Page 60 of View With Your Heart

“Gavin?” I question.

“This was my favorite position that weekend.” He bends me forward to grip the top of the railing. The blanket drapes over us, but it will fall within seconds as Gavin thrusts into me, restoring our connection. “Look up at the stars, baby.”

Momentarily, I glance upward to a black night covered in pinpricks of light. The waves slowly lap at the lake’s edge below, and in the distance, a thumping beat comes from the bar. Gavin matches the rustic sound, slamming into me over and over as I clutch the decorative railing, holding on tight as he surges forward, filling me.

“So good,” he mutters, fingers digging into my hips as he moves in and out. My breath continues to catch until he leans forward, skimming one hand to my belly, seeking lower on me. He brushes at my clit as he enters me on repeat. I hiss his name in wonder and surprise as the sensation is more than anything I’ve felt before.

“I’m going to break again,” I warn. Nothing’s ever been this intense.

“Yes. Again. Break all over me.” The words push me over the edge, and my knees lock, holding me in place as I come. He pistons into me, drawing it out until he stills as well, buried as deep as he can be while he goes off inside me. How I wish he was bare. How I wish we could share that experience, but we’ve already done such a thing. I force my mind away from history as I soak up what we’ve done in the present.

Sex on a balcony. Reversed to a railing. Under the moonlight.

I’ll never think of the moonlight the same.

Take 21

Scene: Emily and Jess’s Wedding

[Gavin]

I didn’t want Britton to feel like she was some one-and-done hookup, so after we clean up from sex on the balcony, we go to her house where I spend the night, promising to sneak out in the morning. I just want to hold her as I’d said, and in many ways, I did it more for me than her. I don’t want things to be like Zoey and me, where we rushed and rolled to our corners of the bed. We were fast, furious, and finished in fifteen. I don’t want that with Britton. She isn’t that kind of woman.

Like Jess had said, she’s the kind you move home for, and thoughts of doing such a thing continue to creep into my head. I couldn’t move here-home. I have a home. I have a new career. I need to be there.

But the time limit on my stay is speeding faster.

Friday evening is a casual rehearsal dinner at Ethan’s restaurant. Jess and Emily are being married in the old red barn on the property, and it’s the first event Ethan will host with such a large gathering.

“It’s a trial run to see if we even want to host bigger events. You’re my guinea pigs,” Ethan teases Jess and Emily.

“More like lab rats.” Jess snorts. “Although everything better go off without a hitch for my girl.”

Emily smiles every time Jess calls her his girl, and I wonder how Brit would feel if I want to call her mine.

After dinner, I make my way to her place where we watch a movie with Gee, and then I join him in his room to watch him play a few rounds of a new video game.

“Okay, buddy, time to let Coach have a break,” Britton says after I don’t know how much time has passed.

I hadn’t paid much attention to his room as Gee dragged me directly to the small monitor and gaming system. When I stand from my seat on his bed, I notice a magnetic board covered with pictures, school certificates, and baseball awards. My eyes catch on something, and I do a double take.

“Your name is Gavin?” I turn to Gee and feel Britton’s eyes on me from where she leans against the doorjamb. Slowly, she straightens.

Gee shrugs, unwilling to remove his eyes from the screen. “Yeah, isn’t it cool we have the same name? Everyone always calls me Gee, though.” His focus doesn’t stray from the game where military men follow each other through the jungle. However, I look at Britton, questioning the name choice.

“No more than thirty minutes,” Britton warns her son and steps away from his room.

“Night, little man,” I say, ruffling the hair on his head, which jostles the headset. He restores it without a glance at me but waves to acknowledge what I’ve said. Stepping into the short hall, I find Britton waiting for me, her back against the wall.

“Gavin, I can explain.”

“Fuck, Brit. You gave him my name?” I stare at her, incredulous as I swipe a hand through my hair.

“I just—”

“I’m fucking honored.” Pride fills my chest as I beam at her, cupping her cheek and crushing my lips to her. I kiss her as my chest puffs with the tribute until a thought occurs, and I pull back. “What did Patrick think of that?”

Britton nervously swipes back at her hair, holding her hand at the side of her neck. She hasn’t moved from the wall, and her eyes lower to my chest.