Page 35 of The Forever After Bet

I groan. “That’s what I was hoping for. Yesterday during the fundraiser meeting, I noticed it. Giving you that red mark was the only thing I thought of for the rest of the meeting.” I nip Hannah’s lips, then cover her mouth with my own. She tangles one of her legs with mine. I glide my tongue along her teeth, but then pull back so I’m looking at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“You brushed your teeth with mint toothpaste.”

Hannah laughs. “Uh yeah, I don’t like mint toothpaste, but I’ll use it when there’s no other option.” She taps a finger to my chin. “And there was absolutely no other option. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

She lifts her head, kissing me, her mouth open, and our tongues tangle together. I slip my hand up Hannah’s shirt, skimming my fingers along the curve of her body. I cover my hand over her breast, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her fingers dig into my back, and I thrust my hips against her pelvis. I’m done waiting. My patience is gone. I stand up and hold out my hand. Hannah takes it.

We pull the covers on the bed down and turn on the bedside lamp. Hannah stands in front of me, slipping both her hands under my shirt. I help her take it off. She leans in, kissing my chest. Her hand comes into contact with a bandage and she steps back so she can get a better look. “What happened?” She asks, concern on her face.

I rub my hand down my stomach and carefully pull the bandage back. Hannah’s eyes go round with surprise. “Is this real—I mean, a permanent tattoo?”

“Yeah.”

“When did you get it done? It’s still red in spots?”

“Sunday night—well, technically early Monday morning. What do you think?” I ask, taking a step back so she can see the whole thing. “It’s a triangle with mountains and a lake in the middle.”

“It’s beautiful. What’s written at the bottom of the triangle in script. It’s still red there.”

“Hannah,” I breathe.

Hannah wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me. “You tattooed my name on your skin.”

“I know. You’re a permanent mark on my heart. It seemed fitting.” I bunch the hem of her shirt and pull it over her head. I glide my hand down her back and inside the waistband of her cheer warmup pants, pushing them over her hips. She pulls on the strap of her sports bra, pulling it over her head, and I push my joggers off and step out of them. Hannah crawls onto the bed, holding her hand out for me.

I grab my wallet from my pocket, toss it on the nightstand and get on the bed. I caress the back of my hand across Hannah’s collarbone and down between her breasts to her stomach. She leans in, scraping her teeth over my pecs. I grit my teeth, grunting as pleasure rushes down my spine.

“I keep thinking I’m dreaming,” Hannah breathes, gliding her hands up and down my chest.

I cup a hand around her cheek, tilting her head so she’s looking at me. “You’re my dream come true. I know that’s cheesy, but it’s true.”

“It’s not cheesy. It makes my heart beat erratically when you say things like that.” Hannah leans in, pressing her lips to mine, and I lay her back on the bed as we kiss.

I trail kisses down her body and scrape my teeth over her nipple, making it stiffen. I soothe it with my tongue and mouth and do the same thing to her other breast. I nip and suck the underside of her breast, leaving a red mark, and then trail more kisses down her stomach. I kiss her navel and bite and suck at the curve of her hip.

“You are so beautiful,” I whisper as I slide my thumbs under the strappy waistband of her panties and drag them down her legs. I push my boxer briefs off and then crawl back up Hannah’s body, kissing, nipping, and sucking as I go. I lean over her, looking at her beautiful face.

She wraps her arm around my neck, pulling me down to her. “Please,” she moans, arching her hips against my throbbing length. I reach over to my wallet, digging my fingers into the last billfold for a condom, but it’s not there. I sit up, kneeling between Hannah’s legs, searching through my wallet but coming up empty.

I scrub a hand through my hair and down my face. “I don’t have a condom.”

17. A Moment Out of Time

My heart sinks. I sit up, moving closer to Ford, and rubbing a hand down his back.

“I’m so sorry. If I knew I didn’t have a condom, I would’ve never taken things this far.” Ford covers his hands over his face. I kneel in front of him, pulling his hands away and tilting my head so he’s looking at me. “It’s okay. I’m on birth control, remember?”

“You didn’t stop?”

“No. You can’t start and stop birth control like that. Well, I guess you could, but you shouldn’t. I take a pill at the same time every morning, right after I wake up.”

“But we’ve always used a condom to be extra careful.”

“I know. I admit it gives me that extra peace of mind. But if birth control is taken properly, it’s ninety-nine percent effective. I promise you I take it as directed by my doctor.” I rub my hand along his neck and down his back, pulling him against me. I want Ford almost as much as I want to breathe, but not having a condom could be a deal breaker for him. No matter how much it will hurt and the hour-long cold shower I’m going to need, I’ll respect his decision. “I want to be with you, but I’ll understand if you don’t want to.”

Ford grabs my shoulders, pushing me down on the bed, covering his body over mine. “Hannah Clark, there are few things in this world I want more than to be inside you.”

---