Chapter 5
Lilly
I look down at my lap. Cash’s large hand is entwined with mine, his thumb moving slowly back and forth against my skin. The roughness and strength in his hand makes mine feel small and delicate. I can’t believe he told me he loves me. I knew it would come eventually. He shows me every day that he cares not only for Ashlyn, but for me as well. I have finally accepted that he is not going anywhere. Part of me is still hurt that he walked away from me when I needed him, but the other part understands why he did what he did. I would do anything for my daughter, just like he did for his son. “I think you should meet my parents,” I say, looking over at him. His eyes come to me for a second before going back to the road.
“Sure, we can go during your next school break.” He squeezes my hand before bringing it to his mouth and kissing my knuckles.
“I won’t have another break for a few months.” I try to think of a way to have my parents come out here, but right now, getting out of Alaska is like trying to get out of Alcatraz—nearly impossible. The only way in or out of the place I grew up is by boat or plane, and when the weather is bad like it has been, there is no way. “I was going to Skype my mom tonight so she could talk to Ashlyn. You can meet her then.”
“What’s Skype?” I look over in shock. Who in the world doesn’t know what Skype is?
“You’re joking, right?”
“No.” He shakes his head.
“Skype is only the best invention ever. You use your computer and the other person uses theirs and you call them then they are sitting there in front of you.”
“Like teleporting?” he asks and I burst out laughing.
“No, I'm explaining it badly. You see them on the computer like a live video feed. I got my mom hooked when I was home. Her sister lives in Hawaii and they hadn’t seen each other for over four years. Then my aunt was on Facebook one day telling everyone that she got Skype. My mom, who had become addicted to Facebook because of my aunt, wanted to know what Skype was so I took her and got her a camera to hook up to her computer. Now during the winter, when Mom’s stuck inside because there is normally ten-feet of snow outside, she Skypes with my aunt. They also they play all those annoying Facebook games and send everyone they know invites.” I take a deep breath when I'm done talking and he looks over at me and smiles.
“I don’t know what that is. I don’t have Facebook.”
“You don’t have Facebook?” I gasp. “How in the world do you know what’s going on with your friends if you don’t have Facebook?”
“I call them and say ‘hey, what’s going on? How are things? Anything new?’”
“Oh, yeah, I guess you could do that.” He squeezes my hand and chuckles.
“So, you want me to meet your mom over Skype? I'm not sure if I'm ready for such a serious step in our relationship.”
“Very funny.” I roll my eyes. “I’ll see if she can get my dad to sit down long enough to meet you as well.” I notice him shifting in his seat and squeezing my hand a little tighter. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I mean, I'm sure your dad hates me.” I want to say, ‘no, of course he doesn’t hate you,” but that would be a big fat lie. I’m Daddy’s little girl, have been and will always be. When I came home with Ashlyn, my parents fell in love with her and couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want her.
“My parents know that you didn’t send those texts,” I say gently.
“I know.” He takes a deep breath. “I'm sure they don’t believe that.”
“My mom thinks your ex sent them.”
“She’s the only person who could have,” he says, and I can feel my pulse speed up. I have never hated anyone in my life, but what I feel for her is close.
“Well, I know once my dad gets to know you, he will love you,” I tell him. He is honestly my dad’s dream-son, and I hope he gives him a chance.
“I'm sure it will be fine,” he says, and my stomach flips, wondering if this is a huge mistake.
*~*~*
“Honey, you have to move that out of the way, at least until I can get the camera turned on,” I hear my mom say. I look over at Cash, who is sitting next to me at his dining table. The computer is in front of us, the screen black, but we can both hear my parents arguing back and forth. Cash smiles, and I laugh when I hear my mom yell to get the damn thing out of her face. Finally, the screen turns on, and I see my mom sit down hard in her chair and glare off camera.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hey, honey.” My mom smiles then looks over at Cash, and her eyes get big before coming back to me. “Well, at least he’s hot, even if he is a prick.”
“Mom,” I snap.
