Escalation - Tessa Teevan Page 0,23
the edge. Rafe pumps faster, harder, as my walls clench around him. His arms wrap around me, holding me tight as his cock jerks up into me, his own release taking over. The way he’s holding me is intimate, and I want to stay in his arms, just like this, for the rest of my life. Our bodies are slick with both water and sweat, our chests pressing against each other hard and tight. It’s as if we’re holding on for dear life, and part of me wonders if that’s exactly what we’re doing.
Even after we’ve both come down from our highs, he’s still buried inside me to the hilt. I’m still wrapped up around him, my arms and legs securely fastened to his body. One of his arms is holding tight on to my waist, the other firmly gripping my hair. Our lips are locked but unmoving. No, we’re both immobile, save for the heaving of our chests as our breaths mingle. They rise and fall as the emotional whirlwind swirls in the air around us.
He doesn’t want to let go.
I don’t want him to.
I have no idea how long we stand here or who makes the first move. But, all too soon, the spell has broken and our connection is severed.
His mouth tears away from mine, and he swallows hard as his eyes bore into mine. The intensity in them mirrors my own, I’m sure. We both have so much to say—we just can’t say it. Not yet. Not here. Not now. This place, this experience, is sacred, and neither of us is willing to allow it to be tainted.
Still, the moment is over.
Or so I think.
He, apparently, has other plans. Ones I am oh so okay with.
His strong hands come to my legs, loosening them, allowing me to slide down his slick body. I tear my gaze away from him and bend to grab the shampoo, but he grasps it from my hands.
“Turn around,” he orders—gently, but it’s still an order.
I do as he requested, and slowly, his hands massage my hair as he washes it.
“You’re exhausted, Brie, and you need to sleep. Let me do this for you.”
In all of our time together, I never felt more intimately connected with him than I do now. He doesn’t just wash me. He worships every single inch of my body, stopping every so often on my belly. His reverence is no longer saved just for me. It’s now for our baby, and I swallow hard as tears and emotions well up inside me. Just as I think the dam is going to burst, Rafe stands and moves me under the spray, rinsing me off.
His tenderness continues as he wraps a towel around me, drying me off. I hold my hands up as he slips one of his oversized T-shirts on me, and I don’t protest when he picks me up and gently places me on his bed. Then he tucks me in and hovers over me for a moment before leaning down and kissing me on my forehead.
“Get some rest, baby,” he whispers. “I promise we’ll talk when you wake.”
I nod. His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t say another word. It’s not until he’s almost to the door that I stop him.
“Just tell me one thing before you go.”
The muscles on his back ripple as his shoulders lift and fall in time with his sharp intake of breath. Slowly, he turns, swallowing hard.
“Anything, Brie,” he whispers. “I’ll tell you anything. All you have to do is ask.”
“Was any of it real?”
His eyes flare with flashes of anger, and then he shuts them forcefully. When they open, they’re softer, and the anger has been replaced with anguish. The question was cruel, but in the darkness of the room, in the intimacy of this space, I need to know.
“Everything I felt—everything I feel—is genuine. All of it.”
I don’t know what to say. I want to believe him, but at the same time, I’m so confused about everything that’s happened. Tears swim in my eyes, clouding my vision. “Okay. Goodnight, Rafe,” I whisper before turning over, curling up, and pulling the covers over my shoulders.
He shuffles a few steps forward before he stops himself. He stands there for a few moments, his gaze burning holes into my back. He wants to offer comfort. He wants to offer space. He’s fighting the same war that I am.
Even as he goes to leave, I want to call for him, but I don’t. Instead,