I stayed as busy as possible over the next week, picking up extra shifts at the restaurant and spending a lot of my free time at the aquarium. I had little time to myself, which was exactly how I wanted it. When I wasn’t working, I thought too much about all the things I had sworn to put behind me.
I’d barely seen Amy, except in passing, because I was rarely home. She’d called me a few times and I felt bad for ignoring her, but she was Dex’s sister after all. I wasn’t sure what, if anything, she knew about what happened between Dex and me. If he’d filled her in, then she would most certainly try to talk to me about it, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn’t want to think about it, and I most definitely didn’t want to talk about it.
So I did the mature thing and avoided her instead.
Dex had done as I’d asked and was leaving me alone. He hadn’t been to the restaurant while I was working and I hadn’t seen him visiting Amy’s house, either. He’d managed to drop out of my life entirely. It was exactly what I wanted… so I didn’t know why it bothered me so much. It wasn’t as though I expected him to chase after me—Dex didn’t chase after women—and clearly I was no exception.
I woke up to pounding on my front door, and groggily looked at my phone to check the time. It was after eleven in the morning, but since it was my day off and I had nothing better to do, I’d decided to let myself sleep in.
The knocking continued, and I dragged myself out of bed to get the door. I opened it to find Amy and Sadie standing there in their beach gear.
“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry to wake you,” Amy said, noting my disheveled appearance. “I haven’t seen you all week, and when I saw your car sitting in the driveway, I didn’t want to miss my chance.”
I was a terrible friend. “No worries, I was getting up anyway,” I lied. “I’m sorry I haven’t been over to see you guys. I’ve been working like crazy this week.”
“I figured it was something like that,” she said. “We were just getting ready to go to the beach. Do you want to come?”
I thought about saying no, but the idea of sitting at home alone on this beautiful day was way too depressing, even for me. “Sounds great. I’ll get changed and meet you out front.”
We went to our usual spot on Folly Beach, which wasn’t easy considering how crowded it had become now that summer was in full swing. Just as we were getting settled in, Sadie started jumping up and down, waving her arms excitedly.
“Dee! Over here!”
My heart jumped into my throat when I looked up and saw Dex and Nate walking over to us. I noticed Dex hesitate for a second when his eyes linked with mine, clearly surprised to see me there, and my pulse began to race.
I glanced over at Amy. “I didn’t know that they were coming…”
“I told them to meet us here. I hope that’s okay.” She turned to me with a questioning look. “Is there something going on with you and Dex?”
Apparently he hadn’t filled her in on what happened. The last thing I wanted to do was draw attention to the situation and make things uncomfortable, so I did my best to brush it off. “No, of course it’s fine. I just, uh, thought that he’d be working today, that’s all.”
“Not today, finally. He’s been totally MIA all week doing who knows what. I had to resort to putting Sadie on the phone this morning to beg him to come meet us. I knew he couldn’t say no to her,” she said with a laugh.
As the day went on, I avoided looking at Dex, who had been quiet ever since he arrived. Instead, I buried my nose in my book, pretending to be completely absorbed in what I was reading. It worked for a while, until Nate and Amy took Sadie to go swimming, and Dex came over to me.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that you were going to be here. I swear,” he said sincerely. “I can make up an excuse to leave if you want me to.”
I started to feel guilty. He was avoiding his family because of me—because I’d instructed him to stay away from me. And yet, I didn’t want him to leave. Being near him turned me into a jumbled mess of emotions, and I was losing track of how I was supposed to feel. I was furious with him, but I adored him at the same time. I wanted nothing to do with him, but my traitorous body craved him, responding to every lingering glance and aching for his touch. Everything about him pulled me in.
Something was off about him, though. The easygoing smile was missing from his face, and there was no trace of his usual goofy humor. He looked as tired as I felt, and I could see the dark circles under his eyes. I worried that his nightmares were keeping him awake at night. It pained me to recall him thrashing and screaming in his sleep, terrified by the images in his head. Then I reminded myself that I wasn’t supposed to care.
“No, it’s fine… stay,” I told him, sorting through my conflicting emotions. “There’s no reason we can’t hang around each other. I mean, we’re all friends here, right?”
