I woke up the next morning to the feeling of something hard pressing into my back. I felt Adam’s arms tighten around me and smiled as I pressed my hips back into his. His face fell to my neck. I felt him nuzzle deeper before he drew in a deep breath. Then his breathing steadied back out as he fell into a slumber once again.

I rolled over in his arms and planted a kiss on his nose. His eyes opened for a split second as my hand traveled down his bare chest. I felt every ripple of his muscles as he sighed at me and smiled. I pressed my hand into his chiseled abs before dropping my bare palm to his boxers.

“What do we have here?” I asked.

“Mmm, good morning to you too,” Adam said.

I slipped my hand underneath the band of his boxers and palmed his cock. It was rock hard and pulsing, ready for me to play with it. I stroked it slowly, reveling in the droplets of precum that rose to the top. Adam’s lips captured mine as he pulled his boxers down his legs, freeing himself so I could access whatever I wanted.

“Kylie,” he said breathlessly, “that feels so good.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve woken up like this,” I said. “Why don’t we change that?”

I rolled him over onto his back and straddled him with my naked body. My heat beat against his pelvis, and I watched as his eyes widened. I guided him into my body, sinking down onto his girth as I sighed into the room. I planted my hands on his chest as he fisted my hips, running his palms up and down my thighs.

“Holy shit,” he said with a groan. “Yes, please.”

I rode his cock, waking myself up to the caffeine flowing from his dick. He helped me roll my hips as his eyes grew wider and more alert. I curled my nails into his chest before he flipped me over, settling between my legs as his hands laced with mine.

He pinned them above my head and rocked into me, keeping a slow and steady pace as whimpers left my lips.

“Oh, Adam. Just like that. Don’t stop, okay?”

“Never. I’ll never stop, Kylie. I love you,” he said.

He dipped down and captured my lips, landing his hips against mine. His cock filled me to the brim, pressing against my walls and stoking a fire in my gut I couldn't ignore. I planted my heels into the mattress and rolled into him, trying to get him to move the way I wanted him to.

But instead, he only smiled into my lips before gathering me in his arms.

He scooted to the edge of the bed, his arms cloaking my back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held myself close to his firm body. I rolled into him, slid up and down his cock, felt his hands all over me as I kissed every bit of him I could find. His hands fisted my ass and ran up and down my back. He tangled his hands in my hair and brought my lips up to his to kiss. I nipped at his neck and traced the muscles of his shoulder with my tongue. I felt my body trembling against his as I tensed, unleashing my pleasure onto his skin as juices flowed from my body.

“Adam. Shit. Yes. Oh my gosh. Oh yes. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.”

My pussy throbbed around him, sucked him deeper into my body. He buried his face into my neck and kissed me repeatedly, leaving marks behind with his lips. I leaned back, feeling him cradle me in the palms of his massive hands. It pressed him farther into me, my toes curling as he struck a spot he’d never touched before.

“Oh my gosh,” I said with surprise. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Adam asked.

I leaned back farther, pressing him into me as he rolled his hips. I jolted so hard I almost fell off his lap as euphoria crossed my vision. Everything darkened as my eyes rolled into the back of my head. My body filled with fire—a fire I wanted to stoke. Adam gathered me back into his arms and held me close, then got up and laid me back down on the bed.

My legs were tossed over his shoulders and his hands fisted my ass. The second my hips leveled out with the rest of my body, I felt it. A searing bolt of pleasure ripped through every vein in my body, and I jumped, clinging to the sheets of my bed while Adam chuckled.

“Oh, this is new, and it’s going to be fun.”

The obscenities that poured from my mouth shocked even myself. I was no longer in control of my body, no longer in control of my mind. He pounded into me, gripping my ass and holding up my body weight. I arched my back as fire burned in my gut and cries of ecstasy fell from my lips.

