Now, I understood what he meant—this wasn’t like the movies. I wouldn’t come from this alone, not this time. But I wanted to feel all of it. To know what it was like when Owen lost himself inside me, came inside me. To see what I did to him. To make him fall apart in myarms.
Several more thrusts, and Owen stayed inside me for a moment before pushing deeper in shorter, faster strokes. His quick breaths turned into low groans, his body tensed, and I felt it—his release, warmth spilling inside the condom, his body throbbing against mine.
And as stupid as it was, I was happy. Elated.
Owen came inside me. Even with the condom, I felt it, and I was no longer a virgin. And the experience was so much better than I’d dared imagine.
He stayed there, his face resting in the hollow of my shoulder, and we held each other tight.
Then, slowly, he lifted his head. “Are you okay?”
I smiled, nodded. “Better than okay.”
He pulled out of me, and when I looked down, I watched as he removed the condom, tying it off before setting it on the nightstand.
I stared at it for a second. It looked ... lifeless, the bottom part filled. I’d never actually seen this before—not in movies, not in real life. My friends had talked about it, but I’d never really understood.
For a moment, the sight of the condom in our guestroom unsettled me.
But then I smiled. I didn’t care. Not one bit. I didn’t want to think about where we were, or who Owen was to the rest of the world. Right now, none of that mattered.
I was naked in bed with the most beautiful guy I’d ever seen. My friend. The man who had just been inside me in every way possible. The man who made my heart skip a beat.
Owen turned to look at me, shifting onto his side. He propped his head on his arm and traced the back of his fingers over my face.
I mirrored him, turning onto my side so we were eye to eye.
“Was it what you expected?” he asked.
“Better,” I said, my smile taking over my face.
“Even with the pain?”
I shrugged one shoulder, the other still tucked beneath me. “It hurt, but it was still ... amazing,” I whispered. “And before, it was even more amazing.” I chuckled. “Amazingest.”
Owen chuckled, brushing a knuckle over my lips. “I’m happy to hear that.”
We just lay there, looking at each other, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to be naked, tangled together, completely spent.
“You’re so beautiful, Rio,” he murmured.
I wasn’t, not really. But in that moment, I believed him. I was so content I could have let this night stretch on forever.
His fingers traced gentle strokes along my face, while mine drew lazy circles on his arm. At some point, we must have drifted off.
Because the next thing I knew, a noise startled me awake.
I blinked at the clock on the wall—3:20 a.m. A door opened and closed somewhere down the hall.
The light was still on. Carefully, I slipped out of bed and reached for my clothes. I dressed in silence, glancing at Owen as he lay on his side, still asleep, still breathtaking.
As I pulled up my jeans, I glanced at the bed. No blood, though I’d expected some, given everything I’d read and heard.
Owen stirred, then opened his eyes. He sat up, raking a hand through his hair.
“What time is it?”
“Almost four,” I whispered. “I should go. My mom will probably be up by five.”