He smiled sadly. “Right.”
During the weeks that followed my horrendous f*ck-up, the only time I saw Olivia was when Nate and Amy were around. She hardly spoke to me or even looked at me. I wanted so badly to talk to her and try to explain everything, but I was afraid to piss her off more. She was barely tolerant of spending time with me in a group setting, and if I tried to push, she might stop seeing me altogether. And when it came down to it, being around her in a limited capacity was better than not seeing her at all.
I missed everything about Olivia. Her friendship, the cute little smiles she saved for me, her laugh, the way her eyes found me in a crowd or across the room and looked at me like I was actually something special. Every once in a while, I thought I caught her looking at me that same way, but she would glance away so quickly that I couldn’t be sure if it was really happening or if I were simply imagining things. Either way, I longed for those moments because it was all I had left. At this point, I would settle for any little piece of Olivia that I could get. I let myself imagine that she felt something for me because it was the only way I could get through the day.
My nightmares were coming more frequently, waking me up nearly every night and leaving me tense and anxious throughout the day. I tried to take the edge off by running, spending more time at the gym and fighting whenever I could, but nothing seemed to help. I refused to resort to my previous method of using random woman to numb the pain, because I knew it would only drag me deeper into the depths of my misery. I only wanted Olivia. After being with her for that brief moment in time, anything else felt wrong.
When Nate and Amy invited me to grab lunch with them at the Seaside, I readily agreed since I knew that Olivia was working. Being near her put me at ease in a way that nothing else could. It didn’t matter if she ignored me; her presence alone brought a fleeting sense of relief to my pathetic existence.
“Hey! What brings you here?” Olivia greeted us as she led us to an empty table in her section. She seemed surprisingly happy to see us—even me—and I wondered if perhaps we were turning a corner. If maybe there was a chance for us to get closer to where we were before I took it upon myself to destroy everything.
Amy answered, “You’ve been working so much lately that we decided to come to you.”
We sat down at the table, and Olivia brought over the menus. She handed one to me and for a split-second her finger brushed against mine, sending a volt of electricity shooting through me. Her smile faltered, and I knew she felt it, too, but for once she didn’t jerk away from me. Her cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink before she resumed taking our orders, and I reveled in the idea that I still had some kind of effect on her. I missed making her blush.
The restaurant was fairly quiet, so Olivia made frequent stops at our table to visit with us. It didn’t last long though. Two guys came in and sat down in her section, forcing her to get back to work. They were dressed in khakis and polo shirts, looking like they’d been out golfing or something, and were probably about thirty or so. They had light hair and were clean shaven, and definitely seemed soft: the type of spoiled rich guys whose idea of living dangerously was taking a risk in the stock market or having an extra light beer at their Sunday tee-time. Bunch of f*cking pussies.
I watched as one of them trailed his eyes trailed over Olivia appreciatively. My fists immediately clenched at my sides as my protective nature kicked in. Nate shot me a look across the table, warning me to calm down. I took a deep breath and relaxed my hands, without taking my eyes off her.
Richie Rich immediately began flirting with Olivia, sending clever smiles her way and flashing his pearly whites in her face. I wanted to knock those damn teeth right out of his f*cking mouth.
As though he could read my mind, Nate leaned over to me and whispered, “Dude, calm down. Liv gets hit on in here all the time, but it’s not like she ever goes for it.”
This was different, though. I knew it. These weren’t skeezy drunks or stupid frat guys, and Olivia wasn’t doing her usual “polite but not interested” routine. Instead she was hanging around their table to chat, laughing with them and falling for their stupid rich-boy charm. At one point, she placed a hand on Richie Rich’s shoulder, and I couldn’t take it anymore. All I wanted to do was go over there and stake my claim—tell him that she was mine. Tell her that she was mine.
But she wasn’t mine.
She wasn’t mine, and it was my own fault that I lost her. But I couldn’t just sit around while this a*shole swooped in and stole her away from me. I knew his type. They appeared all suave and polite on the outside, but inside, they were no better than me. In fact, they were worse than me because they hid it underneath polo shirts and fancy hair-cuts. At least I was honest about it. These guys charmed women left and right, pretending to be gentlemen until they got what they wanted. They were self-entitled, and the only thing they cared about was their bank accounts and having some pretty young thing on their arm who they could control. Olivia was better than this guy, and I wanted her to know it.
