Crazy For You by Alexander, S.B. (best ebook reader ubuntu .TXT) 📕

center as he pounded into me hard and fast, and out of nowhere, a rush of heat blanketed me. As my stomach pitched and rolled and my toes tingled, I spewed noises I’d only heard from an actress in the throes of sex in some movie.

He grunted as he slowed, crashing his mouth to mine like a man possessed. “I’m in love with you, Skyler.”

I swore I was about to have another orgasm just hearing those words. Instead, I stiffened.

He dashed away a lone tear that had leaked out as he searched my face. “What is it?”

Why I was speechless, I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t that I didn’t think a guy could or would fall in love with me. But he was the man of my dreams. The one I’d had a crush on for so long had just taken me to places I could’ve never imagined, and he was telling me he loved me, which rocked my world even more.

I cried softly, smiling at the same time.

He sighed before showering me with the lightest of kisses all over my face. “I am so in love with you. I can’t get you out of my head. I go to bed thinking of you. I wake up thinking of you. And I want to be with you all the time.”

My watery eyes tracked his as he waited for me to say something. “You’ve made me the happiest girl alive. I love you hard, Colton.” Then the waterworks opened, and for once, I was crying tears of joy.

33

After rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I stretched, feeling the soreness everywhere on my body. I couldn’t help but smile so wide, I thought I would scream how happy I was, which I had never thought possible.

The morning light wormed its way through the slats in the shutters, and the clock on the glass nightstand read ten a.m.

I rolled over into a hot blanket of muscle to find Colton staring at me with a grin the size of Texas. “Morning.” His tone was husky, eliciting a string of goosebumps along my arms.

I curled up to him. We’d gone rounds two and three throughout the night, and I’d been ready to go for four, but Colton had run out of condoms. I’d never thought my first time with a guy would be so amazingly perfect despite the small amount of pain.

He brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed my fingers. “Any regrets?” I caught a glimpse of momentary fear in his eyes.

“None. You?” I was sure the sudden bout of dread settling in my throat was clear on my face as I held my breath.

He sucked on one of my fingers. “Nope.”

I slid my leg between his thighs and scooted closer to him. “So what happens now?” I asked. I’d never had a boyfriend before, and certainly not one who’d expressed his undying love for me.

So much had happened in the span of two days that I was somewhat dizzy with the next steps. Suddenly, my eyes watered as reality came crashing down like a meteor falling from the sky.

“What’s wrong?”

I swallowed thickly. “Just thinking of my dad.”

“I’m here, Skyler. I’m not going anywhere. I know I said that the last time, but I promise. You come first now. I love you.” His husky tone and strong conviction behind his statement massaged my heart and sent delightful shivers skating along my skin.

I would never tire of hearing him tell me he loved me. I wanted to hear him say it a million times more.

“Say it again.”

“I love you,” he whispered in my ear. “You make me feel alive for the first time since Josh passed away.”

I traced a path up and down his abs and chest as silence filled the space between us.

He didn’t know how much his love meant to me or how much he was the balm to my shattered soul. I was devastated over the loss of Dad, but I knew without a doubt that I could get through the days, weeks, months, even years ahead as long as I had Colton at my side.

“Are you going to school on Monday?” I asked.

“Yeah. I missed quite a few days.”

I had as well, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to sit through classes and see how happy kids were. Maybe being around lots of people would keep my mind from wandering. At some point, I had to get back to some sort of normalcy, and Dad wanted me to graduate.

“I think I will go too,” I mumbled as my phone rang.

I was sure it was Nan. Georgia was asleep in a guest room down the hall. She would have been pounding on the door otherwise. Mia, well, she had no reason to check on me.

The annoying piece of technology wouldn’t stop ringing.

“You should answer it,” Colton said.

I rolled over and snagged it just as the trilling died, only to start up again. My stomach rolled once as an eerie feeling washed over me.

Nan’s name flashed on the screen. Since it was Sunday, I wasn’t late for anything, or at least not that I knew of. Maybe I hadn’t heard Nan when I ran out the day before, all too eager to get in Georgia’s car.

“Skyler.” Nan sounded panicked when I answered.

I swung my legs over the bed, straightening. “What is it?” I couldn’t begin to think what had her spooked, unless someone had broken into the house. That was the only thing that came to mind. Nevertheless, the eerie feeling multiplied.

“Um… you need to come home now. Your Aunt Clara is here from California.”

“What? Why?” I knew she would probably want to go to Dad’s funeral, but Nan and I hadn’t set a date yet. “How does she know Dad died?”

“I called her on Friday night after we came home,” Nan said. “She needed to know, since she’s family.”

“Okay, but why is she here so soon? Dad just passed two days ago.”

“Please come home.” Nan’s plea was strong,