“That’s my good girl,” he praised. My eyes flicked up, and I saw the affection and desire in his gaze. “You’re taking my cock so fucking well and look so beautiful doing it. You feel like a goddamn dream.”
His hand on my hip snaked up along my side, until he cupped the side of my face and ran his thumb along my bottom lip. With my eyes on him, I wrapped my lips around his thumb, sucking with a hum.
“Fuck, Lily.” His voice was strained, a muscle in his jaw fluttering. I could tell he was close, and I wanted him right there with me. I sucked harder and wrapped my legs tighter around his waist to pull him closer, deeper.
“Are you ready to come for me again?”
I nodded and brought my hand over to add extra pressure to my clit.
“Eyes on me.”
Of course, I was going to listen to him. Plus, I wanted to see him fall apart, too.
“Fuck,” he hissed. Gabe pulled his thumb out from between my lips and grabbed the headboard instead.
“Gabe!” I cried out, arching my back off the mattress. A rush of electricity coursed through my body as my release neared.
Gabe’s jaw clenched, and he didn’t tear his eyes away from mine. The look of pure desire in his eyes and the low growl that escaped him was my undoing. As I reached my peak, Gabe was right there with me.
I let out another gasp as I felt him finish, my eyes never leaving his.
He lowered his body, resting his forehead against mine and pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. “You’re unbelievable,” he murmured, pulling out and lying on his side.
I scooted closer, laying my head on his chest and letting out a deep exhale. “So are you.” I tipped my head back to look up at him, taking in his flushed face and messy hair. Normally, Gabe looked put together. His brown, wavy hair styled, clothes pressed, and expression composed. Right now? I’d never seen a more perfect sight. His hair was messy, clothes tossed aside, a smile on his face, and his honey-brown eyes on me.
“You’re doing great on your one-item list,” I teased him with a laugh.
Gabe grinned in return. “I told you. It’s my one and only priority.”
He leaned over, grabbing his jeans from the floor and pulling out his wallet. He flipped it open and pulled out a pink piece of paper. The list. “You really should be more careful with leaving this around.”
Gabe lay back down, and I readjusted so I was lying on his chest again. He wrapped an arm around me and held out the paper so we could both take a look.
“We’ve done nearly everything on it. Just two more things to check off. It’s been”—Gabe lowered the paper and looked at me—“an absolute honor to be able to do these things with you, Lily. I’m never going to forget this.”
My stomach flipped and my mouth got dry at the mention of the list nearly being done. At the thought of him leaving. How neither of us would forget the past month.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to calm my rapid heartbeat. That pounding in my head…was that my heart or his? “I’m never going to forget either,” I admitted quietly before trying to sound light-hearted. “Well,” I said with what I hopedwas a convincing laugh, “looks like we have a trip to Milwaukee to plan.”
Gabe stayed quiet and set the paper on my nightstand. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I guess we do.”
I’d gotten to know Gabe well, but in this moment, I wasn’t sure how he felt. Was he ready to go back to the city and his old life? Or had Golden Falls changed what he wanted? He said he wanted all my midnights…but did that meanforeveror until he left town?
I thought back to our walk to my apartment after the Christmas festival and our conversation about how neither of us had been in love. How we didn’t know what it felt like.
If he asked me again, I’d answer differently. Love felt like lying in Gabe’s warm embrace. It was the feeling of staying up talking about anything and everything. Spending the whole day together and not getting enough. Spending a wholelifetimeand it still not being enough.
Love sounded a lot like Gabe’s heartbeat.
But had his views on love changed? He shared with me the relationship his parents had and how the divorce changed his family. He told me he saw love as transactional.
The goal at the start of December seemed so clear: fly through the list with Gabe and get Hal’s decision. I still wanted the building, but I also wanted to stop time.
I wanted all the time in the world with Gabe without either of us putting our dreams on hold.
I sucked in a breath as I thought through my words. I wasn’t ready to tell him how I was feeling or to face the sting of possible rejection, but I hoped he would give me a glimpse of how he was feeling.
“So,” I started, “about the whole falling in love thing. Are you—are you more open to love these days?”
