Stevie exploded. Her world detonated in an outward burst so intense she could practically feel her molecules separating as the orgasm ripped through her.
She didn’t realize Nico had stopped moving until she came back to herself. He was still watching her, buried deep. When she took a breath, he began moving again. Slower this time. He built her right back up within minutes.
“Tell me,” he whispered.
She wanted to, but she was scared to. The only time she’d ever told a man she loved him, he’d ended up walking away.
“You tell me,” she retorted, her eyes rolling back as his hips lowered, his pelvis pressing perfectly against her clit.
Nico leaned down, his arms and shoulders flexing as his weight shifted. His mouth came closer to hers, but he didn’t kiss her.
“I love you, Stevie. I have for a long time.”
She grabbed him, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him until he was on top of her. Nico slid his arms under her, holding his weight on his forearms as he began to move again. His lips covered hers, his tongue lazily teasing into her mouth as he continued to fuck her. Slow and deep, she felt every inch of him as he filled her and retreated. It was too much. She was overwhelmed. Heart and body.
“I love you, too,” she whispered between kisses. “I always have.”
Nico growled, and his hips bucked. He slammed into her as he lifted his head, looking at her again.
“God, Stevie.” He squeezed his eyes closed. “Fuck.”
She grabbed his ass, pulling him into her. They rocked together as he held on, refraining longer than she needed, but she wasn’t about to stop him. She let the sensations tear through her again, rode the wave of ecstasy until it crashed, and she raced headlong into another orgasm, this one more intense than the first.
“Oh, yeah,” he groaned, lifting up. “That’s it. Come for me, Stevie.”
She dug her nails into his ass, holding him inside her when he finally succumbed to his release.
When he fell on top of her, she held onto him, burying her face in his neck and sending up a silent prayer that he didn’t break her heart.
Because Stevie knew that if she broke this time, she would never be the same again.
Twenty-Four
Nico was walking on a cloud.
At least, that was what it felt like. He could’ve rationalized that it was the result of what had to’ve been one of the top three most incredible sexual experiences of his life. It should’ve only been on the better-than-great list because of the missionary position and the lack of dirty talk, but no. He was relegating it to the top of the incredible pile, and he knew it had everything to do with Stevie telling him she loved him.
He honestly hadn’t expected her to say the words. And he damn sure hadn’t intended to coax them out of her, but he wasn’t lying when he told her he’d been jealous that morning. He hadn’t realized it until much later, but something about it had niggled at him for most of the day. Nico finally figured out that it wasn’t so much that Stevie and Stone fucked in his bed, but rather they’d woken up together and had the opportunity.
Nico wanted to wake up with Stevie in his bed. Every day. For the rest of his life.
And yeah, taking her into his room, fucking her in his bed, urging her to admit her feelings … he’d been selfish on every angle because Nico wanted—no, heneededStevie to acknowledge what they had before things progressed even more with Stone. And he knew they were going to. Despite the rocky past they shared, the connection was still there. It was as strong as if Stone had never left.
“You think he knows how to cook?” Stevie asked from the passenger seat of his truck as they pulled into the Jamesons’ driveway.
“He made breakfast this mornin’,” he reminded her.
“True. But anyone can make eggs and bacon. Even me.”
“Eh. Mostly.” He chuckled. “You canmostlymake eggs and bacon?”
Her eyes were wide when she looked at him. “Meaning?”
“Meaning… if you letmecook eggs and bacon, then you’re capable of making them.”
Stevie laughed, smacking him on the arm. “Shut. Up.”
She grew quiet as they neared the barn behind the house. Nico parked next to Stone’s truck and admired the place. He’d seen glimpses of it since the renovation, but he’d never stopped long enough to really see what they’d done. No, it didn’t look like it had back in the day. Nor did it look like much of a barn anymore, aside from the actual shape of the structure. It certainly wasn’t what he’d expected.