Instead, I fought every instinct I had and stood up from the table, throwing down some bills and mumbling a quick goodbye to Nate and Amy as I walked out.
***
I wasn’t entirely sure what I was doing anymore. Normally, I didn’t give men the time of day when they flirted with me, but for some reason, I’d gone along with it today. Not only did I flirt back, but I’d agreed to go on a date with the guy.
Brian was good-looking and seemed nice enough, but deep down, I knew it had less to do with him and more to do with the fact that Dex had been watching from ten feet away. I hated playing games, but an overwhelming part of me had wanted to make Dex jealous and give him a taste of how he’d made me feel. But when I saw Dex slink out of the restaurant, my stomach immediately twisted in response.
Was I being a total hypocrite? Perhaps our emotions led us to do stupid things where our hearts were concerned, and maybe I’d been too hard on Dex for what his made him do.
I wouldn’t let myself go down that road. It was time for me to move on. From Dex, from Steven… it was time to start fresh. I couldn’t mope around forever, and it was just one date. I hadn’t agreed to marry the guy. And who knew? Maybe Brian would end up being the perfect guy for me if I gave him a chance.
Despite the pep talk, when Sunday evening rolled around, and it was time to get ready for my date, I was beginning to seriously question my decision. First dates were supposed to be all about excitement and anticipation and nervously trying on six different outfits before finding the one that would leave him speechless. I wasn’t feeling any of those things.
I pulled a cute dress out of my closet, eyeing it briefly before hanging it back up and grabbing a pair of jeans. No sense in pretending this was something it wasn’t.
I knew better than to let some stranger know where I lived, so I was meeting Brian at the restaurant instead of having him pick me up. Since I put little effort into getting ready, I had some time to kill before it was time to meet him.
I began looking through the first batch of photographs that I’d gotten back from being developed. They were all the ones that I’d taken when I first arrived. The photos from the pier on the morning when I first met Dex, various places around Charleston, and all the pictures that I’d taken when I was with Amy, Sadie, Dex and Nate. I flipped through the photos from our first trip to the beach, snapshots of Dex and Sadie building sandcastles together, laughing and smiling. There was no darkness in these images of Dex. I missed his easy smile and carefree laugh. I missed seeing him happy.
As I continued to thumb through the photos, I found ones that I hadn’t taken, and I vaguely remembered Dex playing around with my camera one day on the beach.
They were all of me.
Snapshots of me and Sadie playing in the ocean, and of me and Amy laughing together while we exchanged stories. There were some of me when I hadn’t thought anyone was paying attention—gazing out over the water, sitting in the sand, and close-up shots of my smile… They were meaningful and beautiful.
There was adoration and significance in those photos, and I was taken aback to think that Dex was the one behind the camera. People always said that a photo tells more about the photographer than the subject. If that was true, then what did these photos mean?
All of a sudden, the idea of going on this date seemed wrong. I wasn’t sure I could go through with it. I picked up my phone to call Brian and let him know, but when I saw the time, I realized he was probably on his way there already and it would be rude to cancel now.
I sighed, glancing down at the photos one more time before heading out. Amy and Sadie were in the driveway when I stepped outside.
“Hey Liv,” Amy greeted me happily. “We were just on our way to Sunday dinner at my parents’ house. Do you want to come? They’re dying to see you!”
My heart dropped. “I can’t… I have a, um, date.”
“With who?” she asked. “That guy from the restaurant?”
I nodded and an obvious flash of disappointment crossed her face.
“Okay, well have fun, and be safe,” she said. “Maybe next week.”
I smiled sadly. “Yeah, maybe next week.”
We were halfway through dinner when my parents asked where Olivia was and why she hadn’t come with us this week. She had become a frequent guest at our weekly dinners over the past couple of months, and they’d come to expect her there. It was no surprise that they adored her. It was impossible not to.
Amy didn’t answer their question right away, glancing around the table and chewing her food slowly. Finally, she swallowed, her eyes shifting to mine. “Olivia had a date tonight.”
