He thrust inside.

I cried out, but I couldn’t help myself. As he pushed all the way in, I was shoving right back. We fucked hard and rough and brazen, and I almost wanted to be punished. But what Reese was doing to my body was not that. It was so far from that. I began crying toward the end as he slowed and began to pepper kisses down my spine, as his hand curled around my thigh, caressing down to my ass, then roaming back up to cup my breast from underneath me.

His touch felt almost loving, and that wasn’t what I wanted at all—but maybe I did? Maybe this wasn’t only what I wanted from him?

He held still, inside me, both of us gasping. “What is this?” he asked quietly.

I sniffled, unable to quiet myself.

“Charlie.” More insistent.

A thrust, hard.

“Answer me,” he grated, sliding out and back in once more. “What am I doing here?”

I couldn’t talk. The tears were choking me, but the pleasure had me paralyzed. Such a fucking contrast, because that’s what I was—a big fucking mix of insanity.

“Charlie.” Another firm plunge, and I cried out because it felt so fucking good.

I lifted my head, sitting up as much as I could.

He caught me, like I knew he would. His hand came to my breast, anchoring me there, and he dipped his head to my shoulder, placing a delicate kiss.

“Answer me,” he whispered.

I could hear his yearning. My heart spiked up in response.

I couldn’t hold it in. “I’m leaving on Friday.”

His hand flexed over my ass. “Yeah?” A groan left him, and he moved inside of me again. “I knew that. What else is going on?”

“Are you seriously questioning me while we’re fucking?” I looked up over my shoulder.

His eyes twinkled, and he smirked, moving inside of me once again. This time, he pressed all the way in, rotating his hips, and I moaned, my eyes fluttering closed from the torment.

“Answer me and I’ll finish.” He grinned. “Maybe.”

A spew of curses left me, but fuck, it felt so good. “You fucker.”

“You asked for this.” He slid back to my entrance, then shoved in, his entire body bending over mine so we were lined up from waist to face.

I looked back and his eyes were right there. We stared deep. I could almost see into him, just as I felt him inside of me. His eyes softened, then grew fierce again.

His lips nipped mine, and he groaned against my mouth, “Why do I feel like this is the last time I’ll hold you?”

Fresh tears spilled.

He felt them, tasted them, and pulled back. “Charlie?” His cock quivered inside of me.

I gasped. “When I go on Friday, that’s it for me. I’m done.”

He went still. Every inch of him turned to stone, and a wall slammed over his face.

“The fuck?”

He didn’t pull out of me, and I almost sagged from relief. I needed him to finish. I needed him to claim me once more.

“Why?”

I flinched at how cold he sounded. My head hung down. “Because I care too much. Because when you leave me, I won’t recover.” I willed myself to meet his eyes. “It took everything in me to leave Damian. I can’t—if you walked away from me, I’d never get back up again. You can destroy me.”

I’d cut myself open for him, revealed everything in me.

Taking a second, his forehead fell to my shoulder, and he cursed under his breath. But then he began moving in me again. His cock was almost stroking me. His hand slid around to rub my clit, pressing, holding, circling, teasing. As he brought me toward my climax, I felt his lips on my shoulder, then the back of my neck. I bent over for him again, my hands fisting on the counter.

I knew what he was doing. “You too,” I yelled. “Don’t you goddamn make me come and you don’t.”

I lifted my head, intent flashing in my eyes. “If you don’t, I’ll be on my knees in front of you.”

He paused, holding my gaze, and I tried not to flinch at the wall I saw in him. But then he shuddered. He took my hips and brought both of us to climax.

We erupted together.

I fell against the counter, too weak to move, as we both trembled from the aftermath.

“If you’re going to go, why wait till Friday?”

I winced. His voice was devoid of anything humane.

“I’ll take you to the airport today.”

Then he pulled out, and walked out, leaving me lying there. Alone.

I don’t know what I did after Reese walked away from me.

I don’t know how I got to the airport, or even packed the few items I had with me.

I don’t remember the flight back to Minneapolis.

