I kiss her roughly, and the taste of her mouth, combined with the perfectly synced rhythm of our bodies and the yearning stare in her eyes—it does something to me.
There’s more than just sexual chemistry between us. Even if I tried to tell myself it was only about physical attraction before, back in the beginning, I can’t hide from the truth now.
“Oh...” Faith’s eyes squeeze shut, and I can feel her clenching agonizingly around me.
I don’t slow my thrusts. “Faith,” I demand. “Look at me. Let me see you.”
Sweat glistens on her forehead, but her hips still roll to meet each thrust, whimpering as she gives herself over to the sensual combination of pleasure and pain.
“Come for me, Faith.” It’s a demand, and I thrust into her faster and harder, not giving her another choice.
“Tristan!”
Her body shatters beneath me, her fingernails digging violently into the flesh of my shoulders. I suck in a breath at the sharp pain of it, but I don’t slow down, thrusting into her again and again as my own orgasm overtakes me.
Every muscle within Faith’s body contracts around me, and I can’t hold it back any longer.
“Faith!” I bellow out her name in desperation. Blindly, I find her hand fisted amidst the sheets, and I entwine my fingers with hers, holding on for dear life until I finally slow my hips. Exhausted, I lower myself onto the bed beside her.
“That was some going-away present.”
Faith’s words hit me, but they sound distant, and it takes me a minute to realize I’m dozing off. Stay awake, asshole. You’ve got too much to say.
“It wasn’t a going-away present.”
I turn my head sluggishly, and see her wince. Then, I realize how gruff I sounded. “What I mean is...shit, Faith, I—”
“I get it,” she says with a sad smile. “One more night together before I—”
“What? No.” I pull my tired body up into a sitting position, reaching out to pull her up with me. The covers fall, and Faith immediately pulls them up to cover her naked body. I sigh, knowing damn well I’m making a fucking mess of this already. “I’m not very good with words, in case you haven’t noticed.” I attempt a crooked smile, but she’s staring at me blankly. “This isn’t a going-away present, Faith,” I repeat. “It’s my way of asking you to stay.”
Her expression doesn’t change. “You want me to stay.”
“With me,” I add. “I don’t have any right to ask that of you, but damn it, Faith, I mean it. This thing between us...I want to find out where it leads.”
Finally, comprehension crosses her face. “I...I don’t even know what to say.”
Her broken speech is sending an alarm bell off in my brain, but I keep reminding myself that, up until now, she’s been resigned to the fact that she’s leaving. That I’ve just been playing games, enjoying what little time we have left together. “You don’t have to say anything except what you really feel, Faith.”
She lets out a slow breath. “You want to know how I really feel.”
“I want you to stop repeating what I say,” I chuckle uneasily. “What do you want, Faith?”
She stares at me for a long moment, unblinking. Then, she crawls forward, pressing her lips to mine again. “What I want is a replay of tonight, every night, for the rest of our days.”
I’d been so damn nervous, knotted up inside that she wouldn’t want to be here any longer, with me and the kids, that it takes me a fleeting moment to realize what she’s saying. “You’re staying,” I say, unable to believe my ears.
“You bet I’m staying.”
My mouth is on hers in a heartbeat. “You’ve just made me the happiest man alive, Faith.” I push her back onto the bed, trailing kisses down the side of her jaw. “Now, let me see what I can do about giving you that replay you asked for.”
She chuckles, and I can feel her breath against my shoulder. “You must be so tired, Tristan. We—”
I press a fingertip to her lips. “Shh, I don’t want to hear it. You agreed to stay with me, so the least I can do is sacrifice a good night’s sleep to make you remember why it’s such a damn good idea.”
She laughs again. “A sacrifice, huh?”
“We’ve all got to make sacrifices,” I whisper against her skin. “That’s what we do for the ones we love.”