Page 252 of As You Wish

Gabe nodded and rolled me onto my stomach. That was when he increased his speed, taking me for himself.

My spent body somehow came back to life, and I felt every movement. I could’ve lived there forever.

I’d definitely find a way to do this again.

His thrusts grew short and choppy, and I knew he was close. I wanted him to lose his mind like I did, so I tightened around him.

Moments later, he sputtered a curse when he shoved in as deep as he could go.

I knew he’d come.

“Was it worth it to wait?” I asked.

“You’re always worth the wait, Jade.”

My eyes drifted shut. “Think you can go again in the morning?”

He huffed out a laugh. “I’ll do my best. Worst case, I’ll use your phone again.”

“Don’t you dare. I still have to clean it.”

“You have to put the other side over that one.”

Gabe frowned. “What other side? Left or right?”

I paused. “Uh, left.”

“This is my left.”

“My braid is taking forever,” Agnes whined. Beatrice’s was done, but Gabe had insisted that he wanted to learn.

He was terrible at it. I was terrible at teaching it.

“Okay, hang on.” I moved behind him and wrapped my arms around his. I was comically smaller than he was, and he laughed. “Shut up. You need this.”

“Sure, sure. It’s just . . . romantic.”

“If you didn’t have this sweet girl’s hair in your hands, I’d tickle you,” I muttered. “Okay. We do this hand”—I moved one for him—“and then this one.”

“And then what?” he asked.

“You keep doing it in the same pattern.”

“Wait, that’s it? I thought it was a whole thing.”

“Oh, Gabe.” I chuckled. “You always make things way too complicated.”

“Shut up,” he muttered. I didn’t need to look at him to know he was blushing.

By some miracle, we got Agnes’s hair braided. It was messier than Beatrice’s, but she seemed unbothered.

“You’re a terrible teacher,” he muttered.

“You’re a terrible student,” I fired back.

He opened his mouth and I was sure we were heading for more banter when the doorbell interrupted us.

When we opened the door, I had a feeling we both wished we hadn’t.