For the next two weeks, I wouldn’t remember hardly anything.

I texted Grant when I landed.

Me: I’m at the airport. Can you pick me up?

Grant: What?! I’m at camp.

Me: Okay.

Grant: I’m coming. Are you okay?

Me: No.

Grant: Don’t go home. I have no clue what’s going on, but my gut is telling me not to let you be alone. I’m sending Janet.

I didn’t argue. That said everything. I do remember that.

Me: Okay.

I sat on a bench near the curb, my suitcase beside me, staring at nothing.

A car rolled to a stop before me. The window went down and I heard, “Charlie?”

I looked up.

It was Janet.

A little while later, we were at her house. I followed her inside, and she put her purse and keys on the counter by the door.

She took off her coat, watching me. “Do you need anything? A drink maybe?”

I almost laughed at that. “God, yes.”

Her husband was in the living room, and he paused the television. ESPN was on, and I froze, a numb feeling spreading through me as I forced myself to look at the screen. But they weren’t talking about Reese. His name wasn’t in the captions. They weren’t playing highlights of his game.

They had remembered there were other sports and teams out there.

? ? ?

“She hasn’t said much?”

“No. What’s wrong with her? She’s freaking me out.”

Grant had arrived and was talking to Janet in the entryway. They were using hushed tones, but they still carried to the kitchen and even the living room.

Janet’s husband gave me a pitying smile. “She’s not the greatest on tact,” he said quietly.

I shrugged. I’d known her longer than he had. It was understood.

“I want to help, but I have no idea what to say to her. Did she break up with Damian again? Why am I always in the dark?” Janet hissed.

? ? ?

We were in the car. Grant and me.

City lights passed by, looming over us on the interstate. He cleared his throat. I could feel his worry when he looked over. “So, you’re okay with what we’re doing, right? I mean, you seem out of it.”

No. What were we doing?

But I only nodded and pressed my hands into my lap. “Of course.”

“Really?”

? ? ?

I found out later that Grant and I had packed half of my apartment the day he came.

There were reasons everything was moving fast, but I didn’t understand it. I just went with it. Who was I to argue?

I’d turned in my notice with the lease office and asked Lucas to grab the rest of my stuff. It was supposed to go into storage until I could come get it later.

I saw the text conversation with Lucas. He hadn’t wanted to help me until I threatened him with a sex tape Newt had sent me early in our dating relationship. It was of Newt. There was nothing illegal about it, but the idea of getting a video sent by your ex’s grand-whatever was just all sorts of gross.

Luc-ass said he’d have everything packed up and moved by the next day.

I didn’t tell him, but I was going to release the tape anyway. I was just waiting for the right day.

The internet needed to know about the likes of Newt.

? ? ?

“You’re okay staying here until you find a place?”

Bless Sophia’s heart. She had no idea how to make things right for me.

It was past the weekend now. Time was coming back to me. I was starting to adjust to this new life, but I was a zombie.

Still numb.

But I knew I was five days post-Reese.

He would’ve had his away game, then gone to New York.

“Did he win?” I asked Sophia.

She swallowed. She knew who I meant.

“They lost their Wednesday game, but won against New York.”

Good.

That was good.

? ? ?

“We have a retreat this weekend,” Owen was saying to Grant.

We were at a staff meeting, going over budget and planning. Why was I there? They still didn’t quite trust me to be alone.

A month had gone by.

Nothing felt better.

I’d left him because of that, right? Didn’t I?

Things were supposed to feel better by now. Be better.

Why did I feel so wrong?

“I think I fucked up,” I said to no one in particular.

? ? ?

I was packing again, throwing things into my bag in a mad rush.

I had an audience at the door.

Hadley took a breath. “Oh boy.”

Grant frowned. He rarely didn’t frown when he saw me now. “Are you sure this is a smart idea?”

Owen flinched in pain, rotating his shoulder over and over again.

Sophia leaned forward, her eyes bright and shining from unshed tears. “We can call Trent. He said he was doing some traveling this weekend. Maybe he could meet you? So you have a friend there, unless you want one of us to come along?”