Page 286 of The Havenport Collection

Sam

“ G et your ass back in the bed, Sam,” Gio said groggily, pulling my naked body back into the million thread count sheets. On my way back to the ludicrously comfortable bed, I took a moment to enjoy the luxury of my surroundings.

The penthouse at the Boston Harbor Hotel was amazing, with massive windows facing the ocean, an elaborate chandelier hanging above us, and the bed to end all beds. Enormous, plush, and currently occupied by the sexiest man I had ever seen.

I let him envelop me in his arms, enjoying his warmth and strength.

“Don’t you dare move. I want to snuggle you, woman.”

I luxuriated in his warmth while mentally replaying the last twelve hours in my head. Dancing. Kissing. Finally, after all these years, getting naked.

And it wasn’t awkward; it wasn’t strange at all. It felt predetermined. Like we were destined to come together like this. My body responded to his touch as if it was designed to. We fit together.

I had experienced good sex before. It wasn’t like I’d never had an orgasm or anything. And my previous relationships had not been lacking in heat.

But the level of connection we shared took things to an entirely new plane, and I wasn’t sure I could ever go back.

Now that I had experienced all of what Gio had to offer—felt what it was like to be possessed by him—could anything else ever compare?

I rolled over onto my stomach and propped myself up on my elbows.

“Don’t you have things to do, places to be?”

“Nope. Nothing is more important than being with you in this bed right now.”

He pulled me onto his chest and started to nibble my earlobe, his hands lightly skimming down my sides to reach my hips.

“I’ve waited a lifetime for this, Sam. I am going to enjoy it.”

I felt him harden against my hip, and my need for him began to grow.

“I think we should talk,” I said, gasping as his fingers teased me, probing and stroking and making me ache for him.

“What do you want to talk about?”

Before I could respond, he flipped me over onto my back, pinning me to the bed.

“You want to talk about how I blew your mind last night? About my enormous cock?” He winked and I giggled.

“Or do you want to talk about how no one has ever made you come so hard? I’m happy to discuss that at length.” He kissed down to my belly button, making me wiggle underneath him with need.

“Or…” He nibbled my inner thigh. “Do you want to tell me that you are mine, all mine? That now that I have you I get to keep you forever?”

He looked up from where he was seated between my thighs and licked his lips.

I was shaking and shuddering with need. He was a breath away from my pussy, making all sorts of statements and demands that my brain could not process.

He licked me, flicking my clit with his tongue.

“Because you are mine. After last night there is no going back. There is no casual.”

“But,” I protested, losing steam when he lowered his face to feast on me.

I groaned; he was making it so difficult to be adult and mature about this.

To have an honest conversation about what this all meant.

And he couldn’t be serious, right? We had agreed on a fling.

And he was happily single, as was I. Despite him continuing to tell me how much he wanted me, my brain simply could not accept it.

Because I had too much to think about right now.

I couldn’t dwell on what this all meant.

Because it did mean something. I just wasn’t prepared for it. And as fun as it was to play pretend in a fancy hotel, there was a lot at stake.

But all those words died on my lips the minute he sank his fingers inside me, never stopping his lips and tongue. Within seconds I was detonating, my back arching off the bed as I moaned his name.

“That’s it,” he said, continuing to lick, suck, and stroke. “That’s a good girl. Come hard and scream my name.” He looked up at me as I tried to recover, my chest heaving. “Because you belong to me.”

After some sweaty sex, several orgasms, room service pancakes, and a shower that got very dirty very fast, I finally came back down to earth.

So much had happened. We had done things and said things. The sort of stuff you couldn’t take back.

I began to hyperventilate, his words swimming around in my head. “You belong to me.”

On the one hand, I had always belonged to him. I couldn’t think of a time when that wasn’t true. Part of my heart had been with him since we were kids.

But, I wasn’t sure that I could right now. I didn’t even belong to myself. My body was fighting a war, and I couldn’t make commitments. I couldn’t keep promises.

But then I made the grave mistake of looking at him. The sheet pulled down to expose his strong body and manly chest hair. His mischievous grin and sexy stubble. Those deep-brown eyes and long lashes, looking straight into my soul.

“We should talk,” I said, trying to pull myself together. “Things have…changed.”

He smiled and I melted a little. “Yes, they have.”

“And while I’m really happy, I’m just worried.”

His face fell. “Do you regret getting physical?”

“No. Not at all.”

He looked relieved.

“I’ve had an incredible time with you. You have made this cancer journey so much better. And last night, it was the cherry on top of an already amazing sundae. But this is a fling.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sam.”

“No,” I interrupted. I couldn’t let him say more romantic, beautiful words. They would just chip away at my resolve. “I told you before, I’m in a weird place. I love being your friend, and I think I’m really going to like being more than friends. But this fling has an expiration date.”

I had to look away because the hurt on his handsome face was unmistakable.

An awkward silence fell between us, and I wanted to reach for him, to make it better.

But I knew I had to be strong. Without boundaries, this could quickly become very dangerous for me.

And I could not add falling in love with my best friend to my current to-do list.

“This is really what you want?” he asked, his voice tight. I could tell he wanted more. And a small part of me wanted to give it to him. But I couldn’t. I had to maintain the boundaries, for my own protection as well as his.

But it was so hard to let him down. He was the person who always got me, always supported me, and the person who I felt more like myself with than anyone in the world. But I needed to do this.

“Yes,” I said as calmly as I could. “I am not in a position for more; I’m not sure I could do it.”

He nodded and I felt my stomach clench. “You sell yourself short, Sam.”

He was right, of course he was. But things had already changed so much.

I reached out and pulled him into a hug.

I needed his comfort as much as he needed mine.

He kissed the top of my head softly and whispered.

“I’ll take it. Because I believe in you.

And I believe in us. I’m old enough to know when things feel right.

And you have always felt right to me. You have always been my home. ”

He pulled back and gave me one of his trademark Gio grins. “So if you want to fling, we will fling, and it will be glorious.”