When Our Worlds Stand Still (Our Worlds #3)(30)

We’d spent those last two weeks figuring everything out. We spent an entire year not being in each other’s lives, and yet somehow, being in each other’s life. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a weird dynamic, the grace period for finding our comfort again. Graham was worried about overstepping, and I was worried I wasn’t pushing myself hard enough for him.

“I’m made of flesh, Graham. I tear, I rip, I break, but what I can’t handle is you treating me like I’m made of porcelain. So please, let me be the girl in my bedroom, and just love me.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard.” His fingers grip the bottom of my dress, sliding it up my thighs, over my torso, and finally, nothing blankets my skin.

Graham’s hands find comfort on the sides of my face. He leans in to kiss me but quickly moves down my neck to my bare chest.

My breath deepens with anticipation of what’s to come. A loud intake of air echoes through the room when I feel his warm lips graze my nipple, and then the other, taking the necessary time on both.

“Gra … Graham …” I mutter.

Through his long eyelashes, he peers up at me. “I know, babe.”

His experienced hands rest over the strings of my underwear. When his touch slips beneath the fabric and pulls them down my legs, they flutter to the ground with a loud, silent thud. The weight of them rests on my heart.

Unbuttoning his shorts, Graham allows them to drop to the floor, pooling at his ankles. I take him in, forgetting what it felt like to see him naked, and desperate to reach out and touch him. Any part of him.

Before I can act on my urge, Graham reaches between my legs, running his rough fingertips over my most sensitive spot. A visible shudder runs through me. I slip forward to entice him to go deeper. He dips one, then two fingers inside me, and I moan loud, loud enough to gain the attention of anyone who may walk by the laundry room.

He smirks the most telling smile, the one which screams he’s amused at my response. I reach between us and stroke him, aware of how familiar he seems to me.

I inch forward until my ass is on the edge of the dryer. Graham slips his fingers out of me, grabs the wallet in the back pocket of his shorts, and sheaths himself in a condom. He guides himself to my entrance. I patiently wait for the fresh burn of desire, and when I feel it, I wrap myself around him. We fall into a rhythmic dance, kissing every inch of skin we can reach, until we find ourselves teetering on the edge together.

“Nothing will ever compare to being with you,” I state, tucking my chin, and hiding out of embarrassment.

Graham forces my chin level, and his eyes soften. “It’s okay to feel that way, you know?”

“Sometimes there’s guilt with it,” I admit. With a deep breath, I continue. “Sex shouldn’t be easy for me. I understand that’s my reality, but when I’m with you, a comfort I never thought I’d find again is present.”

“You aren’t what happens to you, Kennedy.” He kisses me on the tip of my nose. His arms wrap around my waist, making me melt into him.

“Anyways …” I lean back, separating our skin. Space is needed from this conversation. “Tell me about Ben.” I change the subject.

The proud gleam on Graham’s face tells me everything I need to know. He laughs at a private memory, perhaps, or maybe he finds my subject change amusing. Either way, the smile is pure and unfiltered.

“Ben’s the type of kid you have to experience to understand. He’s strong-willed. Hell, he’s strong in general,” Graham explains. “He witnessed his father killing his mother. I’m not sure how, but his father must have been high, or maybe he didn’t care he was there, but Ben managed to hide under a side table.”

I cover my mouth to hold in the gasp. “Oh my god!” The image of Ben, the boy in the Batman pajamas and barefoot, hidden away out of fear for his own safety, breaks my heart.

Shame clouds Graham’s eyes. “It sort of makes my upbringing seem like Disney World.”

“It’s a different kind of pain to endure, is all.”

“Nonetheless, he was only five at the time. Far too young to witness such hatred, and too young to understand why he no longer had his mother looking after him.”

“Now I sort of understand why you’ve taken such an interest in him and that place,” I state. The pride is evident in my words. “You are Ben. Ben is you.”

“I don’t think he should go through life believing no man has ever cared for him. Coach did it for me, Kennedy. It’s time to do the same.”

I press my hand to his heart. “There’s the boy I’ve always told you about, Graham. He’s always been in there.”

Graham shakes the insecurities from his head. “You always believe in me.”

“Look at you. It’s hard not to.” A pregnant pause fills the space between us. “You’re here, even when you weren’t sure I would be. I may never understand why or how you managed, but I’m glad you did, Graham.”

“When the time was right, I had every intention of convincing you I was what you wanted.”

My heart freezes at his words, then pounds. The skin tingles as I take a deep breath.

He leans in, brushing his fingertips over the droplets of water on my collarbone. “I hope your silence means you’re convinced?”