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“Hmm … I would say … obviously, our win. Seeing my dad and sister. But my favorite-est favorite is being here with you.” When I look up from our hands, I see she’s staring at my mouth.

“Beck, I …” She lets go of my hand and moves closer.

I want her to be closer, so I toss the small pillow that’s wedged against my ice pack to the floor behind her. “I’ll get it for you later,” I say as I pull the melting ice pack from my side.

I turn my body slightly to put the ice pack on the floor by my side of the bed and hiss. The bruising will fade in the next twenty-four hours, but it will be sore for a few days. I took some big hits today.

“Are you okay? Are you in pain?”

She starts to sit up, but I grab her arm, halting her movement.

“I’m fine. I’ve had worse injuries. Now, come here. I want you closer. We don’t have to do anything. I just want to hold you.”

I lie back down and pull her toward me. She rests her head on my shoulder and brushes her fingers over my chest. I watch her hand move over the tattoos—a horseshoe for luck and then theAthat represents our high school mascot, Arrows, on my shoulders. Then the cross on my biceps, then down to my side, where I have a large eagle spreading its wings.

“You’ve gotten more ink since …” She leaves her words hanging, but I know she means since we were together because she’s seen me without my shirt on around the house. “What is this one for?” She traces the four-leaf clover that’s right over my heart.

She knows what it means to me, but I think she just wants to hear me say it.

“You know what it’s for, Char, but I’ll tell you anyway. When I was younger, I moved to this town and didn’t know anyone. This girl wearing baggy overalls and pigtails in her hair came barging over to our house. In her hand was a four-leaf clover. She gave it to me and said it would bring me luck. Now, see, being in a new town, it was a big change for me and my sister, so I needed a little luck. And when I took it from her hand, I just knew that she was my lucky charm and everything would be okay.”

I place my hand over hers on top of my four-leaf clover tattoo and hold it there for a beat. She tilts her head up to look at my face, and she smiles. This isn’t a shy smile; it’s a smile that tells me she’s coming back to me.

Breaking her gaze from mine, she lowers her head and kisses the tattoo and then lifts her lips to the spot between my neck and shoulder.

Fuck me.

My hand strokes her back lightly, but I move it into her hair, grabbing her messy bun and tugging it a little to bring her eyes back to mine.

“Come here. I need to taste those lips again.”

She rises up onto her elbow and leans over me, stopping right before our mouths can touch. The tip of her tongue peeks out, and she swipes it just at the center of her top lip. I’m letting her take the lead from here. I don’t want her to feel rushed. I need her to come to me.

“Beck, I don’t … I don’t know what we’re doing, but I don’t want to stop.”

“Then don’t.”

No sooner do the words leave my mouth than her lips are on mine.

This kiss is different from the one on the stairs earlier. This kiss is patient and unhurried. Almost like a test. She’s taking her time. The strokes of her tongue against mine are smooth, and she sucks on my tongue just a little, driving me crazy. My dick has been hard since we kissed on the stairs, and now it’s about to bust through my boxer briefs.

My grasp is still tight in her hair while my other hand plays with the loose neckline of her shirt. I pull it down a little and brush my fingers over the top of her breasts.

Her mouth is still open, and her lips brush against mine while she breathes out my name. “Beck, don’t stop touching me.”

“I’ll only stop when you do, Boss.”

She’s got one hand on my shoulder while the other drifts further down my abs. She toys with the waistband of my boxer briefs, right next to where my dick has popped out of the top. Slowly, she moves her fingers over to my dick and wraps them around me.

I pull in a breath as she rubs her thumb over the head of my cock, smearing the pre-cum. She pulls back from our kiss, lifts her thumb to her mouth, licks it, and then slides it further into her mouth, sucking.

Even when we were young, Charlie has never been shy about sex or our bodies. We experienced a lot of firsts together, but it was never awkward. It was just … us. She always takes what she wants, and that alone makes me close to blowing my load.

“Charlie, baby, come up here and let me taste you too.”

She pulls her thumb out of her mouth and shakes her head. Pushing herself up, she kneels and climbs over me. “Beck, I want this. I want you. I’ve been thinking about this since the night we went to the store. Before that, do you remember the last time we were together, alone, in your truck?”

She’s sitting up, but her hips are moving, rubbing my dick right where it wants to be. Her hands are on my abs, softly stroking, teasing. Her shorts are thin, and she’s definitely not wearing any underwear. She’s soaked through them, and my dick is gliding right between her center.