“Adam, yes! Oh holy fuck. More. I need more. Harder, Adam. Please. I love you. Make me yours. I love you so much it hurts. Fuck that pussy. Play with my clit. Can I play with my clit?”

Before he answered, I slid my hand between my pussy lips and let my body loose. I opened my eyes and watched Adam watch me, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. My toes curled as my clit throbbed against my touch. His hips slapped against mine as his balls tapped my ass cheeks. I was soaring, flying, floating in space as my body climbed that ascent. My legs shook violently as his hips began to stutter, and beads of sweat formed at the nape of my neck.

“Come with me, Kylie. Do it. Squeeze that cock until you scream.”

“I’m coming, Adam! I’m coming! Yes! Oh, fucking shit!”

I exploded, spraying him with juices as he stroked that spot in my body one last time. My jaw unhinged and my eyes rolled back so deeply it gave me a headache. My hand fell from my pussy, dropping to the bed as Adam spilled himself inside me, grunting and groaning as my walls massaged his dick.

He collapsed on top of me, pinning me to the bed as his soaking wet skin draped across mine.

“Holy hell, Kylie. What was that?” he asked breathlessly.

All I could do was shake my head. I had no idea what the hell that had been.

Once the two of us could move, we cleaned ourselves up and went to go get coffee. But even with the caffeine, neither of us were alert enough to have a conversation. I peeked at him over my coffee mug, and he smiled at me with that boyish little grin of his, the one that always told me his appetite had been satiated. Pride burst through my veins as we finished up our morning cup of coffee. Then I hopped into the car with him and he took me to the set.

It had been a long time since I’d been on set with him, and I figured it was a great time to rectify that situation.

“So, what’s this small horror flick about?” I asked.

“It’s a good one. It’s set in the eighteen seventies. A man comes upon a mysterious woman who lives alone in his house on a hill, and he’s taken with her. But he soon comes to find that the reason she’s shunned by the entire town is because she’s Patient Zero.”

“Wait, you mean—?”

“Yep,” Adam said with a proud smile. “It’s an origin story for the zombie apocalypse.”

I could tell he was proud of his idea, and I had to admit that origin stories for the zombie invasion or whatever were a little rarer to find. But in my opinion? Zombies as a horror flick, in general, were outdone. Overdone. A little outdated in the horror world. I wasn’t going to tell him that. I didn't want to diminish the pride he took in his work. But it did make me wonder if him sticking to all these overdone tropes was the reason his production company wasn’t making any headway in the independent film world.

“Kylie, could you come help me with something?” Adam asked.

“Sure. What’s up?”

“You’ve always had a good eye for costumes. Do you like the black dress on her or the cream-colored one that looks almost like a nightgown?”

“What’s the scene?”

“It’s the first time the leading man meets her. I don’t know if she should be caught off guard in her nightgown or if she should be formally dressed.”

“If she’s being seen up close, definitely formal. If she’s being seen from a distance, definitely the nightgown.”

“I knew you’d have the answer,” he said with a smile. He kissed me on the top of my head, a soft reaction that always made me feel appreciated in his presence.

He turned away to talk to the leading actress about the dress, and I wandered off, taking in the background sets and the props lying around. Nothing I saw made me think this film would stand out from all the other zombie flicks out there. I really hoped Adam had hired some great actresses and actors. He was so excited about this project.

“Kylie!”

“Yeah?”

“Can you come here a second?”

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Too much fake blood?” Adam asked.

“Stab wound or gunshot?”

“Stab.”

“Which direction?”

“From the front going down.”

“Then you need less on the wall and more on the floor,” I said.

“I knew you’d have the answer.”

And again with the kiss on the top of my head.

Overall, it was a great day on set. We got a lot accomplished and Adam walked away with a smile on his face and multiple ideas he kept chattering on about in the car. It had felt good to be on set with him again, to see him in action and see that passion in his eyes. It was that kind of passion I’d fallen in love with. That was the kind of thing that had drawn me to Adam in the first place. And seeing that it hadn’t gone anywhere both relieved and worried me at the same time.

