I took my hand off my dick and rubbed my face as she continued.

“That might’ve been the nicest gesture I’ve ever heard about. I didn’t tell her that ’cause I knew she’d tell you, but I was thinking it. And I saw how you were with your sister, wanting to protect her and get her safe, and then there’s just how you are with Syd. You’re sweet with her. Like you care about your friend being happy and wanna show that by being good to his girl. She’s my best friend. I want everyone treating her good and you treat her good. That means something to me.”

I dropped my hand to my thigh and looked at Tori then, hearing in her voice what all that meant to her and wanting to see it in her face. And I didn’t know what she saw when I looked, but whatever it was, it had her coming closer.

She pulled her legs to the side and slid them beneath her, then she was up on her knees and right in front of me, putting my face between her hands and breathing against my mouth. “And then there’s what you did for my dad,” she continued, staring deep into my eyes. “And what you’ve done for me. All of it. Being there for me and taking care of things and making promises. Just being you, Jamie. And I guess … well, the point I’m trying to make is …” She paused to swallow. Her chest started heaving, and three breaths later, she declared, “Now he’s the second best.”

I blinked. Everything started burning up. I tried to breathe, but I couldn’t.

Tori was telling me I was the best man she’d ever known. She was giving me that.

Kerosene.

My chest was already on fire, and Tori Rivera just dumped a bucket of kerosene on the flames.

“Jamie?” she whispered, dipping closer, her eyes anxious as they searched mine.

“Changed my mind,” I said, reaching between us and getting my dick ready that was so fucking hard now I could feel my heartbeat in it. “You got somethin’ you wanna share with me, some point you need to make, no matter what I’m doin’, what we’re doin’, if my dick is out or if we’re already fuckin’, you share it, babe.”

Condom on, I squeezed the base of my dick.

Tori gasped when I palmed her ass hard and lifted her off her knees, getting her legs out from under her so she could wrap them around me.

Her arms slid around my neck. Her ankles linked around my back. I held her weight with one hand and moved the other between us, positioning my cock.

“Don’t care what it is, I want it the second you’re wantin’ to give it. You hear me?”

She nodded, mouth opening and head dropping back as I slid in the first inch.

“Oh, God,” she panted.

I lowered her slowly onto my cock. Another inch. Another.

God, she felt so fucking good.

Tori moaned deep in her throat and closed her eyes.

“Didn’t think you could top what you already gave, then you give me that.” I rammed deep, thrusting my hips and sinking all the way inside her. Tori cried out. I slid my one hand around her back, slid the other up to her neck, gripped firm and tipped her head down, forcing her to look at me.

She opened her eyes, parted her lips, and whimpered.

“You fuckin’ give me that,” I repeated, seeing understanding brighten her eyes. I pulled her closer. Our lips touched. “Nine months was nothin’, babe. I would’ve waited years for you.”

Tori gasped against my mouth. Her limbs tensed.

“Gonna fuck you now,” I said as I tipped forward, putting her back on the floor and my hips between hers, getting her beneath me.

She was whispering yes and please as she kissed my mouth, my jaw, my neck. Her teeth found my shoulder when I dragged my hips up and sank home.

I dropped lower and kissed her, sliding my tongue along hers, and then I was pushing back and putting weight on my knees. “Gotta watch you,” I said when she started whimpering and reaching out.

The sun had set now, and the glow from the fire warmed half of her face. I held her hips up and started thrusting, pulling her into me, sinking deeper.

Deeper.

Deeper.

Fuck.

She was swollen and so fucking wet, her thighs glistened. I felt her tightening. I heard her breaths growing tenser. Quicker. Her nails scratched at my stomach and sank into the backs of my thighs. And then she was coming, back arching and head falling back as my name rolled off her tongue in soft little begs. I fucked her harder. Faster. I sank deeper. I wanted her to feel this tomorrow. And next year. And if there was life after this, I wanted her feeling me in it.

Tori came down but only a little. I kept her there. Right there. I wouldn’t stop building it.

I groaned, slumped forward, and held fistfuls of her hair, powering into her, our bodies slapping together, our mouths desperate, hands desperate, voices desperate.

We were fucking but we weren’t. This was more. It meant more.

I loved her.

God … fuck, I loved her. I had for a while.

Tori kept clinging to me, kept pulling me closer, kept kissing and licking and biting, and I fucked her wild. I was insane for this girl. Crazy shit was coming out of my mouth, words I didn’t realize I was feeling until it was too late and I was speaking them against her lips and in her ear when I took her from behind. Hand wrapped around her throat, I told her I needed this, that nothing had ever felt this good and that I wished I wasn’t wearing a condom. Forever and feel me and love me, say it. And it was a game, me telling her you love me and her shaking her head and moaning in my ear, no, over and over when we both knew. We knew.

It was a game, but it was our game.

Tori moaned and pleaded, “Harder,” and sank back against me, getting me deeper, and then she was coming again, body trembling in pleasure as my fingers rubbed her clit.

“Jamie … oh, God, Jamie!” she cried, reaching back and grasping at my hip as I kept pumping.

“Close,” I groaned. My spine burned. “Fuck, baby, come on.”

I pulled out and stood, tearing the condom off and stroking my cock as Tori spun around and knelt in front of me with her hands under her tits.

“Do it,” she whispered.

I groaned and pushed her hair out of her face so I could watch her lips part and the heat in her eyes as I shot my cum all over her chest, and she wasted no fucking time dipping her head and licking it off.

And when she was finished, Tori slowly lifted her head, dragged her tongue across her bottom lip, savoring me, and smiled.

My chest was so fucking tight, I was waiting for it to split wide open.

Tori’s eyes widened. She looked down and moved her hand between her cleavage, saying, “I, uh, missed some. Can you—”

“Get you a towel,” I offered, watching her head lift and then drop slightly.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

I bent and grabbed the condom and wrapper, disposing of those in the kitchen trash on my way to the bathroom. I washed off. I got the hand towel damp, returned with it, and handed it off to Tori so she could clean herself up. And while she was doing that, I claimed the pillow and stretched out on my back in front of the fire.

My eyes closed. I felt her warm body pressing against my side and the soft cotton of another blanket pulling across my feet.

“I’m cold,” she whispered.

Eyes opening, I wrapped my arm around her, hand palming her ass and hauling her closer.