“Oh, please, now I see why you went all gaga over him.” She waves her hand back and forth, and then I see a shadow over her right shoulder before my dad sits down next to her in one of their kitchen chairs. I suck my lips into my mouth, trying not to bust out laughing. My dad is wearing his hunting gear. His short hair is slicked away from his face, and under his eyes are black smudges of paint. He also has his shotgun out and his hunting knife in a knife holster under his arm.
“Hi, Dad.” I give a slight giggle. He glares at me, looks over at Cash, and I look over at Cash as well. His face is slightly red and he looks like he is trying not to laugh. “Dad, Mom, this is Cash. Cash, these are my parents, Frank and Tina Donovan,” I say.
“Nice to meet you, sir and ma’am.” He nods at both my parents, and we can hear my mom mumble something under her breath about manners and good looks.
“Dad, why are you wearing that?”
“Well, I thought that I should let this young man here know that I was a Seal. I know how to go into places and get out unnoticed. I know how to kill someone before they even know I'm there. And I know how to—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, but what does that have to do with your hunting gear?
“He can’t fit into his uniform,” my mom chimes in. “Trust me, honey, he tried. Even tried to have me button him up, and it was still a no-go.” My mom shakes her head, and then smiles when my dad turns to look at her and glare.
“Woman, I told you to stop baking all the damn time.”
“Oh, stop. Don’t blame your weight on my baking.”
“Mom, Dad...” I sigh.
“Fine,” my dad says, still looking at my mom. “Know that you’re going to pay for that later,” he says quietly, making my mom blush.
“Gross, can you both please act like normal parents for five minutes?” I shake my head.
“Memaw!” Ashlyn shrieks climbing onto Cash’s lap and waving into the camera.
“Hey, baby.” My mom sits forward, smiling.
“Papa, look! My daddy’s here!” Ashlyn looks at my dad then leans back, looking up at Cash. He leans forward, kissing her forehead.
“I see that, angel.” Dad’s face transforms into a smile. Ashlyn looks away from Cash, back to the computer.
“Oh wait! You hab to meet my brother!” Ashlyn squeals, climbing down from Cash’s lap. I can hear her in the other room yelling for Jax to come meet her Memaw and Papa. Cash and I look at each other and laugh. Cash slips his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. I feel his lips at my temple, and then Jax and Ashlyn are running into the room. Ashlyn climbs back onto Cash’s lap, and Jax looks at me for a second, seeming unsure. I hold out my arms and he smiles before jumping up to sit on my lap.
“F*ck me,” my dad says, looking between Jax and Ashlyn.
“Daddy!” I scold, covering Jax’s ears. Jax starts laughing, and then Ashlyn joins him. I look at both of them and shake my head. “Do not repeat what you just heard.”
“They could be twins,” my mom says, and I look up from the kids’ smiling faces to see tears in my mom’s eyes. “Nice to meet you, Jax. You can call me Memaw or Grandma,” my mom says, “and you can call this guy here Papa or Grandpa.” She points to my dad.
“Hi,” Jax says, giving a small wave before leaning back into me. I wrap my arms around him and kiss the top of his head. We have gotten closer over the last couple months, but it’s rare that he will cuddle. Just like Ashlyn, he likes to be off running around creating havoc and chaos.
“So how are you, angel?” my dad asks Ashlyn, who is cuddled back into Cash.
“Good! Daddy says I can get a dog,” she says randomly, and I look over at Cash and glare.
“I didn’t say it was going to happen today.” He looks a little sheepish.
“I want a dog,” Jax says, leaning back to look up at me.
“Um…I…well, one day.”
“Do you think that Spike will like having a dog?” he asks. I know, I know…I kinda ended up liking Spike; he’s cute. But I wonder if dogs eat ferrets.
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t want Spike to get hurt,” Ashlyn says.
“Who’s Spike?” my dad asks.
“My ferret,” Jax says, looking over at Ashlyn. “We should go get him.” Ashlyn nods before they both jump off our laps, running to the back of the house where the bedrooms are.
“Seems you two have your hands full and a good reason for birth control,” my mom says, and I laugh.
“Yeah, but they are both really good kids,” I say, leaning into Cash.
“So, what are your intentions with my daughter?”
“Dad!”
“Don’t you ‘Dad’ me; I want to know what his plans are.”
