Page 82 of The Publicity Stunt

Suddenly, I’m on my back.

Parker shoves me down, placing a hand behind my head so I don’t get hurt, then puts his weight on top of me.

“My turn,” he growls. He thrusts his cock into me, and my back arches violently. I claw at his back as he pushes himself deep inside me.

“Oh, God,” I moan. In and out, each thrust harder than the last. My eyes drift over to the skyscrapers in the distance.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he says and continues to pound into me as my body contracts. “Can you feel how much?”

A cry of ecstasy falls from my lips as I feel a warmth growing in my stomach.

“Me too.” I briefly meet his gaze as I begin to come. His eyes are glossed over with lust. My toes curl and my thighs tighten, gripping his body between my legs. I hear him groan as my pussy contracts around his cock. Over and over.

Another grunt, and I feel him come too. The feeling sends another ripple of pleasure through my body. My heart is pounding violently, and my fingers claw down his back. I don't remember the last time I came this hard.

“Fuck,” he whispers and stops thrusting. When I finish, my legs collapse on either side of the ledge and he kisses my cheek.

A couple of minutes pass, but we don’t get up right away. He buries his face in my hair, repeatedly whispering my name, and we lie curled against each other, basking in the aftermath of what just happened.

ChapterEighteen

Twelve Years Ago

HAYDEN

In order to be a good writer, one must also be a good reader. It doesn’t matter if you read science fiction or romance. It doesn’t matter if you read nonfiction or comic books. The bottom line is that readers make good writers.

The Amazing Spider-Man #121was the first comic I ever read. It’s the one that made me want to publish my own comic book one day. Peter Parker vs. Green Goblin. Green Goblin kidnaps Gwen Stacy, and at the end, she falls to her death. Without doubt, it’s one of the most heartbreaking storylines in the Marvel Universe. But here’s the thing about reading about other people’s sadness: you get to experience real sadness without actually experiencing all the anxiety and loss associated with the emotion. It makes you grateful for the short bursts of happiness in your own life. I wanted to create that for other people.

And the one thing I’m most grateful for is standing right in front of me.

April walks through the apartment door, a cardboard box in her hands. It has the words “FRAGILE: X-Men Comics” scribbled across the side in big block letters.

My beautiful, beautiful April, who’s moving in with me.

I asked her two weeks ago, right after we graduated. We’ve been officially dating for over a year now, so I was pretty confident she wouldn’t say no.

“Thanks, Logan.” She hands him the box and gives me a small smile as I watch her from across the living room, leaning against the bedroom door.

“It’s the least I can do for the woman who’s replacing me,” Logan tells her.

“Hey, don’t get all pouty,” April says. “You get to replace me too.”

Logan is moving in with April’s roommate—ex-roommate—who also happens to be my ex-roommate’s girlfriend. There’s a tongue twister in there somewhere. Unlike me, he was definitely not confident enough that she’d say yes. But I’m glad she did.

April brings another comic-labeled box in and places it on the rug. It’s the fourth one so far.

“That all?” I’m pretty sure Logan’s being sarcastic.

But April doesn’t pay heed. She hasn’t stopped perusing my—sorry, our—apartment. Yeah, that’s going to take some getting used to. “No, there’s another one in my truck,” she says, now analyzing the raggedy secondhand Craigslist couch. “Can you get it?”

Logan frowns, turning around to shoot me a look. “Remind me again why your boyfriend isn’t helping you.”

“Because,” April says, placing her hands on her hips, “his girlfriend’s roommate isn’t waiting for him downstairs.”

Logan frowns.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. “She means Shara, you dumbass,” I say.