“Liv’s on a date?” My stomach lurched, coiling painfully as her words sank in. “With who?”
My voice came out sharper than I intended, and Amy eyed me hesitantly without answering.
“Don’t even tell me she’s out with that jackass from the other day…”
She sighed regretfully. “Sorry, Dex.”
“F*ck!” I pounded my fist on the table so hard that the plates shook as I stood up, knocking my chair over in my haste to get away.
I stormed through the woods behind my parent’s house until I found myself at the swimming hole. Everything was spinning out of control, and I needed to slow it down and clear my head. I wasn’t angry anymore, I was… crushed. It was worse than anger, because yelling or hitting something couldn’t make me feel better. I wasn’t sure that anything would. I finally found someone who meant more to me than anything else, someone who understood me and really saw me… and I’d lost her.
When the stakes were high, I failed.
I sat at the edge of the water, studying the way the stars reflected off the dark surface and created a mirror image of the sky above. For some reason, I often found myself by the water when I needed to escape. There was something about it that calmed me down and made me feel… safe. Probably because it was one thing that would never bring back memories of my time in Iraq. Everything in Iraq was hot, sandy desert, and the only water I came into contact with was from a bottle as it crossed my lips. Now, no matter how f*cked up things got in my head, I could go near the water and be reminded that I was home.
The leaves rustled behind me, and I didn’t need to turn around to see who it was. My sister could always find me. It was some kind of “twin intuition” or something.
“Want to finally tell me what’s going on between you and Olivia?” she said, sitting down next to me. “And don’t you dare say ‘nothing’ because I’ve seen how tense it’s been with you two lately.”
I explained everything, from the night we hooked up, to the morning after when she acted like it was a mistake, and of course my stupid plan to make her jealous and how she’d told me that she wanted nothing to do with me.
“I really f*cked up,” I told her.
“No shit, you f*cked up!” she scolded, staring at me in bewilderment. “What kind of an idiotic plan was that? It wouldn’t work on anyone, but especially not Olivia.”
“I know, I was upset and I…” Her words caught up with me, and I paused. “What do you mean ‘especially not Olivia’?”
“Because of how things ended with her fiancé.”
I shot her a puzzled look and waited for her to explain what the hell she was talking about.
“I figured that Olivia told you,” she muttered guiltily. “They broke up because she walked in on the bastard screwing someone else in their apartment.”
I groaned, feeling even worse than before. “Why didn’t she tell me?”
“She’s probably embarrassed about it. There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re not good enough or you’re lacking something.”
“That’s bullshit. Olivia is perfect… her fiancé is a f*cking jackass.” He was lucky to be all the way in New York, because I was tempted to find him and show him what happens to guys who hurt amazing, beautiful girls like Olivia. Then I remembered that I was one of them, and I hated myself even more.
“I know that, but it’s hard to see it when you’re the one who got cheated on,” Amy explained.
“How can I fix this?” I asked desperately. “Please tell me I can fix it.”
“Have you tried talking to her? Groveling at her feet for a second chance?”
I shook my head. “She told me to leave her alone. I didn’t want to make it any worse.”
“Wow, you really don’t know anything about women, do you, bro?” she said, shaking her head. “Of course she told you to leave her alone. She was angry and hurt. That doesn’t mean you give up. You have to fight for her and show her that you’re serious. Are you serious?”
“I’m dead serious when it comes to Liv,” I told her. “I may have zero experience with this shit, but I would do anything for her.”
“Then you need to quit playing games and be honest about how you feel. You got so angry because she wouldn’t admit her feelings, and yet… have you ever once told her how you feel?”
Apparently I was the jackass.
Amy sighed. “So far, all you’ve done is show her that you’re incapable of an actual relationship, and are no better than her dumbass ex. You need to prove to her that you can be different. Can you handle that?” She eyed me curiously, “Are you sure it’s what you really want? Because there’s no going back after that.”
“Liv is what I want,” I said firmly, without hesitation. “I don’t want to go back. She’s all I want.”
“Do you love her?”
I sucked in a breath, letting the question hang in the air between us. I hadn’t put a label on what I was feeling. If I hadn’t admitted it to myself yet, there was no way I could say it out loud to my sister.
