Chapter 44

Graham

I’m with Sarah at the bar, and we’re drinking together. It’s almost impossible to believe. It was only yesterday that I wasn’t sure if I would ever see her again, and now, she’s here, getting drunk with me on memories and tequila. I can’t ask for a better way to end my week.

Everything is going right, from Britney to Sarah, to how this new year is shaping up and I’m tipsy and in love.

Sarah looks stunning. Her hair is a little messy, she’s not wearing a lot of make-up, and she’s dressed in jeans and a simple blouse. Right now, she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

I know it’s not just because I’m drunk, either. It’s because I’ve gotten to know her. I spent days cooped up in a cabin in the snow with her, and I’ve gotten to see every side of her, from her happiest times, to her saddest times, to her angriest times. And I know that this is the woman I want to be with. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I know that I want to find out.

“Let’s dance,” I say when the music changes, and a few people move the tables in the middle of the seating area to create a dancefloor. I hold out my hand to Sarah, and she takes it without hesitating. I lead her to the dancefloor, and once we’re between the few writhing bodies that pulse to the music, we start moving.

I haven’t seen her dance before, and she’s quite good at it. She moves to the beat, and her body is mesmerizing, but I’m a little biased. I watch her hips as she moves them back and forth, and it turns me on. I know what it feels like when she moves like that on top of me, and I want it again.

I step closer to her and pull her against me. Her eyes find mine, her face surprised, but her pupils are dilated, her lips are parted, and she moves with me, letting me press myself against her. I’m getting hard, and I know she can feel me when I grind myself against her. I want to get her naked and beneath me. I want to caress every inch of her body, lick her, kiss her and suck her. I want to fuck her.

“You’re a good dancer,” I say with my mouth close to her ear so she can hear me above the music.

“And you’re good at grinding against me,” she replies.

I laugh. “Maybe I’m just keeping you close to keep you warm.”

“Yeah, the tactic works. You kept me warm at the cabin, too.”

I put my hand on her face. She’s only inches from me, and her eyes are drowning deep.

“I love you,” I say. I wanted to tell her a few times tonight, but I was scared she wouldn’t accept it. Now, I’m too drunk to care, and I need her to know. My filters have all dissolved in the alcohol, and all that’s left is raw emotion.

She looks surprised.

“Surely, you must have known,” I add. “I don’t want to lose you. You’ve changed my life.”

“I don’t know what I thought. But I know now. And I love you, too.”

Those words are like heaven from her lips, and I can’t believe she’s saying it back. I don’t know what I expected from her — a slap, a rejection, more anger. This is better than anything I could have hoped for. I pull her closer to me and kiss her. She melts against me, her mouth opening, and I slide my tongue between her lips, kissing her like I’ve never kissed her before. It’s like two broken pieces fitting together to make a whole again when our lips merge, and I’m home again.

Sarah throws her arms around my neck, and I hold onto her, our bodies pressed together so tightly it’s like we are one. I’m so hot for her, her body is intoxicating right now, and I want her alone. There are too many people around.

“Let’s get out of here,” I say in her ear when we finally break the kiss. “I want you, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to hold back much longer.”

She looks at me. Her chest rises and falls with her hard breathing, and I know what she’s feeling. She nods, and I take her hand.

“Monica is still here,” she says after she looks around for a moment. I look in the direction she’s pointing, and sure as shit, Monica is at a table, all alone with a glass of water in front of her, playing with her phone.

“Can you drive us to Graham’s place?” Sarah asks her sister, raising her voice above the music. Monica smiles and looks at me. I nod to her in greeting. Sarah bends down to get closer to Monica to talk, and after a while, Monica nods and gets up. We leave the bar and walk to her car.

Monica gets in behind the wheel. Sarah opens the back door and gets in, and I slide in with her.

“No, no, no,” she says, laughing. “I’m not your chauffeur. I’m not driving Miss. Daisy.”

“Please, just this one time.” Sarah gives her sister big eyes, and Monica laughs.

“You’re drunk,” she says, shaking her head.

Sarah looks satisfied and settles against me as the car pulls off. We can’t keep our hands off each other. Her hand is on my leg, and she moves it up higher and higher. I have my arm around her shoulder, the other hand on her arm, and my thumb is against her breast. I rub my thumb over her nipple, and she shivers.

Monica shoots us a mom-look in the rearview mirror, and we try to look serious, like we’re not feeling each other up.

Finally, we stop in front of my house and get out of the car.

“I’ll drop her off tomorrow,” I say to Monica.

Sarah hugs her sister, and Monica leaves. Sarah and I walk to the house. We’re barely inside when I kiss her again, and I start to tug off her clothes. We stumble to the bedroom, stripping each other clumsily. When we reach my bed, we’re both in our underwear, and I pull her on top of me.

“Graham,” Sarah whispers.

“What?” I ask.

“I’m so tired.”

I smile. “Yeah, me too.” I felt bad that the alcohol was getting to me so badly, but I’m extremely drunk, and my system is starting to shut down.

“Will you be here tomorrow?” Sarah asks. I don’t point out it’s my house.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I promise, and I pull her tightly against me. She lies with her body pressed against mine, nestled in the crook of my arm, and her head is on my chest, right where it belongs. She falls asleep almost immediately.

I want to lie awake and stare at her, to trace her profile with my fingertips, to relish in her being in my arms again. But the alcohol takes over, and I lay my head back down and close my eyes. In no time at all, the alcohol drags me under, too