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Chapter 25

Maybe it won’t work out, but maybe it will—and just maybe it will be the greatest adventure of your life.

“Mari?” Colin called out as he stepped into the bathroom. The shower was running so he knew she was in there. Thankfully she hadn’t locked the door—not that a flimsy lock would have stopped him at this point.

And yeah, he knew he was acting crazy, but he didn’t care. After her text last night, he was on a razor’s edge of control. Things had changed between them and there was no way she could deny her attraction to him. But it was more than that—there was something real between them. A spark he’d never once experienced with someone else. This was the kind of thing that was real, could grow into something forever.

The curtain pulled back to reveal Mari with suds in her jet-black hair, eyes wide as she stared at him. “What are you doing, you psycho? You’re just barging in here!”

“I’d rather be a psycho than a coward!”

She glared at him, her dark eyes narrowing. “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Liar.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re lying . You disappeared last night without a word, then sent that stupid text. What the hell Mari,” he growled.

“Yeah, because I was tired. I told you.” Her voice was defensive, but he could see something else in her eyes.

“Bullshit. You’re a coward. You didn’t want to talk about us.”

“There is no us.”

“Oh really? So we didn’t make each other come behind that waterfall? Didn’t fall asleep in each other’s arms? Didn’t run for our lives together and put the past behind us?”

“Oh my god. I don’t want to talk about this. Things were weird, we were both feeling all sorts of emotions and stuff happened. It’s not like we ever have to talk about it again. I’m fine pretending that the waterfall incident never happened.”

“Well I’m not.” He leaned against the doorframe, watching her intently. “And I want more.”

She held his gaze for a long, charged moment, conflicting emotions flickering across her face. “Just sex? No running back to my brother and telling him about this?”

“Mari, I promise you, your brother isn’t on my mind right now.” But no way was he promising that this was just about sex. She could deny it all she wanted, but there was something real between them, if only she took a chance.

“Fine.” She yanked the curtain back and he forgot to breathe at the sight of her wet, gloriously naked body, even if she was still clearly pissed at him.

Apparently he liked a pissed-off Mari. Or Mari in any way he could get her. And now he’d learned something else about her: she was going to run from him so he couldn’t let her retreat. He should have talked to her last night, instead of bottling everything up .

He moved fast, stripping off his shirt and lounge pants before stepping into the shower with her. The water pounded down around her, rinsing out the shampoo from her hair as she still glared up at him.

She set one hand on her hip. “This is just sex—”

He crushed his mouth to hers, murmured, “Please shut up,” as he nipped her bottom lip.

She gave a sort of indignant yelp but leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his body so they were completely skin-to-skin and holding on to him as if she never wanted to let go.

Which was just fine with him, because he wasn’t letting this woman go. Ever. Unfortunately, he had a lot of time to make up for. He never should have said that bullshit years ago, never should have let the chasm between them grow even when he didn’t know why she was angry.

He’d always been a little intimidated by her, still was. But he knew her and understood that she was trying to put up walls by making this just about sex. He could let her pretend this was purely physical. For now.

“Oh god,” she moaned as he slid a hand between her legs, cupped her mound, began teasing her clit.

He loved the way she rolled her hips against him, in a slow, sensuous rhythm as he pleasured her. As he teased her, she reached between their bodies and grasped onto his hard length.

And god help him, he loved the feel of her fingers wrapping around him, stroking— No. He eased back, his jaw tight as he placed his other hand over hers. “Not yet,” he managed to rasp out, not missing the mischievous gleam in her eyes as she looked up at him.

She was intensely gorgeous like this, with the sunlight streaming in from the high window, all slick and natural and…he was past the point of no return with her. It was a sobering realization. Also… “I don’t have a condom. ”

“Me neither, damn it…but I’m on the pill and clean. It’s been a minute since I’ve been with anyone.”

Yeah, it had been a minute for him too. Minute, years, same difference. “I’m clean too.” They were tested regularly in the military and he hadn’t been with anyone since his last test. Starting a new business had taken up all of his waking hours, and the truth was, being back in the same city with Mari had lit something on fire inside him. He’d been fighting his feelings for her for too long.

“Normally I wouldn’t take someone at their word, but I trust you.”

Something about those words speared right through to the heart of him. “I trust you too.” Because no matter what, Mari Kim wasn’t a liar.

She leaned up right as he leaned down and claimed her mouth. But the kisses weren’t enough. Nothing was enough with this woman who had him so wound up he could never think straight around her. He always felt on edge, as if he was constantly about to fall over a waterfall.

And they were about to have sex without a condom? No barriers between him and the woman he’d fallen for ages ago. This was heaven.

Not that he could tell her about his deeper feelings. No way. If he admitted the intensity of them, she would run. Kinda like she had last night.

So he kissed her and teased between her legs until she was so close she was shaking from almost coming. Then he lifted her up against him, savored the way she wrapped her toned legs around him as he slowly slid inside her, inch by inch.

She sucked in a breath as he pressed her up against the wall, taking all of him as she dug her heels into his ass.

The way her inner walls tightened around him, clenched with need as he pulled out then pushed in again, almost sent him over the edge right then and there .

Almost.

Because she was definitely coming first.

As he began thrusting inside her she met him stroke for stroke. He held back his own release even though his body was desperate, his control on a slippery slope.

But when he reached between their bodies and began teasing that little bundle of nerves, she arched into him, her inner walls tightening faster and faster. Oh, she was close.

When she bit his bottom lip, dug her fingernails into his back, he knew it wouldn’t be long. Then she was coming around him, crying out his name, and he finally allowed himself to let go.

“Mari.” He groaned out her name as he found his own release, holding on to her and hoping he didn’t leave marks—or maybe he wanted to. Because god knew he wanted her to remember the feel of him inside her, on her. Claiming her.

Because this woman had completely claimed him, even if she didn’t realize it yet.