She smiled, giving me an encouraging pat on the back. “Well, then, go get her, you idiot… and don’t f*ck it up this time!”
***
Brian took me to a cute little restaurant downtown that wasn’t overly fancy. I was relieved that there didn’t seem to be any added pressure to try and turn the date into something it wasn’t. We talked easily, chatting about mindless topics such as our favorite areas in the city and what we enjoyed doing for fun. Typical first date conversation and straightforward, robotic answers. He told me a little bit about his job, which had something to do with finance or banking, and my eyes began to glaze over. I realized early on in the date that I felt the same way with him that I had often felt with Steven—bored and distant. There was no spark, no excitement… nothing drawing me in. Spending time with Brian wasn’t moving on, it was moving backward; reverting to the same life I had before coming to Charleston.
Needless to say, I was glad when the date was over. Not because I had a bad time—he was nice, smart, and charming—but my heart just hadn’t been in it. When we finished dinner and he suggested going out for a drink, I told him that I had an early morning and needed to call it a night. He hadn’t pushed it. I was sure he could tell that I wasn’t into it, and when I apologized for wasting his time, he handled it like a total gentleman, thanking me for being honest and wishing me luck.
There had been a time when he would have been exactly what I was looking for—safe, easy, and predictable. It was the same reason I’d ended up with Steven: because I’d been searching for the stability that I never had growing up.
Dex had given me a taste of what it felt like on the other side—passionate, spontaneous, and unpredictable, but with the comfort of a best friend who made me feel protected. Now that I’d felt that, I didn’t want to settle for easy anymore. I wanted someone who set me on fire with a single look, someone who thrilled me and made me feel safe and vulnerable at the same time. I wanted something real.
I pulled into my driveway and was climbing out of the car when I noticed Dex hidden in the shadows on my doorstep, slumped over and distraught. He lifted his head when I approached, and my heart automatically started beating faster as excitement vibrated through me.
Slowly I began walking over, my pulse racing. My emotions were all over the place. I didn’t know what to say or how to act. I couldn’t remember if I were mad at him or happy to see him… If I hated him or wanted to be with him.
He stood up nervously when I got closer. “I only need a minute, Liv. I know you don’t want to see me or talk to me. I know you probably hate me, but please let me get this out and then I promise to leave you alone and never bother you again.”
With a nod, I leaned against the porch rail, unsteady on my feet as I waited anxiously for him to say what he had come here to say.
“I’m so f*cking bad at this,” he started, “But it’s only because I’ve never felt like this before. For anyone… ever. You’re all that I think about, Liv. You’re my first thought when I wake up and the last thing on my mind when I go to sleep. Your smile… the sound of your laugh, the way your eyes light up when you’re happy, the way your lips taste, the way you feel pressed up against me… God, Olivia… I want you so bad. You’re all I want.”
My breath hitched in my throat, and I couldn’t respond. I tightened my grip on the railing, afraid that if I let go I might fall.
He took a step toward me. “Since I came back from Iraq, I’ve been a shell of the person I used to be. I’m so afraid of what people will see if they get to know me that I keep them out so they never have the chance. Then I met you. Without even realizing it, you crashed through my walls and brought light back into my life… you brought me back. War may have broken me in a lot of ways, but you’re putting me back together, piece by piece, day after day. I’m far from being whole, and I know I have a long way to go, but every time I’m with you, I find a little piece of what I lost.” With cautious steps, he moved to stand right in front of me. “You pulled me from the darkness, Liv, and I’ll be grateful to you for the rest of my life.”
My eyes welled with tears, and it wasn’t long before one escaped, sliding down my cheek and falling to my shirt. It broke my heart to know how much pain he held inside and the burden he carried with him every day. He saw himself as broken, but I knew without a doubt that he was the strongest, bravest person I’d ever known.
Dex reached up and cupped my cheek with gentle hands, brushing my tears away with his thumb. “I know that I’ve totally f*cked this whole thing up and that you deserve so much better than me, but you’re it for me. It will only ever be you. I promise, if you give me a chance, I’ll never hurt you again. Seeing you in pain is worse than any nightmare I’ve ever had, and I swear, I’ll be better. I would do anything for you, Liv. You’re everything to me, and I f*cking love you—”
I crashed my mouth against his, closing the space between us and throwing myself into his arms. His words resonated inside my chest, shattering whatever defenses I had left and opening my heart to him. I was done being scared and running away from what I wanted. Seeing him with someone else, real or not, had torn me apart. There was a chance I would end up brokenhearted, but it was a risk I was willing to take.
