She pulls her mouth to mine and I kiss her as I continue to move, my thrusts becoming more urgent. I continue to gaze at her, sure that she’s it for me. I love her and I never want to let go.
“You feel so good, baby,” I whisper breathlessly a few minutes later. “Can you come again for me?”
She nods. “God, yes. I’m nearly there.”
I slide my hand between us and circle her clit.
“Fuck, Ben. Don’t stop.”
I don’t. I couldn’t if I tried. Seconds later, she’s coming undone beneath me, her body trembling with her release. The sound of her, the feel of her, it pushes me over the edge. Her name falls from my lips as I follow, the moment stealing my breath as I collapse against her, my face buried in the curve of her neck, where I finally breathe again.
After a moment, I lift my head, my eyes finding hers. Her hair is messy and her face is still flushed from everything we’ve just shared, and I swear she’s never looked more beautiful.
“I love you,” I whisper, brushing a gentle kiss on her lips.
She smiles slowly. “I love you too.”
“I’ll get something to clean you up,” I say, gently pulling out of her and climbing off the bed.
Grabbing a cloth from the bathroom, I wet it before going back to where she still lies and carefully taking care of her, tossing the cloth in the laundry basket when I’m done. Climbing into bed, I pull her into my arms and hold her close, knowing I don’t ever want to let go.
It’s still darkwhen the shrill ringing of my phone tears me from sleep.
“Who’s that?” Ash murmurs beside me, her voice thick with sleep.
A twist of panic curls in my stomach as I sit up and grab my phone from the nightstand. My heart pounds as I expect to see my parents’ number lighting up the screen. Instead, it’s Molly’s care facility in Phoenix.
I answer immediately and bring the phone to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Ben?” a familiar voice asks.
A cold unease settles in my gut. “Yes, this is Ben.”
“I’m so sorry to call at this hour,” she says gently. “It’s Olivia, from Cedar Oaks.”
Molly’s been at Cedar Oaks so long that I know most of the staff by name. Olivia’s great, but hearing her voice this early sends alarm bells ringing.
“Hi, Olivia,” I say cautiously. “Is everything okay? Is Molly alright?”
Ash sits up beside me, her warm hand settling against the small of my back in silent reassurance.
There’s a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “I’m afraid not, Ben. I know you were just here on Thursday, but Molly’s developed a serious infection. She’s not responding to any of the medications, so we’re transferring her to Banner-University Medical Center.”
“Infection?” I echo, struggling to make sense of it. “But she was fine on Thursday.”
“These things can happen fast,” Olivia explains gently. “Especially in someone as fragile as Molly. I’ve called her brother. He’s out of the country, but he’s going to try and get back. Ben… you and Laney should get to the hospital as soon as you can. The ambulance is on its way here now.”
I scrub a hand over my face. “Okay. We’ll head there right away. Thanks, Olivia.”
I end the call and stare blankly ahead for a second before turning to Ash.
“It’s Molly,” I tell her quietly.
Her hand slides from my back to my arm, giving it a light squeeze.
“I heard,” she says softly. “Ben… you need to wake Laney.”
