real her. Not the woman currently lying on top of me as I held her close, sweetly running my hands down her back.
I hadn’t seen her before. And I had been missing out.
Now, I was afraid she would walk away. That this would be the end. Because once the drapes were drawn and the bags were packed, this would be over.
I wasn’t sure I wanted that. I didn’t know if Eliza would stay. The sweetest mistake was the sharpest ache. I couldn’t have said no. I still wouldn’t.
Even if this was the end.
Chapter 15
Eliza
The next morning, I opened my eyes to a man’s leg between mine, his arm wrapped around my waist. He was angled slightly so he cupped my breast, his rough palm against my nipple. I swallowed hard, knowing this wasn’t a dream. I was actually waking up with Beckett Montgomery holding me.
It was…odd.
After we’d shattered in each other’s arms and then lay there, panting, we hadn’t really needed to talk. We had cleaned each other up and then continued pleasuring each other—though with only one condom, there was only so far we could go. However, Beckett seemed to know exactly what to do to make every single moment count. It was intense, breathtaking, and possibly the best sex of my life.
And yet, when we finally collapsed, exhausted, sated, and in each other’s arms, I had been afraid that when I woke up this morning, it wouldn’t be Beckett behind me, but the ghost that stood between us.
I knew the man wrapped around me wasn’t Marshall. It hadn’t been Marshall for a long time. Far longer than he had been gone on patrol, tour, or even from this Earth.
Our sex life had dwindled over time—a lot of our life had. I had thought it was because he was tired. Because he was working too hard. Because I was working so hard. I hadn’t realized it was because he had fallen for someone else—perhaps a woman he should have been with all along.
Beckett’s breathing deepened slightly, and his hand slid down to grip my hip. “Good morning,” he said, his voice gruff against my neck.
“Good morning,” I said and licked my suddenly dry lips.
He shifted and kissed my neck. I shivered, arching into him. His cock was hard against my backside, and he kissed my neck again. “I wish I could just slide into you right now, but I can’t and be safe.”
“I know,” I said, wiggling back into him. His groan sent quakes down my body.
“I would say maybe later, but we have to pack.”
I froze for a moment before sighing. “We need to check into our flights.”
“And the bubble of vacation is over.”
He said all this, yet didn’t let go of me. He kept me in his arms, and I closed my eyes, wishing that any awkwardness that crept over me would just go away.
Why? Why was everything so weird?
“I guess vacation is winding down,” I whispered.
“I’m not going to say I’m sorry for what happened,” he said, his voice gruff. I froze for an instant before untangling myself from his arms and twisting to look at him. His eyes were dark, his beard coming in a little fuller. I reached up and pushed his hair away from his face so I could look him in the eyes.
“I don’t think this was a mistake.”
His eyes widened. “Eliza, did I take advantage of you?”
I wanted to growl, wanted to push at him. He was being sweet. So, I would be sweet, as well.
“No. You didn’t take advantage of me. If anyone took advantage, it was me.”
His hand tightened on my hip. I hadn’t even realized he had been stroking me. It felt natural, as if we had done it a thousand times before. And yet, I knew better. Marshall had never been a cuddler, and I hadn’t realized that I was until this moment. Well, that was something else new I had learned about myself.
“You took advantage of me? I don’t think so.”
“I wanted you. I wanted last night to be about you and me and no one else. Not our families’ expectations. Not Marshall. Not even Brenna.”
His gaze shot up. “Why the hell would it be about Brenna?”
I cringed. “Maybe because I thought she loved you.”
He shook his head. Paused. “You know? So did I.” He frowned. “She set me straight. Instead, she just hates me for keeping secrets.”
“And here we are again, with the secrets.”
“Oh, I can’t keep this a secret,” he said quickly.
I snorted and