Dex was like gravity. Right from the beginning, he had pulled me in, drawing me to him in a way that no one ever had. I was tired of fighting the pull and tired of fighting my heart. I felt more connected to Dex than I’d ever felt to anyone, tethered to him by some invisible force that was stronger and more powerful than both of us.
He didn’t hesitate to pull me close as his lips began moving frantically with mine. I draped my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes, aligning my body with his so I could feel the wild beating of his heart against my chest, pounding in a rhythm that echoed my own. His hand tangled in my hair as he explored my mouth and clutched my body to his, pressing me against the railing. He slipped his hands underneath my bottom and lifted me up, wrapping my legs securely around his waist. As soon as his hardness made contact with my aching center, I moaned into his mouth and rocked my hips against him, desperate for more.
“F*ckkk,” he groaned, pulling me tighter against him. “I can’t wait to bury myself inside you.”
He carried me inside, kissing me lovingly all the way to my bedroom before laying me down on the mattress. With his eyes fastened on mine, he stood up and pulled his shirt off, tossing it to the side before climbing over me. Dropping his mouth to my stomach, he began peeling my blouse off while his lips blazed a trail up my torso and between my breasts, not stopping until he reached my mouth and brought my shirt over my head.
He gazed down at me, his tender eyes burning into mine as he ran a finger down my cheek. “I’m yours, Liv. Tell me that you’re mine.”
My voice caught in my throat. I nodded, placing my palm over his heart. “I’m yours.”
His lips moved slowly over my skin, worshipping every inch of my body and driving me wild. He pulled off my jeans, his eyes leisurely raking over me before he lowered himself on top of me.
“I can’t get enough. I want to taste every inch of you,” he murmured, removing my bra and staring hungrily at my naked breasts. He kneaded them gently and ran his thumb over my nipple, watching it harden beneath his touch. I felt like my body was going to ignite at any moment, and when he dropped his lips to my breast and pulled my nipple into his mouth, I had no control over the cries that poured out of my throat.
Sliding a hand into my panties, he began teasing my wet, sensitive flesh with his fingers while simultaneously sucking my breast. I reached down and began fumbling with his jeans, writhing desperately underneath him as desire coursed through my body.
“I want you now,” I whined, pressing my lips to his neck. “I’ve been waiting so long. I can’t wait any longer.”
“Don’t worry, baby. I got you.” He withdrew his hand from between my legs and stood up, dropping his jeans and boxers as he grabbed a condom from his wallet.
My eyes ran over his perfect form, taking in every muscle and ridge before landing on his thick, hard length. I watched him slide the condom over himself, marveling at the fact that he would soon be inside me, and my body tingled in anticipation. I’d never wanted anyone more than I wanted him.
I bit my lip, absorbing his hungry stare as he stalked forward and kneeled on the mattress. Hooking his thumbs into my panties, he slid them off and settled between my legs, positioning himself at my entrance. Placing a gentle kiss on my lips, he slowly pushed inside, inch by precious inch, until he filled me.
“Christ, you feel so f*cking amazing,” he groaned, stilling once he was deep inside. “You’re so tight and perfect. I just need to feel you for a minute.”
My body stretched pleasantly to accommodate him. I felt so amazingly and completely full in a way that I never had, but I was anxious for more. I ran my hands down his back and grasped his toned backside, pulling him into me as I lifted my hips, encouraging him to move. “I need you, Dex.”
He finally began to shift, drawing himself out and plunging back in, deeper than before. His pace was slow and deliberate, allowing me to feel everything more intensely. Each movement was amplified, and I was all sensation, my entire body a live wire frantically waiting for a spark to combust. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he immediately began increasing the speed of his thrusts, moving faster, harder and deeper. I clawed at his back, moaning loudly as the quiver in my belly began to intensify and my muscles tightened around him, begging for more.