Because it was rare for that passion to exist without us talking about his company.

“Today was great,” Adam said as we walked into my apartment. “And you were a massive help. All those decisions? Sometimes I have a hard time making them, so we have to shoot it both ways so I can see it. But you, Kylie? It’s like you see everything in your mind’s eye. It’s astounding you know.”

“It really was a good day,” I said. “We make a good team on your sets.”

“We always have,” he said. “You know, we still could.”

“Sure. Yeah. That sounds good. I can come to set with you on the weekends and maybe when your father doesn’t need me,” I said.

“I mean we could be a good team on set like that all the time.”

I panned my gaze around to him as I stood in my sorry excuse for a kitchen.

“Are you hungry?” I asked. “I’ve got some snacks here, or some chicken I could cook up.”

“Kylie, you saw it today. If you left my dad’s company, every day could be like that for us. You could work for me and make the money you want to make, and I’d be more successful with your support.”

“I could make some broccoli with the chicken. How does that sound?” I asked.

“Kylie.”

“How could you think I don’t support you already?” I said as I slammed my refrigerator closed. “I do support you—in every way I possibly can. I give up whole weekends for you and I sit in on your test audiences and I come with you to the casting calls and sit there and give you my opinions. How could you honestly insinuate that I don’t already support you? Why do I have to quit a job I enjoy to show you I support your dreams, Adam?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Well it came out that way, Adam. I was the one who encouraged you to drop out of college and chase your dreams. Me. And now I take one job with your father that could take my dreams to new heights and every time I turn around you’re saying I should quit. I thought you were okay with this. You told me you were okay with this.”

It was like I had no control and my filter slipped out of place. I was fed up and done with these issues between us. I compromised a great deal to be with Adam, but I wasn’t compromising my career for him.

He had another thing coming if he thought I was going to do that.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know. I did say that. And I am happy for you. I just know there’s the potential to be happier if we work together given how today went. That’s all I meant. I don’t want to fight anymore, Kylie.”

“I don’t either, Adam, but you have to pick a side. Either you’re okay with me taking the job with your father or you’re not.”

“I am okay with it. I promise,” he said. “Let’s just back up a few minutes. Rewind.”

“I think maybe you should go home.”

“Kylie.”

“Look, we’ve got a semi-vacation coming up. You booked us a place, right?”

“I couldn’t find a hotel, but I did find a nice campground that specializes in yurts. I got us one with a little hot tub out back and everything.”

“Good,” I said. “This is just rising tension, more proof that the two of us need to get out of the city for a little while. Just, let’s retreat for a little bit and breathe. Then after the meeting tomorrow at your father’s office, we’ll start fresh.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“I’m positive,” I said.

I looked over at Adam and watched him nod in defeat. The truth was, I didn’t trust my mouth around him any longer. I didn't trust the things I might say if he stuck his foot in his mouth again. All he was giving me was more proof that made me doubt the move we were about to make. More proof that maybe this wasn’t what he really wanted at all. I watched him walk out the door to head home, and relief washed over my body.

Relief.

There was no way I should feel relief at my boyfriend walking out the damn door.

As I began cooking up the chicken and broccoli, I thought back to our vacation coming up. Ryan had been more than willing to give me a little time off, especially once I’d explained to him the tension Adam and I had been under with the move. He was so understanding, almost too understanding at times. It made me wonder what all he had endured with Adam’s mother. I couldn't wait to spend a couple nights outside Portland wrapped up in Adam’s arms. Wrapped up in his body underneath the stars. I needed that break. I could feel its necessity deep in the marrow of my bones. I flipped the chicken in the pan and microwaved the bag of broccoli, listening as it steamed and whistled out into my studio apartment.

I couldn’t wait for our vacation. It had to fix something. There was no other choice.

This vacation had to work. Otherwise, I didn’t know if Adam and I stood a chance.