She shatters around me, her body tightening, clenching, pulling me under with her. I slam into her once more, twice, before I lose it completely, groaning her name as I spill into her, the pleasure ripping through me so hard it’s almost painful.
For a moment, everything goes quiet except for our panting breaths, the world narrowing down to the two of us tangled together.
Her body sags beneath me, her chest rising and falling, her lips swollen and parted. I kiss her softly this time, a contrast to the wildness of before, unable to stop myself from lingering on her mouth.
“Maisy…” I murmur, brushing my thumb along her jaw. “Tell me this wasn’t just to get me out of your system.”
Her lashes flutter, her gaze meeting mine, still hazy from what we just did. She swallows hard before whispering, “Maybe…maybe it can just be this. You and me, no strings. We both get what we want without complicating it.”
Her words land like a punch to the ribs. Friends with benefits. That’s all she’s offering.
Every part of me screams that it’s not enough, that I’ll always want more when it comes to her, but I also know I can’t walk away.
I force a small nod, my throat tight. “If that’s what you want.”
She gives a faint, uncertain smile, like she’s trying to convince herself as much as me. “It is. You’re leaving at the end of the season anyway, right?”
“Right.” I lean in and kiss her again, because I’ll take her however she’ll let me, even if it leaves a hollow ache in my chest that I know won’t fade.
And as she rests her head against mine, catching her breath, I already know the truth: I’ll agree to her terms, but it won’t stop me from wanting more.
TWENTY
MAISY
“I want you to myself,”Sterling growls, his voice rough, breath scorching against my throat as his hips drive forward, filling me in a rhythm that makes my whole body tremble. “All mine.”
He sits back on his calves without pulling out, one hand gripping my hip as his other smooths down my stomach. His gaze drops, and he watches himself slide in and out of my pussy, completely transfixed, like he’s hypnotized by the way I take him.
I let myself drink in every detail of him, and God—he’s beautiful. The sharp cut of his jaw is clenched in concentration, sweat beading along his brow and trickling down his temples. His chest heaves, muscles straining, every ridge of his abs shining with a sheen of sweat that makes him look carved from stone. My eyes trail lower, over the deep lines of his V, down to where his body joins mine, and my pulse skips wildly.
A moan slips from me, helpless, and I arch my back to draw him even deeper.
“Sterling…” His name tumbles from my lips on a needy sigh.
He thrusts harder, jaw locking like he’s barely holding himself together. “Maisy,” he grits out, voice strangled.
“Maisy.”
“Yes,” I gasp, nails digging into his arms. “Yes?”
“Maisy, wake up.”
My eyes snap open, and the fog of my dream fades. The heat of Sterling’s body is gone, along with the pressure and pleasure. Instead, I’m sprawled across the couch in the dim light of the living room, my book lying open on my chest. And Sterling—real Sterling—stands over me with a glass of water in his hands. Shirtless.
His bare skin gleams faintly in the light, those same muscles I’d just been dreaming about on full display. My cheeks burn hot.
“Fun dream?” he asks, a knowing smirk curling his lips.
Mortification slams into me and I jerk upright too quickly, the book sliding off my chest and thumping onto the carpet. “Oh my God.”
Before he can say anything else, I bolt off the couch, abandoning both my dignity and my book, sprinting for my room while his low chuckles follow me down the hall.
“Why are you being so weird?”Levi asks me from across the kitchen island.
He’d shown up at the chalet way too early, arms full of takeout breakfast. Before I could even make up an excuse, he practically dragged me out of bed—where I’d been cocooned under the blankets, avoiding Sterling—and shoved me into the kitchen with a plate of food.
“I’m not,” I mutter, the lie flat even to my own ears.
