Mike drops me off in front of my building and we make plans to get together tomorrow and decide which place is going to be the right fit.

I’m not looking forward to walking into that apartment and having to try and think of a way to approach Dane now that it’s all out in the open, but I don’t get the chance. As I come up the stairs, Dane’s coming out of the apartment.

“Don’t lock it!” I call.

He jumps a little, but nods and opens the door.

When I get up to him, my every thought is of walking right by him, but I stop.

“Dane, I wanted to talk to you about last night,” I tell him.

“Could we not do this?” he asks. “I’ve already humiliated myse—”

My lips are pressing into his and I’m pushing him backward through the open door to the apartment. He’s stunned for a moment, but in a flash, he’s kissing me back and chills are running throughout my entire body.

I know this isn’t the way to leave things with him, but who says that I want to leave things at all?

I kick the door closed behind us and close my eyes as I feel his soft lips against mine.

This is what a kiss is supposed to be like.

His hands move up and down my sides, and I can hardly breathe as our tongues mingle with each other, playfully, sensually.

He pulls back for a second, saying, “Are you sure that you—”

My lips are over his again, and I’m nodding my head, humming, “Mmm hmm.”

I can tell that he doesn’t know how far I’m willing to take this, so I make the first move after the first move, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and pulling away from him just long enough to pull it off of him.

His skin is so warm, firm. He has a tattoo on his chest, but I’m watching his closed eyes as we continue to kiss.

He runs his fingers through my hair, and I can feel a tug in my core like nothing I’ve ever known.

Confident now, he pulls my shirt off and, with one hand, he unclasps my bra. I slip the straps off my shoulder and let it fall to the ground and I press my bare skin against his.

I can feel his heartbeat.

He bends down a little and wraps his arms around my lower back, lifting me off the ground, and I wrap my legs around his waist as I kiss his lips and his neck and he carries me into his room.

He bends down again and lays me on the bed. He kisses my neck then my chest. He takes one of my nipples into his hot mouth, and I feel myself growing wet with the sensation.

My breath comes in jagged and as his mouth moves farther down my body, I close my legs enough for him to undo my pants and pull them off of me.

My legs open instinctively and he moves my panties to one side, his steamy breath bringing me to life. The moment his first finger runs over my crease, I’m already halfway there.

“Are you sure?” he asks, his fingertips teasing my opening.

“Yeah,” I breathe.

A moment later, his finger is inside me and his tongue is tracing a figure eight on my clit. My hands dig into the comforter, and my legs are already starting to shake.

My fingers are in his hair and he’s pleasuring me so intently.

I whisper, “Come here,” and as he stands, I slip my panties down my legs and kick them off to one side.

I sit up and move closer to the edge of the bed, smiling at the growing bulge in his pants. I’m not thinking of consequences now as I undo his pants and pull him out of the thin fabric of his boxers.

He’s hard in my hand, and I run my tongue from base to tip, tasting his skin before I take him into my mouth. My free hand finds its way between my own legs, and I rub myself softly as I suck lightly on his flared ridge.

I can feel his pulse in my mouth, and it’s all I can do to see straight as I look up into his eyes. With my tongue, I press against the underside of his member and delight in the quick gasp as I take more of him into my mouth.

“I want to feel you inside me,” I tell him.

He doesn’t say a word.

He kneels down between my legs and kisses me softly on the mouth.

The anticipation builds within me as I lean back, leaving myself open for him to take me. With his tip, he teases my lower lips and they swell in response, inviting him inside.

He goes slowly at first: pushing only one and then two inches inside of me, but in a moment, the whole length of him is inside and my fingers are curled, gripping the skin of his back.

He fills me perfectly, again and again and his mouth is so warm, kissing my neck.

“You feel amazing,” he tells me and his tempo increases, little by little, until my legs quake and my breath comes in gulps.

“I’m going to come,” I whisper into his ear.

“Come,” he tells me, and kisses my cheek, then my lips.

When that rise starts growing within me, I press my lips into his, if only to contain the volume of my ecstasy.

My legs tremble as I tighten them around his body, and every moment I expect that tremor of release, but the feeling only builds and builds until I’m in another world entirely with only his embrace as sweet gravity, keeping me tethered to the earth.

When the jolting electric waves shoot through me, I pull my head back and forget any care as my body responds, immaculate, to his every movement.

My heart is pounding, and I could swear I feel the earth shift beneath and around me, though the waves continue to wash over my body.

“I love you,” I whisper as the pulse starts to recede and he smiles as he presses himself into me over and over.

“I love you, too,” he says, and I have a feeling that things are never going to be the same again.

Chapter Sixteen

The Other Side

Dane

The most beautiful morning greets me when I wake, but it’s easily overtaken by what I have to do next. I have to tell Wrigley not only can I not be in a relationship with her, but we’re going to have to stop seeing each other entirely.

Sure, we could stay friends, but I have a feeling she’s not going to be thrilled about that particular option.

I might have been able to enjoy the morning more completely if it didn’t mirror the morning that Wrigley and I spent right after I told her that I wanted to be in a relationship with her.

Yeah, I kind of bungled this one from the start.

Oh well.

Before anything else happens, I need to tell Wrigley what’s going on and that we can’t see each other anymore.

You know, even a few days ago, I would have just avoided the situation entirely: Wrigley being a little bat-shit-crazy and all, but after the conversation we had over coffee yesterday—I don’t know. This might not be so bad.

My first instinct is to just give her a call and drop the news that way, but that seems like the coward’s way out. We’ve been whatever we’ve been long enough that she deserves to hear it face-to-face.

Besides, she was actually supportive when presented with the information that I have a thing for Leila. Supportive might not be the right word, but it’s close enough to feel somewhat confident.

I make the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Dane,” I tell her.

“Hey,” she says. “Did you and your roommate have your little talk?”

“Yeah,” I say. “I think we should probably discuss that face-to-face, though. What are you doing later?”

“It’s Sunday,” she says. “I have fuck-all planned. What about lunch?”

“Okay.”

The conversation is pretty short. I don’t know why, but it’s a bit unsettling me how smoothly this is going.

Leila’s off planning her move with Mike. I don’t really like the guy, but as I’m going to lunch with Wrigley, I really can’t say anything about it.

I take a quick shower and get dressed.

Wrigley and I didn’t really set a time, she merely finished off her part of the conversation by saying, “We’ll go when you get here.”