VALOROUS (A Quantum Novel)(26)

She lifts herself up, just high enough to position my cock where she wants it. Then she comes down slowly, exhaling as she takes me in, her eyes widening, her lips parting, her breasts heaving. So f*cking sexy. “Is that right? Am I doing it right?”

“You’re perfect. Feels so good.” I have to bite my lip to keep my focus on the pain that sears my lip rather than what I’d like to do right now. I have to be calm for her, tender, gentle.

It takes a good five minutes, maybe longer, before she takes me all the way inside her. She is so tight and so hot around my cock, which gets harder from the effort it’s taking to remain still and in control.

Natalie lays her hands on my chest and gazes down at me, the look of concentration on her face beyond adorable.

“Move your hips, honey. Like before. Ride me.”

She pivots her hips, and I feel her tighten around me, her muscles rippling as she struggles to accommodate me. It’s the most incredible feeling, but I can’t help but think about the many ways I could make this even more incredible for both of us.

“Flynn… I want your hands. Touch me.”

I sit up and wrap my arms around her, bringing her breasts in snug against my chest.

“Yes,” she says with a sigh as she curls her arms around my neck. “That’s so much better.” The new position sends me deeper into her, allowing me to reach the spot that has her mewling with pleasure. We settle into an increasingly more frantic pace, her fingernails digging into my shoulders and her hips swiveling. I love the ways she feels, how she smells, the sounds she makes, the way she clings to me as we make love.

The love, I discover, makes all the difference. I can do this. I can be this regular guy with her, because I love her so damned much. I reach down to where we’re joined, and the light touch of my fingers to her clit makes her scream as she comes. I could make this last for an hour or more if I wanted to, but she’s not ready for that, so I give in and go with her, riding the waves of her release.

She shudders in my arms, and our mouths come together in a deep, searching kiss. I kiss her for a long time, until I feel her trembling begin to subside, and then I turn us so I’m on top, looking down at her.

Her eyes are wide and her cheeks rosy from the heat we’ve generated together. “So good,” she says softly.

I nod in agreement.

“Was it good for you, too?”

“Nat, of course it was. It’s amazing.”


“You don’t have to say that if it isn’t true. I know you’ve had so many other women—”

I kiss her before she can finish that thought. “I’ve never had any woman that I love as much as I do you. That makes all the difference.” I kiss her again and withdraw carefully from her. “Be right back.” In the bathroom, I dispose of the condom and wince when my injured hand reminds me of the emotional breakdown earlier.

I’m on a tightrope with this relationship, moving carefully to avoid a disaster, but constantly off balance as I navigate this difficult situation. On the one hand, I’ve never been happier in my life than I’ve been since Natalie came into it, making me feel like I’ve finally found the other half of me. But on the other hand… The other hand is where the trouble lies. It’s where the other half of my personality lives, the half I’m keeping hidden from her lest I scare her away.

Leaning over the sink, I splash cold water on my face. My injured hand has begun to hurt, but I can’t take the time to care about that when Natalie is in the next room waiting for me. I have to stay focused on her and what she needs as we continue along this journey together.

She’s the only thing that matters.





After dinner, Flynn opens another bottle of wine, and we settle in to watch the Critics’ Choice awards on TV.

“Do you wish you were there?” I ask an hour into the show.

“Nah. It’s okay. I have the best possible excuse for missing it.”

I smother a yawn. “Why does your category always have to be at the end?”

“Because it’s the most important,” he says with a wink.

I’m half-asleep by the time his name is called for Best Actor. Hayden goes up on the stage to accept the award.

“I’m happy to accept this award on behalf of my friend Flynn, who was unable to be here tonight.” He doesn’t say why. He doesn’t have to. “Flynn asked me to pass along his thanks to the Broadcast Films Critics Association for this incredible honor. The making of Camouflage was an amazing experience for all of us at Quantum, and I have to say with complete objectivity, you got it right with this award. Flynn did the best work of his career in this film. Thank you for honoring his amazing performance with this award. I gratefully accept it on his behalf.”

“That was really nice,” I say softly, pleased and touched by Hayden’s heartfelt words.

“Yeah, it was.”

We watch long enough to see Camouflage win the award for Best Picture before Flynn shuts off the TV.

“So amazing,” he says softly. “We worked so hard on that film, put everything we had into it. To see it recognized this way…” He stops when his voice seems to leave him.

“It deserves every award, every accolade. I could watch it a hundred times and still want more.”

“You like it better than The Sound of Music?”