Page 64 of Mountain Trial

In this position, she could see the slight shadow of his stubble. She rubbed her cheek against the roughness, then shifted her face so their lips met, their tongues mimicking the movement of their lower bodies.

Kat’s clit was still sensitive from her earlier orgasm, but it didn’t take long until she felt she was close to coming again. She looked into Luc’s eyes, needing to reassure herself that he was feeling it as well.

His eyes were heavy-lidded, his breath coming in short, hard pants.

“I’m going to come, Kat,” he pleaded. His hands tightened on her hips.

“Yes,” she encouraged. “Yes.”

He gave a savage growl as he came. Kat leaned back, stretching the intimate moment into eternity until her own orgasm exploded.

The pleasure was exquisite, even more so because it was shared.

“Oh my God,” she said, when she could finally speak again. “I must be crushing you.” She raised herself carefully and got off his lap, standing on shaky legs.

Luc shook his head.

“That was …”

“It was,” she confirmed.

They lay in silence for several minutes. Eventually, her breath came back to normal.

“I love you, Kat,” he whispered.

“What?”

She tried to pull her hand away, but he didn’t let her. “Listen. I don’t expect to hear the words from you, but I’m also not going to take mine back. And it’s okay if you don’t―”

She put a finger to his lips, stopping his words.

“I care for you, Luc. A lot. It’s just … it’s not something I can say back,” she said, honestly. “I just can’t.”

Luc squeezed her hand once more before letting go. A small, sad smile played on his lips, but he didn’t say anything else.

Still naked, she walked over to the small desk in his room, and picked up her clothes―not her ruined dress, which she’d already thrown into the trash, but the jeans and T-shirt she’d dropped off before the party.

“Is it okay if I take a shower?” she asked.

“Of course. I’ll start making breakfast―brunch, I guess.”

She nodded, gratefully, needing those few minutes for herself. As she stepped into the shower, his words kept resonating in her mind.

He loves me.

Do I love him?

Is this love?

She’d always assumed herself to be damaged―incapable of love. But the way she felt when she was with Luc―it went beyond friendship, beyond sex, beyond reason. Maybe this was―

I can’t do it.

I’ll get hurt.

She looked around for Luc’s comb, knowing it wouldn’t be enough to get rid of the tangles in her wet curls, and noticed a brand new hairbrush in a clear plastic box. It was exactly the same as the one she had in her bathroom at home.

He bought this for me.