Forgetting August(73)

And if I had my way, we would. I never wanted to leave.

When the last of our clothing was shed, I took my time kissing her skin, teasing the tender peaks of her nipples with my tongue until she begged me to stop. I gladly complied, pulling the pink bud into my mouth and giving it a hard suck. Everly screamed out my name and I nearly came just from the sound alone.

My hands were shaking as I grabbed a condom from the nearby table.

No more games.

The next time she screamed out my name, it would be with me inside her.

Her eyes never left me as she watched me slowly unroll the condom over my shaft. Whatever feelings of guilt or remorse she may have been feeling earlier, she’d put them aside for now and was solely focused on me. Only me.

That look made me feel like I could take on the entire world.

It gave me a glimpse of the man I wanted to be.

I bent back down and felt shivers race up my spine at the feeling of our warm bodies rejoining. We were like two halves of puzzle interlocking seamlessly. She was my other half—I just needed to convince her of that. And every second she was here in my arms, I’d fight like hell to prove it to her.

Her gaze never left mine as I moved, and I felt the trust she gave with every powerful jolt of my hips. I felt humbled, honored and weighted by the enormous responsibility of it all. How my former self had neglected such a precious treasure, I’d never understand. But now that I had a second chance, I’d give everything to right my wrongs.

Even if I didn’t remember them.

“I know you’re scared,” I breathed, lavishing her neck with long, smoldering kisses. “But I can’t ignore how right this feels when we’re together.”

She answered by arching her back, as her fingers dug into mine, pulling me closer, deeper. Our lips met in a frenzy—tongues mating as our bodies crested over the edge of delirium. Sweat dripped from our skin as I worshiped her, bringing her to the peak of ecstasy. She writhed and moaned, wrapping her legs tightly around my waist. Running my hand down her leg, I pushed on her thigh, freeing it from its viselike grip around my waist, edging it closer to her chest.

“Oh God!” she cried as I deepened the angle of each thrust.

“Let go,” I said, kissing her lips once again until I felt her body tighten around me. “That’s it,” I whispered.

“August!” she screamed, wave after wave of release sweeping over her beautiful body. I couldn’t stop myself from claiming her lips again, needing to taste her as she came apart. Feeling my own climax was imminent, I never slowed the pace of our lovemaking, prolonging her orgasm in spades. She gripped my shoulders and moaned between kisses as I came.

I swear I saw fucking stars.

I’m sure my former self had had more sexual encounters that he could count, but for me—practically newborn, barely alive a few months, I could count them on one hand—the waitress and Everly.

Neither of those encounters had ever brought me to my knees like this. Collapsing next to her, I was sure I’d never move another muscle in my life.

She’d destroyed me.

I only hoped it was permanent, because I never wanted to go back.

* * *



“So is this what you do with your spare time then?” Everly asked as I set the sparsely filled tray down on the bed before her.

Laughing, I answered, “Well, besides photography, watching shitty movies, and taking you to bed, yeah I guess,” I answered with a shrug.

“It’s just…” She looked curiously at the different types of food. “So weird.”

I chuckled and nodded. “I know, but okay…hear me out.” She gave me a look that said she was just humoring me as I held out my hands in defense. “Just one minute.”

“Okay.” A slight grin tugged at the corner of her lip.

“You go to an ice cream shop and look at the various types of sundaes. Each have several different ingredients and based on that, you make your selection, right?” Biting her lip to keep from laughing, she nodded. I ignored her, shaking my head, and continued with my explanation.

“Over your life, you’ve tried everything on that menu—maybe individually or with something else, but you’ve made a conscious decision whether you like it. Me? I’m starting from scratch. Looking at a menu like that? I truly don’t have a clue if I like caramel or cherries or even whipped cream.”

“So, you’ve decided to do it this way?” she asked, motioning to the tray again.

“Okay, I know…it’s weird. But I’m a guy. We’re simple creatures. One thing at a time seemed like a good idea when I started and I just haven’t been able to graduate to anything else,” I admitted. I looked down at my pathetic excuse for a meal, which consisted of plain eggs, sliced cheese, and coffee.