Page 147 of My Real Love Affair

I reached for the nightstand and fumbled out a condom from one of the two boxes I had brought on the trip. She watched me roll it on, eyes hooded, cheeks flushed. I had never seen anything sexier. When I nudged her entrance she opened her legs wider.

One smooth thrust and I was buried to the hilt, sheathed so tightly I saw spots. We both stilled, breathing hard, savoring the moment of connection.

“Jesus, Melody,” I gritted out. “You undo me.”

I had been inside her several times and it only got better.

She cupped my jaw with her thumb brushing my lower lip. “Show me.”

I withdrew slowly, then sank back in, setting a languid rhythm designed to drag this out until we were both mad with it. She met every stroke, hips rolling, inner muscles rippling around me. I shifted angles until her breath hitched and her nails scored my back. I heard her gasp and knew I hit the right spot. I stroked deeper. Slower. Again. And again.

Sweat slicked our skin. The headboard tapped a steady cadence against the wall, yacht rocking gently beneath us like the ocean itself urged us on. Her heels dug into my ass, urging me faster, harder. I gave it to her, pistoning deep until the bed creaked and her cries filled the cabin.

When I felt her tense a second time, I slipped a hand between us, thumbing her clit. She exploded, clenching around me so tight I lost control. I buried my face in her neck, groaning her name as I followed her over, coming so hard my vision blanked.

We floated back to earth wrapped around each other, limbs tangled, heartbeats syncing. I kissed the damp skin beneath her ear.

“Damn, baby girl, you might just kill me,” I groaned.

She smiled, eyes still closed, and tightened her arms around my neck. “Stay inside me a little longer.”

As if I could move even if I wanted to. “Not going anywhere, baby girl.”

She was mine. My woman. My future. And I was going to make damn sure she never forgot it.

I rolled us onto our sides, keeping her close, not ready to let go of her. Maybe never ready to let go. She curled into me immediately, fitting against my body like she was made for this exact space. I rested my chin on top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair.

We lay there in the dim light of the stateroom, the yacht rocking gently beneath us, and I felt something shift in my understanding of the world. It was like having a pair of foggy glasses pulled away. I felt like I could see clearly.

All my brothers—the ones who had gotten married, settled down, traded their freedom for domesticity—were starting to make sense to me.

Was this the way they felt about their wives? Did they have this kind of connection and the certainty of just knowing you were with the right person?

I couldn’t blame them for walking away from the hard and fast lifestyle. I would never blame them for choosing stability over chaos. For wanting their woman in their bed every morning instead of a rotation of temporary distractions.

Because that’s what I felt with Melody in my arms. She was completely relaxed against me. The absolute rightness of having her in my arms was better than any party or club. It was better than any wild night I ever had.

I was home. Not the yacht or the luxury or the destination. Just her. Just us.

“What are you thinking about?” she murmured, her hand resting against my chest.

“My brothers.”

She lifted her head to look at me with surprise on her face. “That’s a weird thing to think about right now.”

I laughed. “Not like that. I’m just—I’m starting to understand them. Kent and Sylvie. Isaac and Mina. All of them.”

“Understand what?”

“Why they gave up everything else for this. For their person.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I used to think they were crazy. That they’d lost themselves. But now I think maybe they found themselves. In their partners.”

“That’s very philosophical for post-sex Austin.”

“Post-sex Austin is apparently deep.” I kissed her forehead. “But seriously. I get it now. Why Kent looks at Sylvie like she hung the moon. Why Isaac rearranged his entire life for Mina. Why they all act like complete saps around their wives.”

“Are you saying you’re a sap now?”

“The biggest sap. Completely gone for you.”