“Even after I lost my lunch?”
“Two totally different things,” I say, breathless as I kiss him, pump into him, loving how he still surrounds me. “You get to be whoever you are out there, but in here, you take care of me.”
He runs his fingers over my eyebrows. “I like taking care of you.”
There’s so much more to say, to talk about, but in this moment, I feel cherished, protected. And I know I’m not in this alone.
I angle my hips, just a little, and his eyes glaze.
“Close,” he says so, so softly.
I thrust again, pinning his cock between us. He stiffens, arching, gripping me tight. Warmth once again blooms between us.
“You’re so beautiful,” he repeats, drunk on sex hormones. “Never felt this way about someone before.”
And that’s that. More than the tight clutch of Truett’s body or the unrelenting grip of his arms, it’s his confession that sets my body on fire. I start to jackrabbit, my orgasm just under the surface, powerful. I cry out as the ecstasy races up and through my body.
Truett wraps his legs around my waist, and I’m gone. I’m done for. I come into that tight space, enveloped, hoping beyond hope that this means something.
Later that night, when he’s fucking me from behind, he kisses a line across my shoulders, whispering, “What have you done to me?”
Here, in my bed, with his arms around my chest and belly, I have no answer for him. But whatever I’m doing to True, he’s doing just as much to me. And maybe this is just the violence talking. Maybe this is what trauma looks like on me, but down deep in my gut, I know it’s not true.
This is something.
And I wanna hold on to it for as long as I can.
26
TRUETT
Ramiand I walk out into the living room to find H and H on the couch with Maya, all three drinking coffee.
Maya sends us a sour look and Holmes wears a bemused smile that looks so much like Mav’s shit-eating grin it’s crazy. Honoré teases, “You do know these walls aren’t one hundred percent soundproof, right?”
I send Rami a pained look, but he shoots his cousin the finger and leans in to kiss my temple. He actually looks a little proud of himself.
“Jealousy isn’t a good look on you,” he says as Honoré returns the gesture with a smile. “Besides, why are y’all up already?”
“We’re on Rami duty,” Holmes says, broadening his grin.
Rami shakes his head as a dead ringer for Holmes—save for the mass of curly hair brushing his shoulders—comes out from the back, followed by a cute guy…and a girl. They hug and make out before the guy and girl make their way into the elevator.
“That’s Maverick. He and Holmes are identical twins,” Rami whispers.
The elevator doors close and Maverick turns to the room with a troublemaker smile, looking for all the world like the cat who got the cream. “Hey! I didn’t realize this was a cousin sleepover. Haven’t seen y’all in far too long,” he says, strolling into the living room.
“Looks like a whole bunch of us got laid last night,” he says, gesturing between Rami and me. “Between you two and whoever Oakley was banging last night, my friends and I were very inspired.”
Whatever pride Rami had before flees the scene and he drops his head into his hands. “Shoot me now.”
“Sorry, cousin. I can’t do that,” Honoré cracks. “Your dads would never forgive me.”
Rami leans in against me, and it feels so natural. He whispers, “As you can see, the Wildling nickname is totally Mav’s fault.”
I give his ass a brief squeeze, and his ears go red. “I happen to like that nickname,” I whisper back.
Holmes disappears into the kitchen, and within a few minutes, the smell of fresh coffee permeates the air. “Got another pot on deck,” he announces. “Who wants pancakes?”
