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“Come on then,” he says, holding out his hand.

I slip out of the bed, feeling shy all of a sudden. The man’s just given me multiple orgasms, likemultiple.I begged him to let me come. And now I’m feeling shy? His come is literally making its way down my leg.

I go about my business, and he uses the sink to wash his face. I smirk, knowing full well why it needs washing. He tuts at me, shaking his head, murmuring under his breathsomething that closely resembles “bad girl.”

“Bath?” he asks.

“Maybe tomorrow. I’m pretty exhausted.”

I wash my hands, and once dried, he picks me up bridal-style and carries me back to the bed.

“Will you stay with me?” I ask as he pulls the cover over my still-naked body.

He moves confidently to his side of the bed and slips under the covers.

“Olivia. I’ve been waiting for you to catch up. If you want me here, I’m here. If you need me to give you space, I will...reluctantly.” He’s teasing, I know. If I asked him to leave I know he would, but I can’t think of anything I want less right now.

“I want you to stay.”

“Good.”

He pulls me into his side, and I place my hand on his chest and leg over his thigh. He sighs slowly, and when I sneak a peek, his eyes are closed, but he’s smiling. He looks so peaceful. Suddenly, I’m no longer tired.

“Will you tell me something?” I ask.

“What do you want to know?”

“Tell me about your family.”

Chapter Seventeen

Austin

“Tell me about your family.”

Such an innocent request. How could she know it’s so loaded?

Her sweet eyes peering up from my chest, the warmth of her body is transferring to mine, like our bodies are molding together. If we stay here long enough, we'll become one big fused blob, and nothing would make me happier. I feel...cozy, calm, fuckingpeaceful.Sure, it might be because I’ve just had the best sex of my life with the girl I’ve been fantasizing about for two years, but in my heart, I know it’s more than that. She’s more than that. It’s how I knew, when she told me to chloroform myself, that this was going to work out okay. It’s how I knew that if I just gave her a little space and continued showing up, she’d see it, too. I trail my fingertips up and down her shoulder, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. She’s quiet, waiting for me to answer, and I fight the urge to fidget uncomfortably.

“I’m not sure you want to hear about my fucked-up family, Killer.” I feel her cheek pull against my chest, and she nuzzles in, inhaling deeply.

“I really do, actually.”

Fuck.

I can’t say no, but god, I don’t want to scare her off. She knows a little, but there’s no way she knows everything.

“I have a brother,” I eventually admit.

“I knew that. He’s older, right?”

“Yep.” I let the “p” pop.

“Do you get along well?”

“You know the answer to that already, Killer.”

I feel her cheek pull again, her fingers dance across my chest, and I feel the tightness loosen.Here goes nothing.