Hate You Not

I can’t help a sharp cry.

He rubs his erection against my thigh. “I’m so hard it fucking hurts.”

I trace the V at his hip with my fingertips. “So give it to me, big boy.”

Burke is panting as he rises up above me again, positioning himself right there where I need him and then rubbing.

“Oh Burke…please.”

He spreads me open with careful fingers and rubs his thick tip around again until I’m nearly screaming. Then he comes in with one smooth stroke, one heavy stroke—and then I’ve got him. I’m pinned under him and filled with him and shaking with him.

He’s so big…more than I’ve taken. I can’t get a word out, just these shaky cries and whimpers.

He groans, low and ragged. Then he shifts his hips and plunges deeper. I grunt, and I think I hear him chuckle. Then he’s moving…and I’m moving. His hands grip my face, and I focus on his tightly closed eyes.

“Oh fuck. God. Oh June.” I feel him swelling in me. He comes in a little harder with each swing of his hips. “Fuck.”

“Come on.” I lift my hips, rubbing my hot spot against him so it feels just right. “I’m ready,” I manage.

He comes with a guttural groan, and when I’m filled with all the warmth of him, and his shuddering body is heavy over mine, I come undone just the same.

It’s a crashing feeling, a hot flush and swell of pleasure that steamrolls me as my body trembles. Then he’s out, he’s on his side beside me. Burke is pulling me against his chest, wrapping his arms around me.

“You okay?”

“Yes.” I laugh. “Better than okay.”

I hear the smile in his voice as he says, “Same.”

I can feel his heartbeat through his hard chest. His big, damp body feels so foreign, but it also doesn’t.

“So much bigger than me,” I murmur, curling up against him.

He makes a soft sound in his throat and tucks me up against him, bending his knees until they nest against mine. Then he inhales deeply, holds it for a second, exhales.

“That was…really fucking good,” he whispers. “Thank you.”

He looks into my eyes, and I give him a big grin. “Did it for myself.”

He laughs at that.

“I’m just being honest, Sly.”

His hand strokes my shoulder. “Got a lot of pent-up lust to spend since there’s no dudes around here?”

“Yeah, and wanted to spend it on your fine ass.”

He laughs, and when I peek up at him, he’s grinning like he’s overcome by my wit. I can’t help a cheesy grin. “Just being honest,” I say again.

“You’re one of a kind, you know that?”

“I’ve been told.” I kiss his chin. Then I yawn, suddenly sleepy, and he reaches over me to grab a corner of one of the blankets. His palm strokes my arm before he spreads the fleece over us. “You’re cold.”

“And tired.”

I feel a brush of his lips over my hair. “Close your eyes for just a second.”Chapter 25JuneSleepy…comfy…warm. I’m being carried. I note these things from a vague distance, each step jostling me—but not enough to make me open my eyes. Then things shift, and I’m completely vertical.

“June?”

I feel the floor under my feet and strong arms around my waist. Something hard is right behind me. There’s a gold light that’s too bright, and a faint breeze. Pictures stream through my mind—memories. And then I know where I am.

“Hey, honey.” Burke is standing behind me, his arms wrapped around me. His lips are near my ear, so I can hear him when he murmurs, “The sun’s coming up. I should probably go back to your brother’s place before they wake up.”

I squint and blink around the screened porch, finding that the black of night has given way to deep pink with the rising sun, which hasn’t quite spilled through the trees yet. I glare at the bright light of the porch lamp.

“Okay.” I rub my tired eyes, and Burke turns me around to face him. He’s smiling, which makes me smile and feel kind of shy. He leans down to kiss my cheek…and then my lips, and then we’re kissing and I’m holding onto him. He’s got me pressed against him. We can’t let go. We kiss and break away and step back three times in a row—each time moving back into each other’s arms. After the third time, he smooths his palm over the back of my hair and rasps, “Bye.”

I look over my shoulder just in time to see the small smile on his lips before he turns toward the porch door.BURKEI try to wait a little while to text her. In the end, I only wait an hour and a half before I send a picture of my hand around a fish. I had forgotten Shawn and I were going fishing in a pond behind his house this morning. We catch twelve small fish called crappies, and I manage not to fall asleep or say anything about June—although she’s all I think about.