Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 97079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Heat funnels from my center as a rush of pleasure overwhelms me, spinning me out. And I have no chance to come down from the high, because Nate fits himself between my thighs, his erection sliding over sensitive skin.
I reach for the condoms on the nightstand.
He pushes up, fingers drifting over my cheek. “Can we…can I… I just want to feel you.” His voice is rough with need.
He’s seen my birth control pills on the bathroom counter. “You want to go bare?”
“I haven’t… I’m safe. I don’t want to pressure you, though.” He kisses my chin and then my lips.
Sex with no barriers is different. It speaks of trust and intimacy. Of more. And I want it, even though it terrifies me. “I don’t feel pressured. And I’m safe, too.” I shift my hips until the head nudges my entrance.
He exhales in a rush and frames my face with his wide palms. His brows pull together, and his mouth drops open as he fills me. Relief passes behind his eyes before it’s usurped by euphoria. “God, Essie, you feel so good. You always make me feel so good.”
I smile softly, hooking my feet at the small of his back. “So do you.”
He rolls his hips, and we both moan. This is nothing like the escapism fuck from this morning. He doesn’t hide from me, doesn’t drop his head or close his eyes. His gaze stays fixed on my face, one hand at my cheek, the other bracing his weight as he moves over me.
That shift I felt this morning happens again, and the air between us becomes electric. We’re not just two bodies joined by pleasure. He’s not just inside me; I’m inside him, too. It’s more than my arms winding around him, it’s our souls twining—this connection we share is so much deeper, and it’s not just sex anymore.
I’m losing my heart to him, to this broken man who moves above me with veneration. This doesn’t feel like a distraction from his pain. This is me falling. Fallen. And I’m powerless to stop it.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispers against my lips. “Every part of you.”
“So are you.” His heart is battered and bruised—I know now how badly—but I still want him.
Warmth spreads through me as I contract around him, and still I don’t look away, don’t break the connection as bliss pulls me into the undertow. He joins me, tipping over the edge, lips on mine. Even after we’ve floated back down to earth, he stays inside me, kisses soft and slow.
Eventually he pulls back and brushes my damp hair off my forehead. “Can I stay with you?”
“Of course.” I’m relieved he doesn’t want to leave, and that… Well, it speaks to how much it will hurt when this week ends.
“I’ll be right back.” He carefully pulls out and pads to the bathroom, returning a minute later with a damp cloth.
He cleans me up, then climbs back into bed, curling his body around mine. Nate holds me close, lips pressed to my shoulder. This has become something so much bigger. I’m not supposed to fall for the man who doesn’t believe in love.
That’s the last thought I have before I drift off into a fitful sleep.
And I wake the next morning alone.
CHAPTER 28
NATE
Iwake up at five o’clock in the morning, wrapped around Essie. I have no desire to go anywhere, but the last thing we need is for Rix or Tristan to find us together on their wedding day. So I get dressed, kiss her on the forehead, and leave her sleeping.
The sun is peeking out across the water with the promise of another beautiful tropical day. Brody enjoyed the free booze last night, so I don’t want to wake him too early. Hungover and tired isn’t ideal for our brother’s wedding.
I need to get my head on straight anyway, so I walk to the café, figuring coffee and a sunrise will help me reset.
I still can’t believe my mother showed up last night. Seeing her unleashed a flood of terrible memories, and the price she put on us is another thing I’ll have to deal with eventually. I don’t want Brody to ever find out. He should never have to know our mother attached a dollar value to our place in her life.
And that brings me to this thing with Essie. The feelings I have for her are real—and bigger than I can handle right now. I feel raw with the gravity of it all. But I’m certain I want more than just this week, more than great sex and cuddling in bed. I want her. I want to date her. I want to be the person she can count on, just like she’s been the person I could count on this entire time.
But that needs to wait until we’re back in Toronto. Once we’re off this island and our feet are on the ground of reality, I can ask her on a date. We can figure it out. Today my focus needs to be on my brother and his wedding.