“You want it faster?”

“Yes.”

“Harder?”

“Yes. Yes.”

I pulled my finger out. “My turn to stay still. Ride my c**k how you want to. Show me how badly you need it.”

“Put your finger back there first. That felt good,” she whispered.

I bent down and licked around her puckered hole before sticking my finger back inside. I rested my thumb in between her cheeks as she rode my shaft hard and fast.

My eyes drifted at one point to the ring taunting me on the end table. It set me off and a sudden need to own her body caused me to begin thrusting hard into her despite my vow not to move. My balls slapped against her, and she f**ked me faster to keep up. I could feel her muscles contract and knew she was about to come. I let myself go at that exact moment and watched in amazement as she enveloped me, milking every last bit of my orgasm. My dick convulsed harder than I’d ever experienced.

Mind. Blowing.

Still pulsating, I continued to move in and out of her even when there was nothing left. Kissing the skin of her back softly, I said, “I love you so much.”

She turned around and kissed me fiercely on the lips and wrapped her arms around my neck.

“Oh my God.” She looked into my eyes. “You’re crying again.”

Fuck. What was wrong with me? When I’m with her, I cry like a baby every time I blow my load.

I sniffled and shook my head in embarrassment. “Apparently, there is a live wire connecting my dick to my tear ducts when I’m with you.” I put my forehead on hers. “I’m going to be a f**king wreck tomorrow.”

She smiled, wiping my eyes and kissing each one. “No one’s ever made me feel like this. I’ve always loved you, but now…I’m absolutely addicted to you.”

***

The morning sun shined into the bedroom, making the microscopic light blonde hairs on Skylar’s body more prominent. I was still staring at her in disbelief over last night. After we made love a few more times, I spent the entire night just watching her sleep. It reminded me of the all-nighter I pulled years ago in her bed right before she moved to Brooklyn. The circumstances were different then, but the uncertainty I woke up to today felt eerily similar.

I didn’t want to let her go back to him for even a second.

We were scheduled to be at the house at 11, an hour before the unveiling. We were running late, so I started to kiss her neck.

“Baby, wake up. We have to get going soon. There’s something I want to do with you before we have to go.”

She grunted in protest then stretched her arms into the air. I left the room and ran out to the car to get my swim shorts.

By the time I returned upstairs, she had dozed off again. I reached into her drawer and grabbed a black bikini bottom, slipping it up her legs.

She spoke through her yawn. “What are you doing?”

“I want to take one last dip with you in the ocean before we leave. We don’t have much time.”

I lifted her out of the bed and carried her in my arms down the stairs.

“What about my top?”

“I couldn’t find it. You don’t need one anyway. There’s no one around.”

I held her all the way to the shore before putting her down and reaching out my hand. We walked into the water until we were waist deep. The sun suddenly started to fade, and it looked like a morning rainstorm was looming. It was the perfect symbolism for my own feeling of joy, suddenly overshadowed by a dreary reality.

This was nothing like our last playful jaunt in the water. This time, we simply held hands, staring at the fading sun, knowing the next several days were going to put our love to the test.

“I’m just going to need some time when we get back, okay? I decided to be completely honest with Kevin about the trip. He deserves to know the truth.”

A lump formed in my throat. “I understand.”

A look of guilt washed over her face. It made me angry that she let it cast a shadow over our last moments together here.

I put my hands on her shoulders. “Don’t ever be ashamed of what we’ve done. You’re not a bad person. Last night was the purest thing I’ve ever experienced. Whatever happens tomorrow and beyond, I’ll never forget it for as long as I live.”

***

Skylar and I pulled into the driveway of the renovated house as scheduled in separate cars. A press release had gone out, so members of the media would be arriving in an hour along with local government officials, neighbors and relatives of the homeowners.

Skylar walked around opening windows and fluffing pillows. A few of my guys were hanging out having coffee and donuts in the kitchen downstairs. I pretended to be busy, but the entire time, I was really brooding over the fact that she had put her diamond ring back on. Maybe I was reading into things too much, but it pissed me off. After the reveal, she would have just enough time to drive back to the beach house, lock up and head straight to the airport. There would be no time to talk or say a proper goodbye.

I had actually been quite proud of how I handled things this morning, but seeing his ring back on her finger had sparked old jealousy again and a need for reassurance.

She stopped in the doorway of one of the bedrooms just as I had finished hammering a nail in a floorboard that had come loose.

“Can I do something to help you?” she asked.

The hammer banged against the wood when I dropped it. “Yes, you can. Close the door.”

“What’s going on?”

“Just close it. Lock it, actually.”

The lock clicked. “What do you need?”

I stood up and walked toward her, rubbing my nose against her neck and inhaling the smell of her skin. “I need to taste you.”

“There are people downstairs.”

“Sit on the bed.”

She looked worried about someone catching us, but it didn’t stop her from doing as I said. I kneeled at the foot of the bed and pushed her h*ps toward my face in one swift movement, lifting her skirt and spreading her legs open wide. She was still wearing her underwear when I began to teasingly kiss her mound softly. Moisture seeped through the silky fabric. She pressed herself hard against my mouth and gripped my hair. Then, I used my teeth to slowly slide her panties off of her legs.

“Are you still worried about the people downstairs?” I whispered.

She shook her head and said something that was unintelligible.

“I didn’t think so,” I said before pressing my lips against her na**d cl*tand sucking on it.

She wiggled under me as my tongue lapped hard against her while I twirled my fingers inside of her warm opening.

