For a few minutes, neither of us says anything. We just breathe in unison, her hair tangled over my face, my hand splayed on the small of her back.
I’m still inside her and never want to move.
***
Maisie
I lie beneath Brecken’s warm, solid body with his cock still twitching inside me. My body feels boneless, glowing, completely alive in a way I’ve never experienced before.
Not with my fiancé.
Not with anyone.
He kisses me again, slowly, tenderly, nothing like the practiced sessions of our first two lessons. This kiss feels real and, if I’m being honest, dangerous, because I can’t ignore the way he’s changed me.
When he finally eases out of me and rolls to the side, he pulls me against his chest without a word. I curl into him, sliding my leg over his thigh, and rest my cheek on his chest, my new favorite place. The steady thump, thump, thump grounds me as my mind races.
This was supposed to be the final lesson. One last night of pretending I’m his wife so he can teach me how to please the man I’m supposed to marry. Instead, every one of his kisses has stripped away the pretense, and I’m tired of lying to myself.
“Brecken,” I whisper, tracing lazy circles on his chest with my fingertip. “I don’t want this to be the end.”
He drags his fingers up my spine in a slow, possessive stroke. “I know.”
Those two words make me prop myself up so I can look at him.
His dark brown eyes lock onto mine, deadly serious, and I blow out a deep breath. “I’ve been lying to myself for months,” the words spill out before I can stop them. “I think my fiancé chose me because I’m safe. Presentable. Someone who’ll get along with his crazy parents, look good on his arm and not cause trouble.” I close my eyes and blink back the tears I feel coming. “This isn’t easy for me to say, but there’s no denying Calder has never looked at me the way you do. He’s never touched me like my pleasure actually mattered to him.”
Brecken’s jaw flexes as he gently caresses my hip. “You deserve so much more than that, Maisie. You should be wanted, craved, loved, and seen twenty-four seven.”
The tears refuse to leave, and I keep blinking them back before I turn into a slobbering fool. “I don’t think these lessons were ever about learning how to keep him from straying. They were about waking me up, and you were the one to do it, Brecken. I’m so happy I met you before I ruined my life.”
Brecken sits up, pulling me with him so we face each other on the bed, with the sheet pooled around our waists. He cups my cheeks with both hands, and brushes away my tears with his thumb.
“I’ve never felt this way about anyone,” he says quietly. “Never. Every night with you has felt real. The way you respond to me … the way you look at me when I’m buried inside you — none of it was pretending. It never was. Not for me.”
My heart stutters. “Then what is it?”
He leans in and kisses me, deep and slow, pouring everything he hasn’t said yet into the kiss. When he pulls back, he confesses, “I’m falling in love with you, Maisie. It wasn’t my place to say anything, but the thought of you walking down the aisle to a man who doesn’t see how incredible you are is killing me.”
Everything inside me is lighting up. I could cry with relief. I wasn’t imagining he had feelings for me. Everything I felt was real. I wrap my arms around his neck and stare into his eyes. He gives me a sexy grin and kisses my nose, teasing, “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
“As a matter of fact, there is,” I answer, with a quick kiss. “Now, I don’t want you to feel responsible for this, even though you sort of are, but I’m calling off the wedding,” I whisper against his lips, smiling so hard my cheeks hurt. “It was a mistake. I got swept up doing what I thought was the right thing, what everyone wanted me to do, and talked myself into marrying him. Don’t get me wrong, I care about Calder, but something was missing. Maybe that’s why our sex life was so bland and boring. I thought it was my fault, but the truth is I’m not sure he reallyloved me. Not enough to last a lifetime, and the same goes for me. Because now I know the difference. I … I think I’m falling in love with you too.”
He grips my hips with those strong, callused hands and pulls me tighter against him. His eyes burn into mine, dark with need. “Say it again.”
My heart slams against my ribs. I slide my hands up his chest, feeling his heartbeat under my palms, and whisper, “I’m falling in love with you, Brecken.”
A raw, relieved sound escapes him, before he closes his eyes and a shaky smile tugs at his lips. “You don’t know how much I wanted to hear you say that. Thank God.” His voice is rough, almost broken. “I’ve been dreading the thought of leaving you.”
I cup his face with both hands. “And now you don’t have to.” I lean in until our lips are barely touching. “I’m yours for as long as you want me.”
He groans deep in his chest, and kisses me fiercely—hungry and desperate, like he’s been starving for this exact moment. He slides a hand up my back and tangles his fingers in my hair, holding me right where he wants me, while the other grips my hip harder, pressing our bodies flush together.
It doesn’t take long for us to pick up where we left off. In one smooth motion he lifts me and slides back inside me, bare, thick and perfect.
This time there’s no lesson, and no pretending as we move together slowly, never taking our eyes off each other. We make love off and on through the night until we collapse together, all tousled and sweaty, at around 3 a.m. He pulls the covers over us and holds me close, brushing his lips against my temple.
“Having you all to myself for the whole night is like a dream,” I whisper.
