Page 48 of When We Had Forever
My answering smile slips and slides across my face, too inebriated to truly catch hold, like I’m made of nothing but gelatin and satiation. No bones left in this body.
“We should probably talk,” he says, “but the truth is, I really just want to do that again.”
I raise an eyebrow. “What, right now?”
“Right now.”
That rouses me. I trail a finger down his bare chest, and this time, that’s all it takes.
In another moment, he’s scooping me up and carrying me to the bedroom.
BEFORE
We have sex three more times.
It’s different than I imagined. I expected tenderness. Long, searching looks and Michael whispering into my ear. I expected slow, sliding lovemaking that intensifies over hours.
But when he and I collide, it’s primal. Raw. All his contrasts—the fierce gentleness, the soft hands and hard kisses—disappear, giving way to some driving force neither of us can fight. We crash together, burn each other up, then come apart and do it all over again.
The building doesn’t quite shake to pieces, but almost, and Michael makes good on his promise. He fucks me like I’ve never been fucked before, until my neck can no longer hold up my head and I transform into a satisfied puddle on the mattress.
In the middle of the night, we finally pause long enough for me to ask, “What happened today?”
Michael lies with his head propped against the black leather headboard, his face luminous in the city light. One hand splays against his chest while the white top sheet tangles around his waist. He’s silent for so long that I roll onto my side and prop my cheek on one hand, though that simple act saps the last of my reserves.
“Michael?”
He seems to weigh something. “Yeah,” he says softly. “That’s me.”
“What happened today? When you disappeared?”
His jaw works as he grapples with some private decision.
Seconds tick by, and my stomach tightens. Whatever it is, I’m clearly not going to like it. I’m busy gearing up for something truly horrific when he says, “I got arrested.”
I pause. “You...what?”
“Yeah. I spent the day in jail. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Confusion drags my lips downward. “But...arrested? For what?”
“Sheer stupidity, mostly.” He sighs. “I was on the sidewalk this morning when some guy started yelling at this woman for taking his parking space. I mean, genuinely screaming at her. Got out of his car and everything. She was terrified, so I cut in, and before I knew it, he and I were swinging at each other. Someone called the cops, but the other guy insisted I’d started it, so we both got hauled off to jail. Then, when I got out, I didn’t get my things back like I was supposed to. They kept my phone, my keys, my jacket, everything. I had to walk all the way here in the rain.”
I gather enough energy to sit up. Michael’s gaze flickers to my bare breasts, but I haul the sheet up, intent on clearing the air before we inevitably succumb to round five.
“Your necklace.” I point to his bare chest. I should’ve noticed before, but I was...distracted. “It’s gone.”
He misses a beat, then glances down. “Oh. Yeah. They took it when they processed me. And I was so desperate to get home that I didn’t argue when they didn’t give it back.”
For some reason, that infuriates me more than my own mental anguish. I loved the way that twisted-silver chain accentuated the angles of his chest. “That’s bullshit. You should go down there first thing in the morning and—”
“It’s fine,” he says. “I’d rather just replace everything than tempt fate.”
I blow out a breath. “Okay. Well, I guess you have a point.”
He gives me a wan smile. And then I remember.
“What was your big secret, then?”