I loved the effect I had on Skylar. I could probably get her to do anything sexually. I definitely held the advantage in that corner. Still, her putting the ring back on had caused me to second guess everything that happened last night. I began to ruminate while I was eating her out. Was this a tryst after all, or did she mean it when she said she would leave him? Even though I knew it was cruel, I suddenly stopped.

She leaned up. “What happened?”

I was panting and stood up. “You’re wearing his ring again. If you’re really planning to end things, why did you put it back on?”

She sat up and looked down at the ring on her hand almost as if she were surprised to see it there. “I hadn’t even thought about it. It’s just a habit.”

“Well, it’s all I’ve been able to f**king think about.”

“I’m giving the ring back to him, Mitch.” She stood up and took my face in both of her hands. “I’m sorry my wearing it made you doubt my intentions. I should have made them clearer. I’m not thinking straight because I’m so nervous about having to tell him.”

My heart beat against her chest as I pulled her into me. “It’s just…I’m a little crazy when it comes to you if you haven’t already noticed. Last night obliterated any tolerance I used to have. I just can’t bear the thought of you with him anymore. I’m sorry I overreacted.”

“Don’t be sorry. It shows me how much you love me and helps me to know I’m making the right decision.” She kissed me softly on the lips. “I love you.”

Hearing it never got old. “I waited for five years hoping you’d come back to me but never imagined you actually would. Forgive me if I’m having a hard time believing it, because it seems unreal. I could spend the rest of my life trying to prove how thankful I am, how much I love you, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

“You don’t need to prove anything. Just love me.”

“I should finish what I started before I freaked out, but I just really need to be deep inside you right now. Is that okay?”

“There’s nothing I want more, but we have to be quick.”

“Quick I can do.” I unbuckled my belt. “How does five seconds sound?”

She giggled. “You don’t need to be quite that fast.”

I backed her onto the bed. My pants were only halfway way down my legs when I entered her and gasped at how incredible her hot pu**y felt wrapped tight around my cock. It had only been hours since I’d last been inside of her, but it felt like forever ago. I could never get enough. I wanted this all day, every day.

While the other times we’d made love were frantic and desperate, this moment was different. I ended up relaxing into it, believing for the first time in my life that she was truly mine. I let myself experience every sensation and stayed in the present without clouding my mind with doubt and worry. That allowed me to truly feel with my body what she was telling me with hers. With every movement, she was giving me another piece of her: the way her muscles tightened around my cock, the way she grabbed onto me for dear life, the way she breathed as if every breath depended on our bodies being joined together. She was showing me that she’d made her choice.

Nirvana.

There were no words for the magnitude of my love for this woman. When we cl**axed together, right on cue were those f**king tears again. My heart wanted to scream out, “Marry me, Skylar” as I came inside of her, but my brain intercepted. Proposing to her in the middle of my signature weeping orgasm wasn’t exactly ideal. So, I nixed it.

There were voices coming from the bottom of the stairs. Car doors slammed outside. It was getting close to the start time for the unveiling, and people were arriving.

“We need to get out of here,” she said, softly nibbling at my nose while wiping my eyes as she smiled. Still on top of her, I reluctantly pulled out.

Skylar went to the connecting bathroom to clean up while I fastened my pants and got my shit together. Walking downstairs in front of my guys looking like I’d been crying would not be a good thing.

We kissed passionately one last time before I left the room. She’d follow me out separately so that our sneaking around wasn’t obvious.

Camera flashes and jumbled conversations greeted me on the first floor. Skylar emerged some time after, looking poised without a hair out of place. No one would have guessed that she had just been thoroughly f**ked a few minutes earlier.

A local reporter interviewed Skylar in a corner. I watched from across the room, sipping my coffee as she eloquently explained the process of decorating the house on a budget in such a short period of time.

I got a call on my cell phone letting me know that the Johansen family was five minutes away.

When they arrived, everyone got emotional. Seeing their reactions as they went from room to room with looks of absolute joy and gratitude was priceless. They were especially touched by the wheelchair ramp we installed out front for their son. We had also made one of the bathrooms handicap accessible. All in all, the surprise was a huge success.

By the time the media left, we were free to go and let the family enjoy their new home. I followed Skylar back to Sandbridge Beach, so she could use the bathroom at the house and grab her things. She’d then drive her rental car to the airport before catching her flight. I’d close up the house and hit the road in the hopes of arriving in New Jersey late tonight.

I didn’t want to let her go. I came up behind her as she fiddled with the handle to her suitcase. I kissed her neck and spoke into her ear. “Cancel your flight. Drive home with me. We’ll stop for dinner in D.C.”

She turned around and rubbed her thumb along the stubble on my chin. “I can’t. I need to go home and get this over with.”

“Are you gonna talk to him tonight?”

She looked down anxiously at the ground and let out a deep breath. “Depending on what time I get in, I’ll either tell him tonight or tomorrow.”

“Tell him tonight.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want him touching you. What are you gonna do if he tries something?”

“I guess I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“Tell him when you get home. Then, I want you to get your stuff and come to my house. My mother will let you in if I haven’t gotten back yet.”

“Mitch, I have to handle this a little more sensitively than that. He’s going to have a lot of questions. I can’t just tell him I’m leaving him after five years for the man he thinks traumatized me…then walk out the door. I care about him.”

Fuck. I suppose she was right. Knowing all too well what it felt like to lose her, I should’ve been feeling really badly for the poor bastard, but I couldn’t seem to get past my own excitement and jealousy. I just wanted her in my house and in my bed as soon as possible.

“Okay. I understand. I won’t pressure you. Are you sure you won’t change your mind about driving home with me, though?”

She shook her head no.

I kissed her, sucking on her bottom lip hard. “I love you, Skylar Marie Seymour.”