Page 35

I thrust into her without warning, and she moans, grabbing my neck, yanking me down into a kiss.

“Do you like how you taste, baby girl?” I murmur against her lips, sliding in and out with slow, deliberate strokes.

She nods, biting back another moan.

“Are you ready for a new position?”

She nods again, eyes locked on mine.

Without pulling out, I wrap her legs around my shoulders and drive in deeper. Her fingers scrabble against the couch cushions, desperate for something to hold onto.

“Fuck, Rain. You are perfect.”

I settle into a comfortable pace, not wanting her to come, just enough to feel everything.

She’s restless, hips lifting to meet mine, eyes glazed with need.

“What do you need?” I ask, kissing the corner of her mouth.

She bites me. Hard.

“Make me come, Xander,” she shouts into the night.

That’s all I need.

I thrust harder into her, hips slamming into hers as she bucks beneath me. Her whole body tightens, and I know she’s close—I am too. But it’s not time. Not yet.

I pull out, and she whines, pouting adorably.

I kiss her hard. “Get on all fours, babe.”

She scrambles up, already breathless.

“Now what?” she asks excitedly.

I gently pull her toward me, positioning her just right.

“Now,” I murmur, “you need to be a good girl and tell me if at any point it feels uncomfortable.”

She nods, gaze steady.

I line my cock to her entrance and slide in slowly, letting her adjust to the new position. I stay buried deep, unmoving, just long enough to feel her relax around me. When she starts rocking her hips, I know she’s ready.

I fist a handful of her hair, and she sucks in a deep breath.

“I want to feel you, Xander. All of you.”

I pause, searching for any hint of doubt. “Are you sure?”

“Fuck, yes. Hotshot, I want to feel you for every second we’ll be apart.”

Something snaps inside me at her words. I pull almost all the way out, then thrust into her.

“Like that,” she moans, her voice unraveling.

I pull her hair again and drive into her, over and over. My balls slap against her body. The only sounds are the waves crashing nearby and our bodies clashing in unison.

When she starts pushing back into me, grinding with every thrust, I know she’s close. I slap her ass—once, then again—and her moan turns to a yell of ecstasy.

She shatters around me, and I let go, riding the wave with her.

“I love you, Cherry,” I whisper, kissing the curve of her back as our breathing slows.

She collapses onto the couch, spent and glowing.

I lie down beside her, and she immediately throws her leg over mine, her cheek pressed to my chest.

“I love you too,” she says, lips brushing my skin.

I close my eyes, everything in me full to bursting.

How was I able to live for so long without feeling this much for someone?

How did I survive without her?

And it hits me—I wasn’t living. I was surviving.

Now, I’m finally able to breathe again.

All because of her.

“Xander, wake up,” Rain shouts.

I jump out of bed. “What? What happened?” I rub my eyes, still half-asleep, trying to shake the fog out of my head.

“It’s two in the afternoon,” she says. “Didn’t you tell the driver to pick us up at three?”

Shit.

I stumble into the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. “Fuck. I didn’t think we were going to sleep all day.”

She’s still standing in the bedroom, wrapped in a sheet that barely clings to her curves.

“Oh, no, no, no. Don’t look at me with those eyes, sir. We have to go say goodbye to your parents.”

I pout, and she gives me a quick kiss.

“That’s it?” I say, raising an eyebrow.

She chuckles. “Yup. We gotta go.”

We take the fastest shower in history, throw on clothes, and head to my parents’ place.

On the way, Rain’s phone dings. She checks it, smiling at first, then her expression drops. Her face turns pale.

“Is everything okay?” I ask gently, not wanting to scare her.

She hesitates. “Yeah… It’s just something at the diner. They need me ASAP.”

My brows pull together. “Can Joss or any of your siblings help? I thought you were spending the night in Raleigh.”

She doesn’t answer. Just stares out the window, hands clenched around her phone like a lifeline.

By the time we get to my parents’ house, something in her is clearly off. Mom doesn’t notice—she’s too excited showing Rain all my pictures growing up—but I can see it in Rain’s smile. It’s forced. Polite. Not her.

The afternoon goes by quickly. After one too many goodbye hugs, it’s time to go. But my stomach knots.

As soon as we get back in the car, I glance over at her. “Are you sure everything is okay?”

She exhales slowly. “No. Things are not okay. And I need to go home.”

It stings. This version of Rain feels like the ghost of the woman I first met.

“But what is it? Maybe I can help.”

“You can’t fix everything, Xander,” she says, voice tight. “This is something I have to take care of myself.”

I nod, jaw clenched, biting my tongue before I say something I’ll regret.

The drive to the airport is painfully quiet. She doesn’t glance my way at all.

Once we’re through security and sitting at our gate, she says, flatly, “Gio’s pilot will be waiting for me in Raleigh.”

I wait for more, anything, but she doesn’t say another word. Just sits there like she’s already gone.

“Rain, I need to know what’s happening,” I say, my voice low. “Are we… are we okay?”

She lets out a small scoff, followed by a shrug. “Of course we’re okay. Why wouldn’t we be?”

I stare at her, stunned. What the actual fuck happened?

Was I too rough last night? Did I trigger something?

No—no way. She was fine afterward. Laughing. Kissing me. Everything was perfect.

I can’t shake the feeling that she’s slipping through my fingers, and I don’t even know why.

When we land in Raleigh, my heart’s in my throat, hoping she won’t pull away.

“Let me walk you to the helicopter,” I say.

She nods, and I breathe again. I reach for her hand. She takes it and squeezes. She’s still in there, somewhere behind whatever armor she just put up.

At the edge of the tarmac, she stops.

“I’m going to miss you,” I tell her.

She looks up at me, eyes glossy but steady.

“I love you, Xander. Just… give me time to figure this out.”

I nod and kiss her one last time, memorizing the feel of her mouth, the taste of goodbye.

And then she’s gone.

How did something so beautiful, something that felt like the start of forever, unravel so fast?

She said she loves me. All I can do now is trust in her.

But God, I hope she doesn’t take forever to come back to me.

Because now that I know what it feels like to be loved by her, I can’t go back to just surviving.

Not without her.