Among the Echoes(65)

Her body pulses around me as she rolls her hips against my mouth. With one last swipe of my tongue, she comes, calling my name as she hits her climax. It’s not loud or wild. Instead, she says it with such reverence that it hits me in a place that’s so deep I never even knew it existed before now. I slowly lower her back to the bed, continuing to taste her on the way down. She shoves a hand into my hair as I trail kisses up her stomach and over each breast. I slide up her body, covering her completely. I’m careful to read her reaction for any type of hesitance, but if she even gives it a second thought, I can’t tell.

I reach toward the nightstand to retrieve a condom, but she shakes her head. "Don’t. I started birth control as soon as you came back."

I lift a questioning eyebrow. "Then why have I been using condoms for the last four weeks?"

"Because I didn’t want to hear you call me beautiful the first time we were truly together. I wanted you to be with me." Her eyes well with tears.

"You have to stop crying in bed or I’m going to develop a complex," I tease then kiss her gently. She quietly laughs as she swipes the tears from her face. "I’ve been dating a woman, and no, she wasn’t always you. But in this bed, I’ve only ever been with Erica. This might be the only place you were ever truly honest with me."

She gives me the smallest smile and pushes her hips up off the bed, signaling to me that she’s ready for more. I move a hand between us, and this time, she doesn’t even flinch. Slowly, I guide my cock inside her tight * and she throws her head back against the pillow.

Rubbing my scruff against her cheek, I lean down and whisper, "Erica," into her ear just so there is absolutely no question in her mind about who I’m with right this second.

For well over an hour, I make love to Erica. It’s not the normal hot and frantic sex we usually have, but that doesn’t make it any less incredible. Every time she gets close, I ease up and keep her on the edge. It’s slow and agonizing, but in the end, it gives us both exactly what we need—a connection without words, without lies, and without hurt. It gives us a new beginning.





"Holy shit!" I exclaim when I walk into Slate’s Chicago apartment.

When I think apartment, even for a big, famous, rich guy, I think small and compact. But this place is the exact opposite. I knew Slate had money, but he seems like such a low-key guy that this place actually surprises me. It’s huge. There’s a private entrance and a scary security guard. I thought for a minute that Leo and I were going to be frisked before we were allowed to enter. Thankfully we weren’t, because I know Leo never leaves home without a gun stashed somewhere.

Slate sent us first in case there were any paparazzi staking out his place. He says that it’s rare for them to track him outside of LA but not completely unheard of. With his retirement announcement still fresh, he didn’t want to take any chances.

"Well, it’s definitely a step up from the last place," Leo says, dropping his bag beside me.

This morning, Leo officially withdrew us from the Witness Protection Program. I thought it would have been a long process with lots of paperwork to reclaim our identities, but not even three hours later, a manila envelope appeared on our doorstep with driver licenses, passports, and birth certificates enclosed inside. I am officially Erica Renee Hill again. I’m so freaking excited that I can’t even bring myself to be scared.

"Did he tell you where we are supposed to be sleeping?" I ask Leo, who is currently typing numbers into the security panel, locking things back down.

"I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you will be sleeping in his bed and I’ll be in the guest room," he answers, being his usual smartass self.

"Do you think he really wants to share a room? That’s like moving in together."

"You’re kidding, right?" he asks with a slight laugh.

"No, I’m not kidding! I’ve never lived with a man before." He gives me the ‘Oh, really?’ look that makes me shout, "You don’t count!"

"Babe, I’m pretty sure you got married last night. There may not have been a ring or preacher, but you definitely got hitched. I won’t even begin to tell you how many zeros are in my security budget. Call me crazy, but I think he’s serious about you."

"Shut up. I know he’s serious, but living together is a totally different story. And wait. How many zeros are we talking?"