It was a thing of beauty. Experiencing him, this, us, was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. But why was that such a surprise? What part of Dare wasn't beautiful? It made sense this—sharing a bed, bonding as one—would be beautiful too.
No.
Not just beautiful. Transformative.
Who knew sex could be so raw and filthy but so sweet and innocent at the same time?
"Are you okay?" Dare asked, caressing my head.
"More than okay. I'm...perfect. I feel perfect. And we're so doing that again."
Dare smiled, sliding his hand down to my face.
"We've got a lifetime to do it over and over again."
I sucked in a deep breath and stared at him.
"D-do you mean that?"
Dare narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to my face, so that when he spoke I felt his words warm on my skin.
"I've never meant anything more in my life."
I smiled. I kissed him. I held him.
A lifetime.
I could imagine a lifetime like this. It was easy. Effortless. And for the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn't scared.
There was nothing scary about being loved by a man like Dare.
TWENTY-FOUR
DARE
He looked so ethereal, sleeping in my bed, naked and vulnerable, so close I could feel the heat of his body as if it were my own. I'd forgotten what it was like to be in this position. To have another warm body next to me. A body I knew up close and personal. Someone who'd seen me at my most vulnerable as I'd seen them.
I watched him for what felt like hours. I couldn't get enough of him. The memories of our night together poked at me, unwilling to let me forget how intimate we'd been, unwilling to let me forget how good he felt to hold and kiss, or the fact that his load was still inside me. The thought alone made me hard, but I distracted myself by running my fingers in circles all over his body and watching his skin react under my touch.
It felt almost alien. This. Here. Him. It had been so long since I'd been with someone, it felt like a part of me that had been sleeping was just starting to wake up. A part of me I'd forgotten existed altogether.
It was so beautiful to be reacquainted with that side of me, but I couldn't help the terror pulsating in my gut ready to pounce and debilitate me. I couldn't help it.
This was exactly why I'd avoided personal relationships all these years. To keep the fear that had eaten me when Wyatt abandoned me at bay. Somehow I'd still ended up in one. But I couldn't back away now. I couldn't walk away. I didn't want to. I needed to see this through. I was already invested. Try as I might to deny it, I was in love with him. Not just the idea of him. Not just the fantasy. Him. The real him. Scars, imperfections and all. Walking away now would make me no better than Wyatt, especially if Zach was in love with me too.
Walking away was no longer an option.
His eyes flickered and he stretched his hands with a yawn before he turned to me with a smile.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey," I said back.
He narrowed his eyes and put his hand on my cheek before leaning into me for a soft, tender kiss that made me breathe a little easier.
"You okay?" he asked.
I nodded.
