hell?”
“No, I could have guessed that.” I smile, but it doesn’t last for long. “I just… I didn’t mean to push you to make any promises you’re not ready to make.”
“It’s okay,” she whispers, tucking my hair behind my ears. “I am yours. I’m sorry I forgot that for so long.”
“And I’m yours,” I say, throat tight. “Forever. Even if I’d never come here, Sam, even if I’d never seen you again. I know that’s not how it’s supposed to be, I know I’m supposed to be all right on my own…but I’m not.”
Her lips tremble. “I’m not either. I’m so sorry I hurt you, babe.”
“You couldn’t help it. I don’t blame you. I swear I don’t. I just need to know that it’s over now. That we’re us again.”
“We’re us again,” she says, her eyes searching mine. “I don’t know why I thought we could be anything else. I’m either half of us or I’m only half alive.”
My shoulders sag with relief to know that she understands and that neither of us has to be half alive anymore.
She sniffs. “I guess I’m not as smart as people think I am.”
“You are very smart,” I say, kissing her cheek. “It’s been a hell of a year. Cut yourself some slack. And I hope you’ll cut me some, too. I’m sorry that only lasted five minutes.”
Her next sniff becomes a laugh. “Five minutes was plenty to get where we were going.”
She pauses, biting her lip as her legs wrap tighter around my hips. “But maybe we could try it again. A little slower this time.”
My cock pulses inside of her, all too happy to oblige, but a glance around the rapidly darkening jungle proves it’s past time to get back to civilization.
Reluctantly, I pull out, even though all I want is to stay balls deep in her for the rest of my life. “Let’s take this back to the cabin, where we don’t have to worry about getting bitten in the ass by a snake.”
“All right.” Sam takes my hand and lets me pull her to her feet.
I’m about to reach for my shorts, when she lunges forward, wrapping her arms around me and hugging tight. I return the embrace, dropping my head to press a kiss to the top of her head, overwhelmed by a potent mixture of love, gratitude, and fear.
This is all I want.
She’s all I want and I already know I wouldn’t survive losing her again.
“We’re going to have to be very careful,” I whisper. “This comes first. You and me. We can’t let them take that away again.”
She nods. “We’ll be careful. We’ll be quick. And then we’ll be gone. Together.”
My eyes slide closed and my arms tighten around her, wishing I could draw her into my body and keep her safe inside of me. Wishing that I never had to be apart from her, even for a moment.
After we make our way through the darkened trees to the cabin, we make love again, slow and sweet. I kiss every inch of her, from her freckled shoulders to the place where her pulse beats just beneath her navel to the slick flesh between her legs. She tastes like home and heaven and as she comes on my mouth, her secret, salty heat flooding across my tongue, I realize that they’re the same.
And they’re both Sam.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sam
“Everything is hard before it is easy.”
-Goethe
I had worried that letting love back into my life would dull my sharp edges, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The next morning, I wake up in Danny’s arms, sore from making love until midnight, with a fire burning in my belly, more determined than ever to get blood on my hands. I lost a year of this perfect love and scarred the heart of the best person I’ve ever known because of Todd and his friends. It’s past time for them to get what they deserve.
And then Danny and I will finally be free.
I roll over, propping my chin on his chest, watching the clear morning light creep across his face, setting his blond stubble to glowing.
With his long hair spread out across the pillow and his full lips parted in sleep, he is as
“No, I could have guessed that.” I smile, but it doesn’t last for long. “I just… I didn’t mean to push you to make any promises you’re not ready to make.”
“It’s okay,” she whispers, tucking my hair behind my ears. “I am yours. I’m sorry I forgot that for so long.”
“And I’m yours,” I say, throat tight. “Forever. Even if I’d never come here, Sam, even if I’d never seen you again. I know that’s not how it’s supposed to be, I know I’m supposed to be all right on my own…but I’m not.”
Her lips tremble. “I’m not either. I’m so sorry I hurt you, babe.”
“You couldn’t help it. I don’t blame you. I swear I don’t. I just need to know that it’s over now. That we’re us again.”
“We’re us again,” she says, her eyes searching mine. “I don’t know why I thought we could be anything else. I’m either half of us or I’m only half alive.”
My shoulders sag with relief to know that she understands and that neither of us has to be half alive anymore.
She sniffs. “I guess I’m not as smart as people think I am.”
“You are very smart,” I say, kissing her cheek. “It’s been a hell of a year. Cut yourself some slack. And I hope you’ll cut me some, too. I’m sorry that only lasted five minutes.”
Her next sniff becomes a laugh. “Five minutes was plenty to get where we were going.”
She pauses, biting her lip as her legs wrap tighter around my hips. “But maybe we could try it again. A little slower this time.”
My cock pulses inside of her, all too happy to oblige, but a glance around the rapidly darkening jungle proves it’s past time to get back to civilization.
Reluctantly, I pull out, even though all I want is to stay balls deep in her for the rest of my life. “Let’s take this back to the cabin, where we don’t have to worry about getting bitten in the ass by a snake.”
“All right.” Sam takes my hand and lets me pull her to her feet.
I’m about to reach for my shorts, when she lunges forward, wrapping her arms around me and hugging tight. I return the embrace, dropping my head to press a kiss to the top of her head, overwhelmed by a potent mixture of love, gratitude, and fear.
This is all I want.
She’s all I want and I already know I wouldn’t survive losing her again.
“We’re going to have to be very careful,” I whisper. “This comes first. You and me. We can’t let them take that away again.”
She nods. “We’ll be careful. We’ll be quick. And then we’ll be gone. Together.”
My eyes slide closed and my arms tighten around her, wishing I could draw her into my body and keep her safe inside of me. Wishing that I never had to be apart from her, even for a moment.
After we make our way through the darkened trees to the cabin, we make love again, slow and sweet. I kiss every inch of her, from her freckled shoulders to the place where her pulse beats just beneath her navel to the slick flesh between her legs. She tastes like home and heaven and as she comes on my mouth, her secret, salty heat flooding across my tongue, I realize that they’re the same.
And they’re both Sam.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Sam
“Everything is hard before it is easy.”
-Goethe
I had worried that letting love back into my life would dull my sharp edges, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The next morning, I wake up in Danny’s arms, sore from making love until midnight, with a fire burning in my belly, more determined than ever to get blood on my hands. I lost a year of this perfect love and scarred the heart of the best person I’ve ever known because of Todd and his friends. It’s past time for them to get what they deserve.
And then Danny and I will finally be free.
I roll over, propping my chin on his chest, watching the clear morning light creep across his face, setting his blond stubble to glowing.
With his long hair spread out across the pillow and his full lips parted in sleep, he is as
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