Page 217 of Love Unwritten

With a light shove, I fall backward with a laugh while he sheaths his cock.

This is it, I tell myself.

High school me might have enjoyed this, but nothing compares to grown-up me who can not only appreciate Rafael the man but also Rafael as a lover, protector, and friend.

I’m glad we didn’t cross paths until now because I wouldn’t have gotten to know the real him, and the thought of that never happening makes my chest hurt. Rafael is everything I could ever want in a partner, and now he is mine.

I’ll wait however long it takes for him to feel the same because he is worth it.

He pushes my thighs apart, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he presses his body against mine and kisses me. One hand cups my cheek while the other reaches between us for his cock.

There is a slight pressure as he pushes inside me, and his body trembles over mine as he slides deeper. His kiss becomes more desperate, and my lips tingle when he finally sinks all the way.

We both still, and a wave of happiness washes over me. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so content—so complete.

Rafael trembles as his eyes screw shut and his chest rises with his deep breaths.

“If you come first, I’m going to be really mad at you.”

“Good girls always come first. I promise.” He traces my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb.

He regains control over himself and pulls out slowly. His hands brush down the sides of my thighs and the tattoos of stars as he slides back inside. Once. Twice. Three times, and then I stop counting.

I lose track of time, space, and my very own name, gasping and moaning as he continues torturing my body with his slow pumps.

“You are the one I never knew I needed.” He pauses after saying it, and I do too.

Our eyes meet as a wall around his heart comes crumbling down.

His fingers dig into my hips as he pulls out. “I may not be the one you envisioned for yourself, but I won’t stop until I feel like I’m worthy of you.”

I swore to myself that I wouldn’t cry, but fuck, when he talks like that, I’m not sure I can control it. Still, I rally, focusing on the sensations in my lower half as much as the ones in my heart.

Rafael doesn’t fuck me. No. He takes his time, whispering sweet praises into my ear in between kisses that leave me breathless. Every stroke is a promise, and every touch is an oath.

He will take care of me.

He will love me when I struggle to love myself.

And he is the one I was waiting for this whole time.

With a pinch of my clit, my whole world shatters. The pleasure rocks me to my very core, and the world fades around me.

His pumps never stop. Not even after he finally comes with a shout. Watching Rafael come undone must be the sexiest sight I’ve ever witnessed, and I lock the memory away.

Eventually, despite his best efforts to stay upright, his body gives out, and he lies down on top of me.

I brush my hand through his damp hair and say, “You’re the one I was always meant to find.”

He wraps his arms around me and squeezes, as if to tell me he feels the same. He may not say it, but I know he does.

And that’s good enough for me.

I start to nod off only for my eyes to snap open when I have a thought. “I just realized something.”

Rafael grumbles against the top of my head.

“You never showed me what was in the box.”