My heart stopped. “I love you.”
And then he collapsed against me. For several long moments, he did nothing but breathe heavily against my chest, but all too soon he rolled off of me and onto his back. We panted, the aftereffect of what we’d done slamming into me. I could do nothing but stare at the ceiling, letting the experience wash through me. There was a delicious ache between my thighs, the wetness from my arousal, his orgasm, and what was probably a little bit of my virgin blood, started to slip out of me.
Cannon rolled onto his side and pulled me toward him, holding me.
“I love you,” he said again, his voice a rumble against my neck. “So much my heart hurts.” He pulled the covers over us and I closed my eyes.
“I love you, Cannon. I love you so much.”
He kissed my throat and I smiled, my eyes closed, my hand resting on his chest.
“I’ll make sure to leave before your mom gets up.”
I wanted to tell him to stay, but I didn’t want my mom finding out about us this way. I didn’t want her checking up on me before she left for work—which I knew she did—and seeing me lying here naked with Cannon wrapped around me.
Then again, the very thought of him leaving was almost painful.
“I don’t care,” I whispered, even though I was contradicting what I’d just thought. “The thought of you leaving sucks.” He chuckled softly and pulled me in closer. He kissed me on top of my head and I closed my eyes, easily about to fall asleep despite the slight discomfort between my thighs.
“Believe me, I don’t want to, but your mom finding us like this would probably cause shit to hit the fan.”
I couldn’t help but smile and nod. “Yeah, you’re right. But still, it’s nice to think of you staying here.”
“It sure is.” He held me tighter.
We stayed like that for long moments, and I was about to fall asleep when I felt him shift beside me, the deep rumble of his voice rousing me.
“Have dinner with me tomorrow. Let me cook for you, make it special.” He ran the tips of his fingers along my back. “My parents are going out for the night. We’ll have the place to ourselves.”
That sounded like heaven.
“Tell your mom you’re staying at a friend’s. Let me have you all to myself.”
I smiled and nodded. Despite the slight slur in his voice, I heard the genuine quality in it. “Okay. I’d like that,” I found myself saying softly, because honestly, that’s the only thing I could muster up. I was sore and tired and … happy.
18
Stella
All I kept thinking about was last night, what we’d done, what we’d shared together. I was so nervous right now, something that had never been this way between us. Everything had always been so easy-going, but what we’d done, how intimate we’d been, had definitely changed that. Despite all he’d said last night, I was still so worried there’d be this difference in how he saw me, in what we had.
Today was my birthday. But it felt more special than any other birthday I’d had before, or any other birthday that I’d have hereafter. Because I had the love of Cannon. Not the kind of love that we shared throughout the years, but that bone-deep, soul-consuming, heart-stopping kind of love that I could have only ever dreamed about.
It was real.
I sat in my car in his driveway, about to go inside. He’d asked me to come over so he could cook me a birthday dinner, so that we could be alone because his parents were gone for the night.
I climbed out of the car, my legs feeling like pudding, my hands shaking. I curled my fingers tightly around the car keys to try and steady them. Before I could even get to the front door, it was opened and Cannon stood on the other side, a smile on his face, his focus trained right on me.
He had a small dish towel in one hand, the scent of dinner he’d cooked for me wafting to where I stood.
“Happy birthday,” he said and grinned.
He’d told me so many times throughout the day, yet once again, I still felt my cheeks heat at his attention.
He stepped aside and I walked in, feeling so nervous about how things would play out. Although he’d held me after we’d been together last night, whispered things in my ear that I’d always dreamt about, and made me feel like I was the only person in the entire world for him, I felt like I was at the end of the world with nowhere else to go.
And I hated it, hated that I felt this way.
He shut the door and as I turned around, I realized he was right in front of me, his chest just an inch from mine, the scent of that cologne he wore that I loved so much filling my body.