“Well, I would like Lil and Ashlyn to move in with me—” Cash starts to say something else, but my dad cuts him off.
“So you want to get the milk for free?” my dad asks with narrowed eyes, and Cash looks confused.
“Sorry, I'm not following.”
“You know, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free? You want my daughter and granddaughter to live with you, and you don’t want to marry her.
“No disrespect, sir, but that is something that I will be discussing with Lilly first before anyone else. And when the time’s right, I will come to you like a man and ask for your permission, not that it will change my mind about asking her,” Cash says, and my dad’s eyes flash, not with anger, but approval, and my tummy flips. Cash said when the time was right, he would ask me to marry him. Oh, my God.
“Well, I know what Lilly has told us about your situation and what happened in the past,” my dad says looking at me, his eyes going soft. “She believes you, so I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, but just remember what I said earlier about being a Seal.”
“You’re not a Seal; you’re a Papa Bear.” Ashlyn laughs, climbs into my lap, and Dad smiles. I look over at Jax, who has Spike in his arms as Cash picks him up to sit on his lap.
“This is Spike,” Jax says, holding the ferret out in one hand, his long body swinging back and forth.
“Isn’t he cute, Memaw?” Ashlyn cries, looking at my mom.
“He is something.” My mom makes an eeek-face at me, then smiles at Jax.
“So, has anything new happened?” my mom asks, and I want to tell her about what happened today with the police, but I don’t want her to worry about it. I know the cop said he believed me, so I just hope he finds who really did this and clears my name.
“Nope, nothing new at all.” Cash squeezes my shoulder. I smile, and my mom’s eyes narrow on me. Dammit, I need to work on becoming a better liar.
“So, Lilly says you do construction,” Dad asks Cash, and they start talking about Cash’s job, then about hunting and fishing, and my eyes start to feel heavy.
“All right, love bug, you need to go get ready for bed,” I tell Ashlyn, and she sighs loudly.
“Bye, Memaw. Bye, Papa.” She blows them each a kiss before getting down and walking into the bathroom.
“You too, little dude,” Cash tells Jax, who waves bye to my parents.
“Love you, Mom and Dad,” I say, leaning towards the camera.
“Love you too, honey. If you need to come home, you just say the word,” my mom says, and I feel Cash’s arm go tight around me.
“We’re good, Mom. I promise,” I tell her, giving her a genuine smile.
“All right, it was nice meeting you, son. You take care of my girls,” Dad says, looking at Cash, and then his eyes come to me. “Love you.”
“Love you too, Daddy,” I say softly, feeling his words deep inside my soul. My parents are the best.
“Nice to meet you both,” Cash says before the screen goes black on the computer and my parents are gone.
“I like your parents,” Cash says, and I look over at him.
“They are pretty awesome parents.”
“So what do you say we get the kids to bed and find a movie to watch?”
“Sure.” I start to stand and Cash stops me, dragging me down onto his lap.
“And tonight, you’re sleeping with me. No more sleeping in the room with Ashlyn,” he says, his eyes turning a shade darker, and then dropping to my mouth. We have only stayed over a couple of times, but I always sleep on the pull out in the room Cash fixed up for Ashlyn. I bite the inside of my cheek and give a slight nod. “Good. Now, let’s get the hellions to bed so I can get you alone.”
“Okay,” I breathe and feel his fingers flex into the skin at my waist.
“Okay,” he says, and his lips touch mine. His mouth opens, pulling my bottom lip between his teeth. I feel his tongue run over it before his hand slides up my back and into my hair, tilting my head further to the side. I press my tongue into his mouth; his teeth release my lip, and he puts more pressure on the back of my head, kissing me harder. My arms go around his neck, one hand in the back of his hair, running my fingers through it. When our mouths finally part, we’re both breathing heavily. I lean forward, resting my head in the crook of his neck. “The kids are quiet. We should go make sure they’re not trying to find out how many things they can flush down the toilet before it backs up,” he says after a few minutes. I start laughing. It wouldn’t be the first time, and he is right; when the kids get quiet, they are normally up to no-good.
