A tightness clutched my cock, a thickness pooling inside her. I knew she was almost there again, even before I heard, “I’m going to come.”

I added pressure to her clit just as my own orgasm began to surface.

“Ahhh!” she shouted, rising to my crown, lowering to my base, pulling at my own passion until it exploded.

“Whitney,” I roared, filling her as each round shot out of me.

She took her final bow and climbed off, our breaths now the only sounds in the room. As her chin rested over my chest, I stared into those dark eyes.

“You’re incredible.” I gripped her, making sure she didn’t move. “You need to know that.”

Her smile covered her whole face, and she linked our fingers, laying her head down, positioning her body horizontally across the bed. Several minutes passed before she looked up once more. “What have you done to me, Caleb?”

“I was just thinking the same.”

I cupped her cheek, and she kissed the backs of my fingers as my eyes closed. “Good night, baby.”

Twelve

Improvements came in small increments. Each morning, I woke with a stiffness still present in my spine, forcing myself to stretch and exercise with techniques Whitney and my physical therapist had taught me. I repeated those practices through the afternoon and evening, pushing myself harder every day. I was relearning my body, my posture, training my mind to find comfort in the moments that were the most painful.

As my strength grew, I used my wheelchair less, relying on my walker. But help was something I still needed at home, and as Whitney spent more nights at my place, I cut down on Veronica’s hours.

Our relationship and her responsibilities were colliding in a way we couldn’t control. I didn’t want anyone taking her place professionally, and I also didn’t want her to feel like she was constantly on the job. And since she didn’t want her time overlapping with another nurse, there was no spontaneity; everything had to be planned prior to her coming over. That never seemed to affect Whitney; she was the most easygoing woman I’d ever met, but I was looking forward to when she could fall asleep on my chest and not have to schedule it beforehand.

Still, I wouldn’t trade those evenings for anything. Not when I got to hear her breathing deepen, watch her face relax, her body twitch as she began to dream. On the nights she didn’t stay, I found myself missing her.

That was a feeling I hadn’t experienced before.

Even when the guys were here, occupying my attention, like they were now, I still thought of my girl.