Page 85 of Before Eve

I trail my hand along the outside of his underwear and start to explore. With one hand, he grips my hip and rocks me against his leg, and his other hand drifts up to caress my breast. I don’t know what to do, but from his breathing and his expression, I must be doing something right.

He lets out a cross between a moan and a groan. The deep sound of it vibrates through me, and I begin moving my hips against his thigh.

Somewhere way back in my brain, I’m aware of his hand. Of mine. Of the rhythm we’ve established. Everything washesover me in a flood of sensation. I drop my head back on a deep breath.

Our movements increase. Way down deep in my core, everything tightens, and desire completely takes me over. I want him to feel everything I am. I want to feel everything that he is.

His hand that’s on my breast slides around my arched back up to clasp my neck, and I tremble as he brings me down to thoroughly, completely, deeply kiss me. His hand tangles in my hair, and it turns into a hard, almost rough kiss. But I like it.

His kisses trail down my throat, and then his mouth is on my breast. Cotton fabric separates me from his lips, but that doesn’t deter him.

I tune into our rhythm again, and our tempo increases even more. His muscles shake. Mine tightens to an intensity that’s almost unbearable, and then everything in me explodes in this spiraling, unraveling ecstasy.

I tear my lips away with a hoarse gasp and cling to him as tremors quiver through my limbs. His hips jerk one last time, and he groans into my neck.

Eternity passes, and I lie limply against him. He stirs first, nuzzling under my ear, and I slide off his lap and onto the couch.

He goes to the bathroom, then he’s back and his arms are around me, cradling me. I want to stay right here for the rest of my life.

He stretches out on the leather couch, tucking me in front of him. We don’t speak and instead just soak the other in.

The fire crackles and pops, and I sigh. I think back on everything we just did. I responded as I wanted to. I didn’t care how I appeared or sounded or what I was doing. I didn’t think about Grayson or Noah Riley once. I just felt.

That is its own kind of freedom.

“A plus,” West whispers.

“What?”

He hugs me tighter to him. “Tell Anne you got an A plus on your homework assignment.”

Yes, things are pretty perfect right now.

“I have a surprise for you.” West reaches over me and grabs a remote off the coffee table. “It’s been really hard hiding this from you.” He points the remote at an iPod dock sitting on an end table. “I played our song for Ms. Kelly, and she loved it. We laid the tracks down last week with Ford, and we’re playing it onstage for the first time in two weeks.”

“What?!”

“Also, I was thinking with the money we’ll make, what would you say if we establish a fund for abused children?”

I don’t know what to say. I’m so completely, profoundly shocked.

He points the remote and clicks, the music starts, and his voice filters through the speakers.

I didn’t know I was waiting

Till you walked through that door

Now every quiet moment

Feels fuller than before

You smiled like a sunrise

That melted all my doubt

And I knew in that heartbeat

What love is all about