranch just before 7 am. Don’t be late. I need you. F xo
Faith switched her phone to silent and curled up beside Nate again. She’d miss his big, muscled body against hers for a very long time, but she was doing the right thing. Or maybe it wasn’t the right thing, but it was the only thing that made sense to her right now.
