I woke up in the morning when I felt Sara stir, but I didn’t open my eyes even after she climbed onto my chest, feathering sleepy kisses over my lips.

“You’re awake,” she murmured with a soft giggle. “I can see it.”

I smirked. “I’m awake. But I’m still recovering.”

She knew well what she’d done to me last night.

We were content to be quiet during the boat ride back to the marina, and after getting home she had gotten wordlessly into the shower. Just as wordlessly, I followed her in. I had jerked off on the marble bench while watching her soap up that beautiful body, her hands taking extra time on her tits when she heard the way I groaned.

Christ, I was content to just watch her all night.

She was just so damned beautiful. She had a way of hypnotizing me without even trying, and entrancing me with just the way she spoke or moved. I had been under Sara’s spell from the moment she pulled me up to stand in front of her in the shower, her eyes shimmering up at me as she took her time to lather my body with soap. We spent awhile standing under that rainfall, content to just watch each other as she drew her hands all over me. I was hard, obviously, but I didn’t want to break the moment to get a condom.

I was happy where I was. We both were.

Of course, our bodies entwined the moment we stepped out of the shower. We didn’t make it three feet to the bed, but the love seat worked fine, and I went briefly blind after bursting inside her and fucking drowning the condom in my cum.

At night, I lie there next to Sara, so sweet and beautiful as she slept right next to me. As fucked up as it made me feel, I jacked it hard while gazing at her lips. They were pink and perfect, parted lightly a she breathed. I studied the way her thin top stretched over the full mounds of her breasts, and I swore I could’ve come just from watching her sleep.

But with a sweet little noise, she woke up.

She was groggy, smiling, half-asleep when she tugged gently on her tank top, till one of her breasts sprang free. I had every muscle flexed as she reached over and wrapped her fingers around my cock, taking her time, sighing with bleary content as she helped jerk me off.

It was surreal.

“You came all over my hand last night,” Sara whispered when I opened my eyes, a grin of content on my lips.

“You were a very sleepy, sexy girl last night.”

“Mm, well, I’m not going to lay there doing nothing if my man needs to come.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Your man?” I repeated, enjoying my view of her blushing furiously as she lay on top of me.

I let her stammer for a bit. It was cruel, but she was cute, and I needed time to figure out what the hell was going on with my own heart.

I felt different this morning – awake in a way I hadn’t felt in awhile. And I was under no illusion that our conversation on the boat yesterday had nothing to do with it.

I hadn’t spoken about any of that since it happened – not about my father, Liz or Lucie. The only people I had told the story to were Mom and Emmett, and then, it was for the sake of explanation, and defending my side of the story as to why I left for so long. There had been tears, yelling and questions demanded mostly by Mom. It wasn’t a peaceful conversation, but it was the first step in breaking down the wall. So of course it was hard.

But yesterday with Sara had been easy. In fact, it felt surprisingly good. Relieving. I hadn’t felt the need to ever revisit that story, but it felt oddly natural to do it with her.

And I was repaying her for that this morning by forcing her to stutter about how she didn’t mean to call me her man. I grinned.

“Easy,” I murmured gently. “Tell me what you want for breakfast. I’m going to cook for you.”

She blinked. “You are?”

“Yes. But that requires a few things first.”

“What?”

“We need to pack so we’re ready to go after we eat. But even before that, we need to go on a grocery run.”

“And even before that?” Sara grinned, writhing on my chest as my hand went from cupping her ass to fingering her slick pussy from behind. I smirked as she flattened her hands on my chest and pushed up till she was straddling me.

“I think you know the answer to that.”

“Mm-hm.” Sara wet her lips, flattening her hands against my bare chest as she sat up to straddle me. Her mouth lightly parted when she felt my dick twitch under her pussy, and she giggled as it twitched again in response to the way she teased me with her tank top.

