Page 77 of This Kind of Forever

In more ways than one. It isn’t simply my body that aches for him, it’s my soul. My whole being. For now, though, I focus on the way an anticipatory shiver runs down my spine as he collects a condom from his bedside drawer.

Gabe places a hand on my bent knee. “Then let me in, baby.”

I scoot up the bed, resting against the pillows, and let my legs fall open again. He wastes no time donning the condom and settling himself over me. Then he kisses me.

With his mouth against mine and our bare skin pressed together, I feel alive. More alive than I’ve ever been before. Maybe it’s the thrill of finally having something you’ve wanted for so long.

“This mouth,” Gabe murmurs. “So soft.”

I wiggle beneath him. “Gabe,please.”

He answers my plea. Lining his cock up with my entrance, he circles it, gathering my arousal. Then he slowly begins to push inside.

“Fuck, Hallie,” he groans. “You’re tight.”

I have a feeling he isn’t just talking about my pussy. My whole body feels coiled with tension, and those pesky worriesthreaten to creep back in and ruin this.Stop thinking.Enjoy this while you have it.

“Hallie, baby, look at me.”

My eyes snap open, meeting Gabe’s familiar brown irises. He holds my gaze as he continues to ease inside, and my lips part on a silent moan.

He rolls his hips, filling me, and I gasp.

“Let go, Foster. Show me how well you can take me.”

He thrusts again, and I grab the back of his neck, holding him to me. And when he starts to fuck me, I lose what little poise I still had, yielding to my body’s desires.

Bit by bit, my limbs loosen, and I let myself go. I meet his thrusts. I press kisses to his throat when he’s buried deep inside me.

As my release crashes through me, I claw at his back, no doubt leaving marks. Through the shockwaves, I feel Gabe’s pace picking up. He chases his own release, and then he’s coming with a guttural groan that has satisfaction zipping through me.

Slowly, we come down from the high, and he slips out of me. Gabe nuzzles his face against my neck.

“I’ll be right back,” he says. With a quick kiss to my forehead, he heads to the en suite.

I want nothing more than to stay where I am, but if I don’t force myself to the bathroom to clean up and get ready for bed right now, it’s not happening at all. My legs feel a little wobbly when my feet hit the ground, but I scoop Gabe’s t-shirt up from the floor and slide it over my head.

Even though Abbie isn’t here tonight, I still find myself creeping down the hall and quietly shutting the bathroom door behind me. I cringe at my reflection in the mirror. My hair is a disaster, and my makeup is smudged.Great.

I should probably shower, but I’m beyond tired at this point, so I quickly use the bathroom, brush my teeth and wash my face. After I run my brush through my hair to untangle the knots, I head back to Gabe’s bedroom.

When I get back, Gabe is pacing in the middle of the room. He’s wearing his boxers again, but otherwise, his tattoos are on full display. I almost say something about them, tell him how much I like them, but then he turns to face me. My words dry up.

He runs a hand through his hair, which is almost as messy as mine. He looks wrecked, devastated, so similar to that day on the beach. My knees almost buckle at the realization.

“I thought you left.”

My heart cracks wide open. I shake my head. “I’m right here.”

Gabe gathers me against his chest, and with my head resting over his heart, I can hear how fast it’s beating. “Please don’t go.”

Not again.

“I won’t,” I promise.

Not until he leaves me first.

TWENTY-EIGHT