Holy.Hell.
She’d gone and fallen in love with a man who was leaving her. And she couldn’t be mad or upset with Gus because it had been his plan all along. He’d been open and honest about it.
“I’m going to make things easy for you,” she said softly, moving closer. “One more night and then you can leave. You can go back to your old life if that’s what you want. You can stay here,and I won’t ask questions.” She pressed her mouth against his neck and smiled when she felt the rapid pulse. Then she moved upward. Had to stand on her tiptoes, but she wrapped her arms around his neck, and when he lowered his head to accept her kiss, a little piece of her heart broke away.
She would never forget this man.
The kiss was full of things unsaid. It was in the way they cradled each other — the way they clung to each other. Everything she felt was communicated through her eyes and mouth and hands and fingers.
At first, the kiss was slow and thorough. But as the heat built between them, it became a fever that spread so fast it took her breath away.
Gus ripped off her blouse, and buttons flew as he rushed to caress her breasts and murmured things she couldn’t understand. He kissed her nipples while she frantically tore at his shorts.
Once they were both naked, he spread her legs and sank to his knees, his mouth seeking, his fingers relentless. She orgasmed so quickly it made her head spin, and when he pushed her to the edge of the sofa, she was ready for more. Wet. Slick. Throbbing.
There were no words. No soft kisses or endearments. This was needful sex. Hot Sex. This was connecting on a level that neither one wanted to acknowledge because to acknowledge that need meant that whatever this was, it was a hell of a lot more than nothing.
And one thing was clear. After tonight, it was over.
Gus flipped her and bent Faith over the sofa, then eased into her, his length filling her completely.
He paused, then bent closer to whisper. “Do you like that?”
She nodded. Couldn’t say the words because there was a big old knot at the base of her throat blocking all the words shewanted to say. She exhaled sharply when he began to move. With his warmth at her back and his hands on her hips, he held her in place while he began to rock into Faith. Slowly, at first. Then harder. Then slow again. He took her to the edge so many times she began to whimper. She pushed away that knot in her throat and managed one word.
“Harder.” His fingers dug in, and as their mutual desire and desperation surfaced, their bodies slick with sweat, she wished with all her heart she could savor this sensation forever. But there was no time. She was close. Just as she was about to come, Gus pulled out. He picked her up and placed her on the sofa.
She slammed her eyes closed because it was all too much.
“I need to see you.” His voice was gruff, like sandpaper, but his touch was velvet. “Look at me, Faith.”
Slowly, she opened her eyes, and with her heart clanging so loudly he must have heard, she guided him inside her. The veins on his shoulders and neck bulged, and his mouth was tight, his eyes bright with passion.
“Fucking hell,” he muttered, claiming her mouth as he began to move again. Slowly. Then, faster.And faster.The moment was real and passionate and so damn bittersweet it brought tears to her eyes.
“Keep your eyes up here,” he said, inches from her face. He filled her completely. Her body. Her heart. Her soul. Faith bit her bottom lip as wave after wave of intense pleasure rolled through her. But all of it was overshadowed by the inevitable, and when Gus withdrew finally, she was cold and shaking and utterly destroyed.
He pulled her into his arms, then scooped her up and walked back to his bedroom.
The entire time they’d been together, doing this thing between them, she’d never been to his bedroom or slept in hisbed. Did it mean anything that he’d brought her here at the end of it all?
She snuggled into his body, her limbs weak. Gus kissed the top of her head and cleared his throat. She couldn’t bear it, so she went on the offense.
“You don’t need to say anything. I knew what this was when we started.”
He was quiet for a few moments and then pulled her tighter. “You surprised me,” he said, his voice husky.
“Good,” she whispered.
“And maybe if I was a different person this could be more.”
“We’re made up of the pieces of our past. I get it.”
They fell silent, and as the long minutes ticked by, the sadness inside grew so large she knew she couldn’t contain it. But she held on long enough for him to fall asleep and then, with nimble fingers, extricated herself from his embrace.
She slid from the bed and glanced down at the man who’d claimed her heart without trying. Then she bent over, smoothed a lock of hair from his forehead, and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. She waited a heartbeat and whispered, “I hope one day you remember me as the girl who got away. I hope I meant at least that much to you.”
Faith stepped back and left him sleeping. She grabbed her clothes and slipped into them, then quietly walked across the hall and let herself into her apartment. It was dark but moonlight fell through the windows. Taco was asleep on the sofa but raised his head for a second, then settled back. She gave him a pat on the head and continued to her bedroom.