She pulled it up slowly, using the bunched hem to lift the underside of her chest. When she finally peeled her top off, her tits bounced so hard I growled and gripped her waist to reclaim the top. I swirled my tongue over her taut nipples, sucking on them like candy as I reached down to free my dick. I enjoyed her little gasps as I rubbed my naked head against her swollen clit.

Fuck, that feels too good.

Before I even reached to find a condom, she read my mind.

“I’m on the pill, Julian,” she breathed. “And I’m clean.”

I looked at her. I had barely returned her last two words before we were kissing so deeply it bordered on violent. She cried out as I ripped her panties clean off her body, tossing them aside to grip my dick and push deep inside her.

I groaned like I was already coming.

I fucking could.

She felt impossibly good. Her warmth, her breath, her skin on mine – nothing in my life had ever felt as right as this. I was grinding deep as it was, but she met me halfway on each thrust, pushing me so far inside her that the pleasure had me feeling fucking drunk. Her pussy was so wet I could hear it, and I knew she had to be dripping onto my sheets as she cried my name.

I couldn’t think. I never felt this way, and on the off chance that I did, I didn’t enjoy it.

But right now, I let myself go. Because the deeper I sunk into Sara, the more I could breathe – the more I actually wanted to breathe. For so long, I hadn’t minded that suffocating weight in my chest. It was just something I carried with me every day, and I accepted it. It kept me accustomed to pain. But now that I knew what lightness felt like, it was all I ever wanted.

It felt better than anything I knew.

And I was pretty sure I could never go back.

* * *

I felt Julian’s eyes on me even as I moved around the kitchen, drying the dishes he’d hand washed. I’d reasoned that there was no sense in running the dishwasher for six dishes, and he lazily argued the opposite point just to rile me up, pretty sure.

He had a different look in his eyes since the morning. I didn’t recognize it, but I loved it. He looked… dare I say relaxed? I was almost sure that was it.

“Let’s just stay another night. We’ll leave for the airport from here,” Julian said, crossing the kitchen and kissing the top of my head on his way to the fridge.

“What? You just told me you had somewhere to be at two. I’m all packed. Once I finish drying this glass, we’re good to go,” I said, watching him grab a water bottle from the fridge and smirk at me as he twisted it open.

“You’re cute when you’re mad at me for something small.”

“Versus?” I reached high to put the water glass back in the cupboard.

“When you’re mad at me for something like forcing you to change into work appropriate clothes.”

I tipped my head back and laughed. “God, that feels like forever ago.”

Julian squinted. “Wasn’t it?” he asked in a way that didn’t require an answer. He was just breezy this morning, and despite our time crunch, I enjoyed watching it as he ambled around the house in a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

“Hey, aren’t you always getting on Emmett for being late?” I teased, drying my hands on a blue-striped cloth napkin. “Julian. Get up off the couch.”

He laughed. “Come here.”

I tried to resist but failed when he patted his lap. Going over to him, I grinned, enjoying the feeling of his chest pressed against mine as I straddled him.

“What’s up?” I cocked my head. “Are you idling because you don’t want to go?”

“Yes.”

I gave a sympathetic smile as I ran my fingertips along his chest. “I can imagine how hard it is to have to smile and fake nice for the rest of your family. I couldn’t forgive them either. But it’s only one day a year. It’s for your grandma. And for Grandpa and Dad.”

“I know.” Julian collected my hands and kissed my fingertips. He didn’t look at me when he said, “I want you to come with me.”

My eyes fluttered. “What?” I bit down on my lip when he looked up at me. “Really?”

“Yes. Will you?”

“Of course,” I blurted. “But… won’t everyone think I’m your girlfriend?”

“Yes. But you can fake it, right?”

“I haven’t had to fake it this entire last month, so I might be out of practice.”

Julian rubbed my thighs. “Are you trying to turn me on or get me out the door?”

“The latter,” I smirked, hopping off his lap so fast he groaned. “Come on, Hoult. Let’s get our asses on that bike. We got this.”