Page 44

“Byron,” she cries out. “I’m so, so close.”

She moves quicker now, like she’s racing to the finish line. I don’t know how long I can hold off for. I’m so ready to come, but I want to wait for Rosey. Her fingers dig into my chest and I can’t resist any longer. I push my hips up, our bodies slamming together until my vision blurs and my orgasm crashes over me. Rosey starts to shudder above me. I pull her over me and hold her close as her entire body convulses, worried that she might shatter if I let her go.

I don’t release her. I keep her pressed to me as our climaxes rocket through us and we start the slow float back down from heaven. Her face is buried in my neck, and I breathe in her scent of wet pine and lemons.

Her heat against my body, her legs tangled with mine. It’s all fucking perfect.

“Byron, what is that?” she says finally. “What is this?”

“What is what?”

“That,” she says, like I should know what she means. “The sex. I’m not even sure we should call it that. Or at least, I shouldn’t. I’ve never… it’s…”

I pull in a juddering breath. “Intense.”

“It feels like my entire body is on the brink of breaking into a thousand pieces. You’re the only thing holding me together.”

I’m used to holding back, dealing with everything—good or bad—inside my own head. But with Rosey, I can’t seem to fight the urge to share. “It feels like what’s happening between us is the only thing that matters.”

“Yes,” she sighs. She wiggles in my arms, but I want her to stay put, lying over me like this. It feels so good.

“You keeping me prisoner?”

“Yeah,” I say. “I think I might.”

She laughs. “I might let you.”

I press a kiss to the top of her head, then release her. I get rid of the condom and we settle down into the covers, listening to the rain.

“It’s still raining.” She says softly while trailing patterns on my chest. “You have a really good body.”

I laugh. “Itisstill raining, and back at you.” Rosey doesn’t just have a good body. She has a body designed forme. She’s all soft curves and smooth skin, pouting lips and eyes that show me exactly what she’s thinking.

“There are a lot of reasons why we shouldn’t be doing this.” She picks up my phone and hands it to me. “Please check the weather again. I think we’re in real danger of missing the tornado warning.”

“Rosey, we’re in real danger of missing this tornado if it passes right through this fucking cabin.”

She laughs and snuggles in closer. I bring up the weather on my phone.

“It’s a lot of rain,” I say. “Even without the threat of tornadoes, it could be a problem.”

“You think it will affect opening?”

I sigh. “I don’t know. I hope not.”

She sweeps her hand over my chest. “It will be okay.”

I close my eyes. I hope she’s right. All I know is that with Rosey lying next to me, everything feels like it’s going to be okay.

SEVENTEEN

Rosey

It’s possible the storm has just given Byron and me a time-out from reality. I’m no longer the runaway bride and he’s not my boss. He’s just a hot guy and I’m just a girl who’s hot for him. Maybe we’re both just trying to get through the night.

Part of me thinks that’s what this is—just a night suspended in time. Then the other part of me, deep down inside, whispersthis guy is different.This man makesyoudifferent.

I never asked Frank for what I wanted—in bed or out. It didn’t occur to me that I could. And he never asked what I wanted. It didn’t seem to matter to him. But with Byron… with Byron, it feels completely natural to tell him everything. What I want. What I don’t want. Who I am. Maybe it’s because no one’s depending on my relationship with Byron. With Frank, my entire family was behind me, pushing me forward, willing me to do everything right so Frank would want me. So Frank would become part of our family and, therefore, responsible for us all.