Without You (Without You Duet Book 1)

by Marley Valentine

With every salty drop of emotion, I feel understood. With every salty drop of emotion, I feel a little less lost. With every salty drop of emotion, I feel tethered to a man I’ve spent my whole life hating. And with that last salty drop of emotion, I know I need to get the fuck out of here.

Sometimes I wonder if death really is the worst thing, because being alive and feeling so empty and hollow seems to be much worse.

My grief is between me and my brother, and I don’t need to prove anything to anyone.

It feels natural, understated almost. Like something I’ve done my whole life. Except there’s the warmth that explodes inside my chest as soon as my palm presses against him, and it... it definitely suggests otherwise.

He angles his head, lowering his mouth to my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. “What the fuck are you doing to me?”

But right now, I want nothing more than to crush my whole body against his. To meld my mouth with his and find out if his lips taste as good as they look. Throwing caution to the wind, I don’t know which one of us moves first. He tugs on my clothes, pulling me to him, while my hand curls around the back of his neck, bringing him to me.

“You don’t think I’m trying to forget how you feel against me? How you taste? How perfect your goddamn mouth is?” My body burns with every confession he sets free, and I hate him for it. I hate him for feeling the same, and I hate him for making it almost impossible to walk away.

With every swipe of his tongue, I feel understood. With every swipe of his tongue, I feel a little less lost. With every swipe of his tongue, I feel tethered to a man I can’t have. And with that last tantalizing swipe of my tongue against his, I know I’ll never be alone again.

“Does it freak you out?” “Does it freak you out?” I counter. “Deacon, I’ve had my whole life to get used to being attracted to men.” “I’m not attracted to men,” I say boldly. “I’m only attracted to you.”

I lower my hand to my stiff cock, but a commanding voice stops me. “Don’t fucking touch what’s mine.”

Emotion gets stuck in my throat; how did I ever think this man was indifferent and unfeeling? Love pours out of him, like he’s been waiting his whole life to shower someone with it.

Not caring who’s around, I grab his face and bring it to me. “You bought me gloves.” It’s not a question, or even a statement, it’s a fucking revelation. I think I’m in love with you. “You bought me gloves,” I repeat.

“Do you promise to suck my face later?” Deacon says into my ear. “If you promise to never stop buying me gloves, I promise to suck anything you want me to.” He chuckles. “What’s with you and the fucking gloves?” I think I’m in love with you.

“Get on your back,” he demands. “I want you to remember my face when I fuck you. So you know exactly who you’re walking away from, and the man you better fucking come back to.”

“I love you,” I exhale, my body deflating in a monumental wave of relief. No other three words in the English language have ever held this much weight and pressure over me. And finally, I’ve been given the most perfect moment to give them wings to fly. “I love you,” I repeat with even more conviction. “I love you, and I don’t want one more second to pass without you knowing how I feel about you.”

Taking deep, heavy breaths, Deacon closes his eyes and rests his forehead against mine. “It feels like I’ve waited so long to hear you say those words to me.” He presses his lips to mine, quick and forceful. “I feel like I’ve waited even longer to be able to say them back to you.”

Opening his eyes, he keeps his gaze locked with mine, his hands still resting on my cheeks. “I am so r...

“You’re the beat of my heart, the blood in my veins, the strength in my bones. None of me works without you. And if you need me to tell you every fucking day for the rest of our lives, then I will, because you are more than enough. You’re everything

“He might’ve had a piece of my heart, Deacon, but you own it. It’s yours till the day you say you don’t want it.” “Never,” I breathe into his neck. “I will never not want you.” “I’m so, so fucking sorry she said that to you,” he cries. “You are not less than or undeserving of anything, Deacon Sutton. You deserve to be happy, and you deserve to feel whole, and I won’t let anyone, not even your mom, take this away from us.”

“I love you more than my past,” he says. “I love you more than the obstacles the present has thrown in our way. Because you’re my future. And I’m going to love you forever because you’re my always.”