“All right,” I sigh; I would much rather stay curled up in his lap for the rest of the night, but parenthood is a never-ending job. Cash stands, taking me with him. Once we’re up, we go down the hall to where two of the four bedrooms are located. Jax’s room is on one side of the hall, and Ashlyn’s is on the other. I stop before Jax’s room when I hear both of the kids’ voices. I can’t make out what they are saying, so I creep forward until I can peek my head around the door. I feel Cash’s hands at my waist and we both stand there in silence, listening to Jax and Ashlyn’s conversation.
“Daddy said that it’s my job as your big brother to take care of you.”
“Well, if Mommy and Daddy have another baby,” I feel Cash’s hands squeeze me, “I will be bigger than them,” she says, and I can see her putting her hands on her hips like a total diva.
“I will still be bigger.” He sighs like he is annoyed, making me giggle. I step into the room when Jax’s head comes up.
“What are you guys doing?”
“We were going to listen to a story,” Ashlyn says, picking up the Kindle Fire from the bed.
“Oh yeah? Did you both brush your teeth?”
“Yes,” they both say at the same time.
“Did you put Spike back and make sure that you locked the cage?” Cash asks, and I'm so glad he thought of that. I, for one, didn’t want to wake up with Spike in bed with me.
“Yes,” they both say at the same time again, looking at Cash and me like we’re annoying them.
“One story for both of you. Then it’s bed time,” Cash says.
“Fine,” they grumble. Ashlyn crawls up onto the bed with Jax, and they pull the Kindle between them and start an audio-story about the Bernstein Bears.
“We will be back to tuck you in,” I say, but may as well be talking to air because neither of them are listening to anything I have to say.
“So what do you say we skip the movie and go straight to the credits?” Cash says against my ear, his body wrapping around mine from behind as we walk down the hall.
“Who watches credits?” I moan when I feel his fingers slide just under the top of my jeans against my stomach.
“No one.” He bites my neck. I then feel his tongue licking the abused skin. My p-ssy jumps and wet heat floods my center. My head falls back against his shoulder, my arms going over my head and around his neck. The fingers of one of his hands travels down the front of my jeans, while his other hand comes up to cup my breast under my shirt and over my bra. Goose bumps break out over my skin when I feel the tip of his finger slide between my folds and over my *.
“Yes,” I whisper, arching back as my eyes close.
“As much as I want to tear open your jeans and make you come, we can’t do anything until the kids are asleep,” he groans, flexing his hips into my ass. I can’t help but pout when he pulls his hand out of my jeans. When I turn around, his eyes look over my face and he smirks. “My poor baby. I left you all swollen and wet.” His words send a shiver down my spine, and my p-ssy contracts. “I hope you don’t plan on getting much sleep tonight.” He pulls me against him, and I feel the hardness of his cock against my stomach. “And I hope you didn’t have anything important to do tomorrow, because there is no guarantee you’re going to be able to walk.” I feel my pulse speed up, and I take a deep breath. “I love that look, baby.” He leans in kissing me.
*~*~*
“Take off your clothes.” I jump and spin around at the sound of Cash’s voice. I’m standing in front of his dresser, grabbing a t-shirt to put on after I get out of the shower I am about to take. I had left him a few minutes ago when he was going to “shut down the house” as he put it, and check on the kids one last time before coming to bed. I was nervous. I wanted Cash in the worst way, but I still had no experience except for him that one time, and my LELO, which I used to get myself off.
“Wh-what?” I stutter out. The look in his eyes is so primal that I start to take a step back.
“Lil, I’m not f*cking around.” He runs a hand through his hair, making it look messier. “Lose the clothes.”
“Um…” I start to say that I was going to shower, but before I know it, he’s in front of me, his hands ripping my shirt off over my head. I'm caught off guard, but also turned on by how badly he wants me.
