Rafe (Arizona Vengeance 6.5)

My cock pulses inside of her, straining for release. I’m dizzy with lust and the need to flip her over and fuck her hard.

But I know one thing.

This is all Calliope right now. She has to set the boundaries of what we are. I need to let her be in control. Even if she were to climb off my lap and proclaim this to be a mistake, I would let her do so without an ounce of regret.

That’s how grateful I am that she trusts me enough to let me back in.

Calliope sucks in a deep lungful of air, and when she lets it out, her mouth is back on mine. Her body starts to move, and she rises and falls on me.

She’s so warm and tight, my nuts feel like they’re going to implode. She fucks me slowly and with a tenderness that crushes my heart, knowing how difficult it must be for her to give that to the man who destroyed her.

My arms band around her tightly, and I kiss her with reverence. Tiny little moans slither out of her, and her movements become hurried...frantic. I want to hold back, let this play out for hours if possible, but I can feel the rush of an orgasm straining to break free. All those years disappear as I remember all the signals that indicate that Calliope is as close as I am.

The panting breaths, the yearning sounds deep in her chest. My hands move to her hips, and I help her in her quest to get to the same place as me. I pick her up, slam her back down so she feels me deeply.

Calliope grunts, bites down hard on her lip, and starts to bounce. My cock swells, my balls drawing inward as I feel that first ripple of pleasure through her pussy. Grabbing onto my shaft and sucking me in deep, I let loose with a hoarse cry of release.

She grinds down on me, hard, her entire body shuddering with her orgasm, her head falling back. I watch her with awe as pleasure ripples across her beautiful face, and her body quakes beneath my hands.

In this moment, I am validated, knowing that I never stopped loving Calliope.

Only now, I know I love her more than I ever did.Chapter 8CalliopeI step into my apartment and close the door, leaning heavily against it. My head tips back, resting against the hollow wood, and I sigh.

What in the hell possessed me to climb Rafe and have sex with him?

Sure, I could reason that it’s been an emotional time for both of us since he got back—him with his dad, and me, well...being conflicted about him being back in my life.

I could say that I was addled by the cold dunk in Podden’s pond and was overcome with a fit of the sillies. I’ve always been slightly impetuous.

Or maybe...just maybe...there’s something still there between us that can’t be reasoned or explained.

I’m not going to lie. It helped to hear Rafe’s explanation of what happened back then.

I mean, it was a stupid explanation. About as dumb as a man can get, making decisions for his woman without any type of discussion. But there is something to be said for the fact that we were young—both barely eighteen. Even though it was entirely demeaning for him to make that decision on his own, I can’t deny that it came from a place of love.

He’d said he was just as devastated by his decision, but the real question remains...can I believe it?

Another sigh, and I push away from the door. I need a shower and a cup of hot tea to think on this further.

I move through my small but entirely cozy apartment that I’ve lovingly decorated and filled over the years with homey items that make it uniquely my own. Soft alpaca pillows on my couch, a goofy painting of a cow wearing a red toboggan on his head over my mantel, and Yankee candles in every room, ready to lend mood-enhancing scents whenever I want.

My shower is delightful and long, and I wash my hair three times to make sure it’s free of pond scum. I shave my legs, horrified they were slightly stubbly while having sex with Rafe, but also figuring he’s felt my stubbly legs before. He used to tease me about it if I forgot to shave. I dry my hair, taking the time to blow it out, which means it will be styled perfectly tomorrow after I sleep on it. My thick hair always looks best on day two after a good shampoo. I slather lotion on my body, dress in a pair of comfy yoga pants and an off-the-shoulder T-shirt that’s so well worn it’s transparent in some spots, and move to the kitchen to make some strawberry hibiscus tea.