Heat built at the base of my spine, fire licking up the backs of my thighs, and I knew this wasn’t going to last. With her on her stomach, I wasn’t sure if I could work her clit, but I tried anyway. I wedged one hand under her body and found that spot. I circled it repeatedly as I thrust. My technique was sloppy, but based on the sound she was making, I didn’t think it mattered.
“Elias, I’m close,” she said, her voice sounding strained as she buried her face into the pillow.
“Me too, honey, me too.”
I concentrated on the simple motion of it. My finger going in a circle, my hips pulling back and forth. My lower back felt the strain, my thighs quaked, and the one arm that was holding up my weight trembled. It was all the perfectdistraction so I could get her off before I fell over the edge myself. She ground her hips down against my hand a few times, and her inner muscles clenched around me as she came again.
“Oh, shit.”
The movement of my hips went off rhythm. It was too much, and the hug of her was the last straw before I tumbled over the edge myself. My cock throbbed and pulsed inside her, filling her, claiming her.
Being with her was different than being with anyone else. We knew each other as friends before we knew each other as anything else. In some ways, we even practiced the physical before we got to do it for real. Because of that, our first time together was more. There was no awkward fumbling, no barrier between us. I marked her, gripping her hips, and filling her.
I could feel her chest rising and falling rapidly under me and I pulled carefully out before letting my arm collapse and falling on my side next to her on the mattress. I was worn out. I felt like I’d run a marathon, but in the best possible way. I reached my hand over and ran it reverently over her bare skin, down the curve of her spine and over the globes of her. She was perfect. Beautiful and strong, and if I was reading the situation right, she was also mine.
Chapter Seventeen
Layne
We fell asleep like that. Just the two of us, naked in the bed together.
I was satisfied in a way I couldn’t begin to describe. I’d never compare one lover to another, not out loud anyway. But much like everything else with Elias, it was perfect because it was simple and real. No lit candles or fancy lingerie. No performative dirty talk or pricey wine. The only set-up required was a toothbrush and the shedding of clothes. The only thing we needed was us and our bare skin.
I had come to live in this cabin to lick my wounds, to distance myself from Teddy, and to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. But now that I was here, I couldn’t picture myself leaving. I didn’t want to go back to wearing heels and a suit every day. I didn’t want to work with high-power clients. I liked the day-to-day of helping Jace run his small business. I liked the intimacy of a small town, the way people sawmeinstead ofmy résumé. And most importantly, I liked falling asleep with Elias’s strong arms around me.
That realization settled deep in my chest, equal parts comfort and fear. There was an importance to what I felt for Elias that was bigger than anything that came before it. But I knew it was worth the risk.
I woke up the next morning already running late. I hadn’t thought to set an alarm, but I wanted to meet the realtor in hopes that Teddy would show up.
This had to be the end of it. I wanted Elias to know how I felt about him. I didn’t want him to worry for one moment that Teddy was the reason I wanted to be with him.
Elias was still asleep next to me, and I lingered for a moment even though I needed to get moving. He looked peaceful in sleep, and unfairly sexy in my bed. He was on his side with one well-muscled arm around my waist, his chest bare. I now knew exactly what it felt like to run my fingers through the dark hair that grew there.
My future with him was starting now, but I still wanted all of Teddy in the past.
Reluctantly, I slid out of bed and took a quick shower before getting dressed.
When I came back out to the kitchen, Elias was standing in front of the coffee maker wearing just a pair of jeans.
“Morning.”
I crossed the room and wrapped by arms around him from behind, pressing my cheek to the warm skin between his shoulders. “Morning, you made coffee.”
He shrugged, holding my arm around him. “Can’t start a day without it. Are you going to meet Teddy this morning?”
I pulled away so I wouldn’t get lost in him again. “I hope so.He’s supposed to show up. If this goes well, this is the last time I have to see him.”
The weight in my chest eased at the thought, only to tighten again when there was a knock on my front door. Elias and I made eye contact before I crossed the room to answer it.
Elias leaned against the countertop and watched, not stepping in. That trust—that quiet confidence that I could handle this—steadied me more than anything he could’ve said.
“Morning, Teddy. I thought we were meeting at the real estate office.” I looked him over. “What are you wearing?”
He stood there in a tuxedo and dress shoes, wildly inappropriate for the snow, holding a bouquet of roses like a prop.
“Layne, I tried to get you alone and you refused every time. So I’m saying what I need to say now.” He took a measured breath, the same one he used before presentations at work. “You and I met working for your dad’s company. High dollars. High power. This place isn’t you. Our condo is. Granite. Leather. City views. You need to come home.”
I didn’t interrupt him. I just watched.
