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So I met him thrust for thrust, searching for that just-out-of-reach explosion that my body craved more than anything else.

Everett leaned up, feasting his eyes on what he’d done to me. “You’re so close, baby. I can feel you squeezing me. I want to watch every single second of this.” And then he mimicked what I’d done earlier. He took my hand and placed it on my breast, encouraging me to pleasure myself.

When I took my nipple between my fingers and rolled, Everett moaned. “Fuck, you’re beautiful. I could watch you touch yourself all day. Could watch you come on my cock forever.” He reared back and slammed hard, the impact with my clit sent me over the edge. “Oh fuck, I’m coming!”

“That’s it, baby. That’s my girl, coming for me so well.” Then he let out a strangled grunt, his thrusts came faster and harder, and then he slammed into me one last time, his eyes wide open in wonder.

Then the kisses came. He peppered me with them. My forehead, my cheeks, my lips, my throat.

“Oh my Willa. Holy hell that was amazing. Are you good?”

“I’m good,” I laughed because I was so happy but also because his beard tickled.

“I don’t mean to embarrass you, but you just blew my mind.” He flopped onto his side, trying to catch his breath. “I take it back. I wish we had two more condoms because I cannot wait to do that again!” He pulled me closer and wrapped his arm around me, dropping a kiss on the top of my head.

As I snuggled into his chest I was struck by the overwhelming urge to fall asleep just like this. And maybe, possibly, every other day for the rest of my life.

11

EVERETT

Iwoke up alone, which wasn’t entirely unexpected. But finding her waiting alone on the dock was.

It was…disappointing? Yeah. That.

“Trying to conjure a boat out of thin air?”

She startled, pulling her knees up to her chin. “No. I was watching the sunrise.”

“Alone?” I sat down beside her, letting my feet dangle towards the water.

“I didn’t want to wake you. You were sleeping pretty hard.” She turned to rest her chin on her knees. Her eyes on me. Waiting.

“I discovered something this morning.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep.” I nodded. “I don’t like waking up alone.”

She stared at me a long time. “I didn’t know how to be in bed with you.”

“Simple. You put that pretty little head of yours on my chest and wrap your gorgeous body around mine.”

“Everett, we…we don’t say things like that to each other.”

“We do now.” I refused to let her put a wall between us. If she didn’t like what happened that was one thing. If she didn’t feel this pull anymore, then fine. But pretending wasn’t an option. “Do you regret last night?”

She stared a little too long. It gutted me. “No,” she finally said. “But I don’t know what to do with it either.”

That hurt.

“Are you ashamed of me?”

“What? No!” She sat up straight, turning to face me. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, you seem pretty disgusted that anyone might find out we slept together.”

“It’s just because we’ve been friends for so long.” Her hands flailed as she tried to explain. “My brain hurts.”