Page 81 of Never Forget
I'd dreamed about this for a long time. Nights I'd woken up aching, mornings I'd buried the memory before it could take root. But even my dizziest daydreams didn't compare to the feel of her. Nothing I'd imagined came close to this.
I kept my forehead pressed to hers as I settled slowly between her thighs.
Her expression crumpled as I sank into her. Her eyes fluttered shut. Her lips parted. A sound escaped her that I'd carry with me for the rest of my life.
I held still. Let us both feel it.
After all those years of waiting, she was here, wrapped around me like she never wanted to let go.
I took my time. Built her up slowly. Pulled back when she got close. Started again until she was shaking.
"Sam." Her voice broke. "Please."
She was coming undone beneath me. Her hands clutched at my back.
When I gave her what she wanted, I watched her break. Her back arched off the bed. Her head fell back against the pillow. My name tore from her throat like something she couldn't hold in anymore.
When she opened her eyes, there were tears in them.
She was as beautiful as I always knew she would be.
We held onto each other until the last tremors faded.
I rolled onto my back and tried to catch my breath. My heart was still pounding. No one had ever felt like this. Not even close.
When I turned to look at Jamie, her eyes were already closed. Her breathing slow and even. She'd fallen asleep with a small smile on her lips, her body loose and satisfied beside me.
I pulled her close, wrapping my arm around her waist. She murmured something and settled into me without waking.
I pressed a kiss to her shoulder. Buried my nose in the curve of her neck. Breathed her in.
I fell asleep with her warmth against my chest.
CHAPTER 21
Jamie
I woke up warm.
For a moment I didn't know where I was. The weight of an arm rested around my waist, and the rise and fall of breathing that wasn't mine. My head wasn't on a pillow. It was resting on someone's chest.
Sam.
I was lying on Sam. And I was completely naked.
The night came back in pieces. His hands. His mouth. The way he'd said my name.
I turned my head slowly. He was still asleep, his face slack and peaceful, one arm draped across me like he'd been holding on even in his dreams.
I slipped out from under his arm, holding my breath. He didn't stir.
My clothes were scattered across the floor. I gathered them quietly, dressed in the hallway, and paused at the door to look back at him.
What had I just done to us?
The kitchen was cold. I started the coffee maker just to have something to do with my hands.
I remembered everything now. Rosie falling asleep on the couch, her head in Sam's lap. The way he'd carried her to bed without being asked, pulled the blanket up to her chin, brushed the hair from her face. The way I'd watched him from the doorway and felt something crack open in my chest.