“I’m sorry, baby, but this is going to be fast. It’s been too long, and I want you too much.” His teeth sink into my neck, and I notice he does that a lot, almost like he’s marking me. His hands are at the button of my jeans, and then I can hear my zipper sliding down. My hands go under his shirt, running along the smooth hot skin of his back. I pull it up, his hands leaving me long enough to put his arms up over his head, pulling his shirt off. My hands automatically wander to his abs, feeling the ridges and valleys under my palms. His body is like a living work of art. “Baby,” he growls, “you have to stop touching me or this is going to end before I even have a chance to make you come or slide inside of you.” His mouth slams down onto mine as he starts walking me backwards. My hands go to his hair. God, I love his hair. I feel the back of my knees hit the edge of his bed. I feel my jeans tugged down over my hips. Then his mouth leaves mine as he pushes me gently so that I fall onto the bed behind me. He pulls my jeans the rest of the way off. His hands go to my knees, spreading my legs wide. They then slide up my inner thighs where I can feel his thumbs on the outer-edge of my panties. I come up on my elbows so I can see what he’s doing. His eyes meet mine before his face lowers and he runs his nose up the center of the lace that is covering me.
“Cash.” I can hear the uncertainty in my own voice.
“What, baby?” His mouth is hovering over me.
“I…I...” I try to close my thighs. His hands tighten on my legs. I can feel his fingers imprinting into my skin.
“Don’t.” He turns his head, and I can feel his mouth open over the skin of my inner thigh and suck deeply.
“Oh.” I fall back, covering my face. I can feel my p-ssy contract as his hand on my other thigh travels up and under the edge of the lace, his thumb sliding over my *, then inside.
“F*ck, I’m not going to last,” he says again, taking his mouth away from my thigh. He stands, pulling off his jeans. His hands go to the bed on each side of me. “I’ll make it good for you next time, baby,” he says, pulling me up so I’m in the center of the bed. He rips the delicate lace away from my body, tossing it across the room. Then his mouth is on one of my nipples, then the other. His fingers slide down my belly, and I feel one enter me and pull up, then out, and suddenly two are filling me. My head starts to thrash back and forth. “I can’t do this,” he grits out. My eyes fly open when he lifts one of my legs up and over him, turning my body so that he is sitting between my legs. I look down and see his very large erection and his fist wrapped around it.
“Condom,” I say, and he holds one out and smiles before ripping open the gold package with his teeth. His other hand is slowly stroking up and down his cock while his eyes are looking between my legs. His eyes come to mine before dropping to his cock, holding the tip of the rubber before sliding it down over his length.
“I can’t wait,” he growls as he leans forward, filling me in one stroke.
“Oh, God!” I cry, my back arching and my nails digging into his biceps.
“Shit. I’m sorry, baby.” He stills, his hands going to my face as he leans in and kisses me gently.
“Don’t stop,” I moan, wrapping my legs around him. I’m not in pain; I just feel full and stretched. My nails scrape down his back when he pulls out.
“Jesus, you’re so f*cking tight.” He leans forward, my mouth meeting his as I dig my nails into his scalp when he pulls out and slides back in quickly.
“Yessss,” I hiss. My fingers go between our bodies and slide over my *, making my hips surge up.
“F*ck yeah, touch yourself.” He sits back on his calves, pulling my knees up as his eyes smolder, watching our connection and what my fingers are doing. I can feel heat pool in my belly, and I know that I’m going to come.
“Please, harder,” I moan and feel him slam against me. I can feel that heat in my belly start to turn into a delicious weight.
“You’re so beautiful,” he says, his voice strained. My eyes open to look at him. His head goes back, his jaw tight, eyes closed, and I can tell he’s trying to hold off until I come. “I need you to come, baby,” he says, and his eyes open as he leans forward, pulling one nipple into his mouth before biting down on it. And that’s all I needed to send me over. My legs tighten, my hips raise, and that heat and weight turn into a tingle. Then I shatter, seeing a million colors dance behind my closed eyelids. I moan out his name, shoving my face into his neck.
“Shit,” I hear Cash say as his hips jerk before leaning forward and biting onto my shoulder. His movements slow and I can feel myself still convulsing around him, trying to pull him deeper. “That went better than I expected.” The skin of my neck muffles his words.
“What?” I run my hands though his hair and wrap my legs a little tighter around him.
“I didn’t think I would be able to hold out until you came.” He licks my shoulder where he had bitten it. His head leans back so I can see his face. “Hey.” He smiles, and both of his dimples make an appearance. His finger runs from my forehead to my chin.