“Oh God, yes,” I wailed. “Right there, don’t stop…”
He pulled my nipple into his mouth, sucking and biting it gently while he continued driving into me until I exploded around him, screaming out his name as I flew over the edge. He absorbed my cries with his mouth, drawing out the waves of pleasure as his movement accelerated.
Grabbing his neck, I brought my lips to his ear and whispered, “You feel so f*cking good inside me.”
With one last powerful thrust he stilled, loudly groaning out my name as he shuddered and found his release. He collapsed on top of me and my arms automatically went around him, holding him close to me. After a few labored breaths, he gazed down at me and placed a soft, sweet kiss on my lips.
“I missed you so damn much,” he breathed.
My heart swelled in my chest. I reached up, brushing my hand along the rough stubble of his cheek. “I missed you, too.”
I woke with Olivia in my arms, her head resting on my chest and her warm body pressed against mine. Her sweet smell invaded my senses and clouded my mind with images from the night before. I pulled her closer, needing to make sure she was really there and I wasn’t dreaming. She nuzzled against my chest but stayed asleep, and I didn’t dare wake her after the long night we’d had.
We’d been denying ourselves for so long that the first time had done little to curb our appetite for one another. The simplest touch ignited our hunger, and within minutes, we had wrapped ourselves up in one another again, lost in our frantic need and desperate for more. We had taken our time learning each other’s bodies, exploring every inch of one another. I’d discovered that I could make her toes curl by kissing her neck, and she found that nibbling on my earlobe drove me wild.
I could have kept going all night, and it still wouldn’t have been enough.
Olivia shifted, watching me with lidded eyes as she ran her hand up my stomach and settled it on my chest.
“Good morning,” she smiled, her voice heavy with sleep.
“I love waking up next to you. I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for this.”
“Me, too,” she said. “I’m sorry for pushing you away. I was stubborn and scared. Scared of getting hurt or left behind… but mostly, I was scared of my feelings for you. Waking up with you that morning, I felt so happy and peaceful, and whenever I feel that way, something always seems to come along and rip it away from me. I didn’t want to lose you, Dex. You’re so important to me.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I told her, running my hand over her silky smooth skin. “You have nothing to apologize for. I’m the one who f*cked up, not you. I’m just glad you’re here now. Part of me was worried that last night was the best dream I’ve ever had, and I was going to wake up alone.”
She laughed gently and trailed her hand down my stomach, tracing my abs with her fingertips. Her hand disappeared below the sheet and I sucked in a sharp breath when she wrapped her hand around my already rock hard cock.
“If you were dreaming… would I do this?” she said playfully, stroking up and down my length.
“Ahhh… yes,” I groaned. “Yes, this is exactly what you’d be doing if I was dreaming…”
Keeping her eyes locked on me, she shifted on top of me and slid her body down mine. “What about… this?” Her warm mouth covered my dick and her tongue brushed over the swollen tip.
“Oh shit…” My body tensed, struggling to hold back as she wrapped her lips around me, licking and sucking and driving me crazy. “Damn, baby, that’s so f*cking good. Just like that,” I cried out, slipping my hands into her hair. My eyes kept trying to roll into the back of my head, but I held them on her. Normally I closed them, only caring about how it felt, but this was different because it was Olivia. I watched her suck me and, holy shit… it was erotic as hell. She took me deep until I touched the back of her throat and when her hand joined in to stroke the base of my cock, my control snapped. “F*ck yeah baby, suck it… just like that, don’t stop. You’re f*cking amazing, Liv, feels so damn good… I’m gonna come, baby…”
She didn’t pull back, and I came hard, groaning loudly as I poured into her mouth. My whole body shuddered, and she didn’t stop until she pumped every last drop from me. Licking her full lips, she gazed up at me deviously. “How’d that compare to your dreams?”
“Damn… that was beyond my wildest dreams. You’re incredible, you know that?” I flipped her on her back and hovered over her. “I was planning on spending the morning inside of you, but now…” Reaching my hand down, I found her p-ssy soaking wet. She moaned, pushing her hips against my hand. I crept down her body until my head was between her legs and looked up at her eagerly.
“… I think I’ll have you for breakfast instead.”