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“I’m sure. I want this… I want you.”

It’s all I need to hear. My arms go around her, gathering her to me as my hips rock harder, thrusting in and out, sating my consuming desire for her.

My eyes squeeze shut, but I feel it when she joins me. I feel her hips beginning to move, rocking in time, taking me in, meeting my thrusts with her own.

Releasing her from my embrace, I rise up to kiss her, to claim her mouth and stroke her tongue with mine.

She grasps my cheeks, kissing me back with equal fervor, and I’m lost to my orgasm. Thrusting again and again, I’m driven by how good she feels, so tight, so wet. My ass clenches, pleasure snakes up my thighs. It all centers where our bodies are joined. Sweat drips down my cheek, and I come with a loud groan, hard and long.

Holding deep inside her, I groan again as my dick pulses, as I fill the condom. I hold onto her as my anchor to this world. My mind is blank, and all I know is her and me sharing this experience. It’s incredible.

Gradually, the world starts to come back in focus. I’m breathing hard, and I blink my eyes open to see her smiling up at me. She rises up to kiss my neck, and I cup the back of her head, holding her to me. I wrap my other arm around her upper body, flattening her soft breasts against my chest.

I understand the concept of two becoming one in this moment. I feel like she’s become a part of me. I’m her first, but she’s my first virgin. I feel protective of her, like she belongs to me now, as fucked up as that might sound.

Something inside me clicks, and I’ll never let anything bad happen to her. I never want to let her go.

She starts to wiggle, and I loosen my grip. “I’d better get cleaned up. I might bleed all over your sheets.”

I want to say I don’t care. Then I realize these sheets actually belong to her—as does the bed. “Sorry.” I stand and help her to the bathroom. “Can I get you anything?”

“Make sure the bed’s not ruined. I didn’t even think to get a towel.”

She dashes to the bathroom, and I check the sheets—all clean. The frustration and anger in my chest have dissolved into contentment and calm. “Get out here so I can cuddle you and shower you with affection.”

The door opens, and she’s holding a towel, smiling up at me. “Are you making fun of me?”

Leaning my arm on the doorjamb above her head, I lean into a kiss, pulling her lips with mine. “Never. I want to hold you… and maybe do it again.”

“Ah…” She grins, stretching up to kiss me again. “That sounds more like it. You’re going to have to hold that thought. We’ve got to sleep tonight.”

She starts for the door, but I catch her waist. “Wait.”

A big smile is on her lips as she turns around to meet me. It fades into warmth, and she puts her palm against my cheek. “What is it?”

“I want you to stay with me. I’ll set the alarm early. I want to hold you tonight.”

Blinking several times, she nods, following me to the bed again. I crawl in first, lying on my back, and she climbs in, resting her cheek on my chest. I thread my fingers in her long hair, sliding my thumb along her soft shoulder. This is what heaven must be like.

Heaven is finding the thing you can’t live without and being able to hold it.

Hell is knowing you’ll have to let it go.

10

Noel

Taron is waiting in the kitchen while I finish putting on my makeup. I’ve chosen a peach eyelet sundress with an empire waist that stops mid-thigh to wear to the festival. This dress doesn’t allow for a bra, so I opted for no underwear as well. I get turned on every time my thighs swish together. I can’t wait for him to find out…

Leon informed us he’s taking Betsy to the festival, and he doesn’t need us to chaperone him. He has no idea he’d be the real chaperone going with Taron and me.

I’ve heard that old expression about taking the lid off the jar… or maybe it’s taking the genie out of the bottle? Either way, it applies a hundredfold to having sex with Taron.

We’ve spent the entire week barely able to keep our hands off each other. We only did it once Monday night, but by Wednesday, we’d done it a million more times.

I told him I’d started the pill, and he ditched the condoms. He said they all got tested at the start of basic, and he’s clean, which meant we’ve been sneaking around, doing it anywhere and everywhere.

We’ve had sex in his bed every night, in my bed twice, in the old red Chevy once, in the lake every day… The hottest time was when we were in the kitchen together, and I was cutting up peaches to make preserves.