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"Fuck, you feel so good," he groans.

I ride him slowly at first. Lifting up until just the tip is inside, then sliding back down. The angle hits my clit every time. My head falls back, and my hair spills over my shoulders.

"Look at me," Zander says.

I drop my chin. Meet his eyes. The intensity there makes my rhythm falter for a second. He thrusts up into me, taking over when I lose the beat. His hips piston in a steady rhythm that has me gasping.

"Harder," I demand.

He gives it to me. Fucking up into my pussy with deep, grinding strokes. The sound of our bodies slapping together fills the room. My breasts bounce with the movement. I reach behind and unclasp my bra, tossing it aside. His eyes drop to my nipples, hard and pebbled.

I lean forward, changing the angle. He hits deeper now. I moan against his mouth as I kiss him. Tongue and teeth and shared breath. My hips grind down to meet his thrusts.

"I'm close," he warns.

"Me too. Come with me."

I push myself up, riding him faster. My thighs burn, but I don't care. His thumb finds my clit, rubbing rough circles that match the rhythm of his thrusts. The pressure builds again, coiling tight in my belly.

"Zander…Fuck…"

The second orgasm slams into me. I clench around his cock, and he groans, thrusting up one last time. I feel him pulse inside me as I collapse onto his chest.

We stay tangled together in the twinkle-lit darkness while my breathing slowly settles and his heart pounds beneath my cheek. His fingers drift over the fern tattoo on my shoulder blade, tracing the lines without any real purpose, and neither of us says anything. There are things sitting between us now that neither of us is ready to put into words, but the silence doesn’t feel empty. I press a kiss over his heart, and he answers by brushing his lips over the top of my head.

Outside the window, a car passes. The headlights sweep across the ceiling and disappear. The room goes dark again. I shift closer and tuck myself against him, one leg sliding between his.

At some point, his breathing evens out.

The last thing I remember before I fall asleep is the strange awareness that the wall between our houses is only a few feet away.

For months, it carried music, arguments, requests, jokes, and everything we weren’t ready to say directly.

Tonight, we don’t need the wall to say anything for us. We haven’t put words to this yet, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know what’s happening.

Chapter twenty-two

ZANDER

Ruby gives me a suspicious look when I tell her to wear hiking shoes and bring a swimsuit.

“That’s all I get?”

“That’s all you need.”

She’s standing on her porch with one hand on the doorframe, still in leggings and a sweatshirt, her hair loose around her shoulders. “How far are you planning to drag me into the wilderness?”

“Not far enough to require a rescue team.”

“That answer isn’t as reassuring as you think it is.”

I smile. “Trust me.”

She studies me for another second, then disappears inside to change.

I’ve been wanting to bring her out here to this spot for a while. The trail isn’t anything dramatic or especially difficult, but it leads to a swimming spot my brothers and I found when we were teenagers and kept coming back to for years. It’s tucked far enough away from the easier river access that most people don’t bother with it, especially this late in the season.

When Ruby comes back out, she has a small backpack over one shoulder and her hair twisted into a loose braid. I take the bag from her before she reaches the truck.