Page 157 of Payoff Pitch
I place her hand over my heart. She can undoubtedly feel it beating hard and fast. Looking her in the eyes, I admit, “I know the feeling of loving someone so completely and fully that there’s literally nothing in the world you wouldn’t do for them. So much that you would gladly switch places with her to take away her pain. Willing to do anything just to put a smile on her face.”
Her brow furrows in question. “Are you talking about me?”
I can’t help but smile at her naivety. “I am. It’s impossible not to love you. Trust me, I tried.” I squeeze her hand on my chest. “This is where you reside. You always will. I think I’ve known all along, but I was afraid.” I run my thumb along her lower lip. “I’m not afraid anymore. I want you. I want us.”
She moves her hands up my body until she’s rubbing her fingers through my beard. It’s something she always used to do, something I’ve missed. I can smell her sweet breath mingling with mine. I could stare into her face all day long.
Her hair is up but messy. Her eyes burn with both love and desire. Her cheeks are flushed. She’s my everything. I have zero doubts about that.
Our lips finally meet again. Our kiss before Kam-interruptus was slow and sweet. This one is immediately full of passion, need, and longing. Warmth floods my entire body as her tongue caresses mine and our chests rub against each other.
My hands explore every inch of her back. Her skin is soft and smooth. She briefly flinches when they move over the scar from her surgery, but I set her at ease right away. “Shh. It’s nothing but a reminder of your strength and resilience.”
She nods as she finally begins her movements on me, slow at first, but once she gains a little confidence, it turns into something much closer to a full-blown bounce than I would have expected. Every instinct in my body wants to flip her over and fuck her senseless, but I know she wants to be in control, and I want to give her the temporary reprieve she desperately craves.
Before her lips meet mine again, she breathes, “You don’t have to be gentle.”
I immediately dig my fingers into her hips and thrustup. She sinks her teeth into my lower lip and mumbles, “Yes, like that.”
We eventually find a groove with us both giving and taking. Our bodies work together like a perfectly choreographed dance. They always have.
The sounds in the room are a beautiful symphony of her wetness, our bodies slapping together, and our mutual moans of pleasure. It’s music to my ears.
I feel the telltale signs of her impending orgasm as her pussy flutters around me. “Oh god, Tanner, so good.”
“Let go, sweet girl. Come all over Daddy.”
Her head tilts back, and she lets out a loud moan as she digs her nails into my shoulders. As soon as I bend my head and suck her nipple into my mouth, her pussy grips my cock and she comes. I immediately let go and gush into her with a low growl.
I breathlessly fall back with her on top of me and dot kisses all over her face. “I’ve missed this. I’ve missedyou.”
She lets out a simple yet satisfying, “Hmm.”
Her body is like Jell-O right now. It’s been a long time since she didn’t pull away from me right after sex. I’m holding her for as long as she’ll let me.
She happily sighs before starting to pull away. I squeeze her. “Don’t go. Let me hold you.” I don’t want this closeness to end.
“I need to get cleaned up.”
“Stay here. I’ll clean you.”
She nods, and I gently place her back on the bed before going to her bathroom and grabbing a wet, warm washcloth. She allows me the autonomy to do what’s needed. I love the intimacy of it.
Afterward, I crawl back into bed, and she lets me hold her all night. Sans one more interruption from her crazy sister needing the damn AirPods, we sleep blissfully wrapped in each other. I’ve never been happier.
CHAPTER THIRTY
BAILEY
It’s been over a month since I let Tanner back into my bed. I’m not sure I realized just how much I needed him until I had him again. He’s with me every single night, loving me, giving me anything and everything I need. It’s been breathing life back into me, making me feel whole in a way I haven’t in nearly a year.
The intimacy between us grows every single day. Even Kam hasn’t been on my case about it. She sees how much I need him and how much my closeness to him has helped me.
On the recovery front, I feel like I’m getting stronger every day. I’m finally able to be more independent. We had a bonfire to burn that damn shower chair. I never want to see one of those again.
My friends have all been amazing. I think they must have some sort of schedule because the house is always full of people and laughter.
Even though my workouts are getting more strenuous and lasting longer, I don’t get as tired as I used to. My fingers are working, enabling me to get back into writing. I initially resented Tanner for pushing me on that front, but writing in theafternoons has become therapeutic for me. One book is just about done, and I’ve come up with a new concept for my second. Tanner said he knows a few publishers and will happily contact them on my behalf.