Page 97 of Rush

“It’s fine.” I push up onto my elbows, bringing my face close to his. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…you’re not usually this much of a conversationalist in bed, except for the odd command, like, ‘Suck it harder,’ or heated praise of, ‘Fuck that’s good, babe.’”

I laugh, but he doesn’t.

And that worries me. “Ares…is everything okay? Me and you are…”

“Fine. Better than fine. I just realized something, is all.”

“What?”

“I love you. I’m in love with you. You were lying there, sleeping, and I was watching you—in a non-creepy way. And it just hit me. That I fucking love you.”

My heart has stilled in my chest.

He loves me.

“You love me?”

“Apparently so.”

Then, I smile big. “It’s a good thing that I love you, too, then, or this would be awkward as hell.”

“You love me?”

I press a kiss to his lips. “Yeah, I do. Madly, deeply, head over heels in love with you.”

His hand goes to the back of my head, fingers threading into the strands of my hair. “Say it again.”

“I love you.”

“Fuck, that’s hot. You’re making me harder, babe.”

“So, fuck me then and finish what you started.”

“Finish?” He chuckles a low, dark, sexy sound. “Babe, that word isn’t even in my vocab when it comes to you.” Then, he kisses me hard with his mouth and makes love to me with his cock for the rest of the night.

It’s amazing how life can change in the blink of an eye. One blink, and my hedonistic lifestyle—the one I was so sure that I loved—came crashing down around me, bringing me to a new reality. A clean, sober reality. But also a lonely, empty reality. Then, one person came along and changed everything so very completely again.

One kiss changed everything.

Now, my life is full and happy because of Ares.

Nights that I used to spend with Netflix, feeling lonely, are now spent with him. Sometimes, Netflix joins us. Sometimes, we just chill.

I’ve never been this happy. Ever.

I adore him. Love him…

And, best of all, he loves me.

Baggage and all.

Life with Ares is amazing. I’m loving every second of it.

My relationship with my dad is also better than it was. I’m not going to say it’s fixed because it’s not. But it’s better.