“Come here,” she told him, her voice thick and low. “I need you inside me.” Reaching for his belt, she fumbled with the buckle, finally releasing it and unzipping his pants. He was warm and hard, so hard, as her fingers coiled around him, sliding her palm up and down until it was his turn to gasp.
He leaned down to give her a wet, lazy kiss. She could taste herself on him, and was amazed at how warm it made her. “Condom,” she murmured.
He stilled in her hand. “Fuck.”
Her eyes widened. “No condom?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “I don’t have a stash of them in the office.”
Her body ached for him. She let out a ragged breath. “I’ve got an IUD.”
His eyes met hers. Dark and needy. “You sure?”
Yeah, she was. So damn sure. “Just get inside me,” she told him, running her thumb along him until he gasped again. “I need you.”
His jaw twitched as he slid his hands along her thighs, pulling her forward on the table until she could feel his tip press against her. He swallowed hard, as though he felt the significance of the lack of barrier between them. She felt it, too. It was like they were removing the last obstacle between them. Opening themselves up in a way neither of them ever had before.
And as he slid inside, she felt him everywhere. But most of all in her heart, that was beating like crazy, and aching as if she’d just finished a fifteen mile race.
“So good,” he muttered. “So warm and tight.” He rocked against her, and her body quivered. “I don’t know if I can keep going like this for long.” Reaching down between them, he circled his finger against her, making her tighten around him as he buried himself deep inside her. She grasped onto the fabric of his shirt as he captured her mouth with his, the rhythm of his movements setting her on fire all over again.
This time the spasms wracked through her whole body, making her jerk against him as she let out a loud shout. He dug his fingers into her hips, pumping against her until she was soft and pliant in his arms, his movements stilling as he let out a low, needy moan.
When he lifted his head, their gazes connecting, she could feel the electricity connecting them, sizzling and sparking as they panted out their breaths. Could he feel it, too? This thing that was making her want things she’d never believed in before.
As he gave her a lazy smile, she found herself hoping he did.
23
Jackson leaned in the doorway of his kitchen, watching Lydia as she sat cross-legged on the tiled floor, Eddie curled happily on her lap. It was early in the morning, the dawning sunlight catching the waves as they danced in the ocean and softly reflected into the kitchen as the sun lazily made her way above the mountains.
True to her word, Lydia had spent last night at his place, their bodies entwined in his bed, as he’d made good on his promise and gave her another three orgasms to make up for the ones he’d missed earlier.
After that, they’d talked about Eddie. Whether he knew that he’d be leaving soon. The dog had been back to his usual self by the evening, though they still hadn’t taken him down to the beach, just in case. Instead they’d played with him in the yard, throwing balls for him. Jackson had grabbed her for kisses in between Eddie’s catches, the two of them laughing as Eddie had tried to nudge them apart with his nose.
It had been a good night. Carefree and light, even though they knew Eddie would be gone in the morning. And now that morning was here, his breath was catching in his throat as he watched Lydia gently tickle Eddie’s ears the way he liked it, her voice so soft that Jackson had to lean in to hear her words.
“It’s going to be okay,” she murmured softly in his ear. “You’re so loved. There will always be somebody to take care of you. Your family, of course, but if you need him, Jackson will be there. You know where to find him.” She buried her face in Eddie’s fur. “And he knows where to find me, if you need me.”
Jackson’s throat tightened, but he said nothing, standing still as he watched them.
“I love you,” she told Eddie, her voice muffled by his coat. “So much. We were meant to find you. You know that, right? I remember glimpsing this flash of fur and just knowing that we needed to stop that car.” She sighed. “I’m going to miss you, baby.”
Jackson listened to her words, his jaw tight. There was an ache in his chest that he couldn’t shake off. Not just because Eddie was leaving, though that was hard enough, but because she was saying the words that Jackson wanted her to say to him.
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He wanted her to tell him she’d miss him. That she didn’t want to leave. That she loved him so much.
Because he’d already fallen for her.
Lydia looked up, a smile curling her lips when she saw him standing there. “Hey,” she said, stroking Eddie’s ears. “I was just telling him how much we love him.”
Jackson walked into the kitchen and dropped down behind her, his legs surrounding hers as he pulled her against his chest. He pressed a kiss to her hair as he cradled her the same way she was cradling Eddie. “Yeah, we do,” he agreed.
For a moment, the three of them sat there in silence, holding each other as the sun slowly rose high enough to cast her rays across the yard. They inhaled and exhaled in unison, their three heartbeats pounding sure and strong against their chests.
He wanted to take a picture of this with his mind. Not just a 2-D image of the three of them curled up on his kitchen floor. But a full 4-D experience, with sounds, touches, smells, and most of all the emotions that were coursing through him. A memory that would carry him through the days without this perfect woman who’d changed his life, and the dog who’d made him realize he had more than coding to give the world.