“Hi,” I say softly back; he is so handsome, and I can still feel him inside me, and I know that it’s stupid and immature, but I want to stand up and jump on the bed while yelling ‘I just had amazing, mind-blowing sex with Cash Mayson!’
“What’s that smile?” he asks, leaning in to kiss me.
“Just happy,” I say, tilting forward to kiss him. His cock twitches inside of me, and he groans before slowly sliding out. My eyes close slightly, and a soft mewl climbs up my throat at the loss of him.
“Let’s shower.” He kisses my lips, then my chest and belly, as he climbs off the bed. Once he’s up, he pulls me up so we’re both standing next to the bed. “Then we can come back here and do that again.” His smile is wicked before he kisses me, leading me into the bathroom. I stand behind him, watching his muscles move as he tosses the condom into the trashcan and leans in to turn on the shower. Once he has the temperature right, he looks over his shoulder at me, his eyes traveling down my body. “I have wanted to see you naked, soapy, and wet since we were in Asher’s shower. I guess sometimes wishes do come true.” He smiles, taking my hand, pulling me in and under the showerhead. His hands work warm water through my hair, then shampoo and conditioner. I close my eyes, relaxing into the feeling of him touching me. “Am I putting you to sleep?” He chuckles, and I open my eyes to see him with a big, pink loofa that is covered with bubbles. I raise an eyebrow, looking at it. “It’s the only color they had.” He shrugs and starts washing me slowly. When he’s finished, he kisses me, and then pulls me behind him and starts washing his own hair. I pick up the same loofa and dump tons of soap on it, washing his back and watching the bubbles slide down his skin and onto the floor of the shower. When he turns around to face me, he’s hard again. He takes the loofa from me.
“Hey, I was doing that.” I pout, feeling like he just stole my candy.
“I know, baby, but with your hands on me, I can’t control myself, and I didn’t bring a condom in here.”
“Oh,” I say, looking him over, my hands tingling with need to touch him.
“You need to get on birth control,” he says, and my eyes go to his.
“I'm on birth control. I got on it after Ashlyn was born because my cycle went all wonky,” I say, and I can feel my eyebrows pull together.
“You are?”
“Yes. But that doesn’t protect against other things.”
“I haven’t been with anyone else, Lil, not since long before my divorce. Even when I was married, I used a condom.”
My stomach rolls, and I hide my face with my wet hair. “Oh.” I bite the inside of my cheek. I hate that he was married. I hate that I forget about it all the time, and then something reminds me that this hasn’t always been mine.
“Hey, what’s going on in there?” he says, tapping my forehead.
“I just hate it so much. Can we not talk about you sleeping with her? Like, ever?” I say, feeling like I want to cry.
“I hate it too.” He nods, pulling me into him. “We can use protection until you feel ready not to, okay?” He rubs his hands down my back. “I'm clean. I get tested every year with my physical for insurance.” His body stills, then he pulls me away from him. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Have you?” His jaw clenches. “I mean, have you been tested lately?”
I shake my head. “Cash, you’re the only person I’ve ever slept with. Before a few minutes ago, the one time we did it, when I gave you my virginity, was the only time I’ve ever made love. I was too concerned with Ashlyn. I didn’t have time to date…or even really want to.”
He looks at me with a mixture of shock and awe. “I’m so happy I’m the only one you’ve ever been with. I don’t think I would be able to handle it as gracefully as you do, knowing I’ve been with others,” he says gently. I lay my forehead against his chest. “I don’t mind not using condoms. I mean, I got pregnant with Ashlyn when we used a condom before.”
“Yeah, and the same thing happened with—” he starts to say her name but stops, and his arms around me tighten so much that the air rushes out of my lungs.
“What’s wrong?” I say when I'm able to take a breath.
“Nothing, baby, let’s get out,” he says abruptly, turning away from me to turn off the water and get out of the shower, pulling a towel down from the shelve and wrapping it around me before getting one for himself.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m good. You’re here; my kids are here. I couldn’t be better.” He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, and I want to ask again but know it will be pointless, so I just sigh and let it drop. Once we’re back in the bedroom, I start to pull out one of his shirts from the dresser. I squeak when he picks me up, carrying me to the bed and tossing me onto the mattress before ripping my towel from my body.
“What are you doing?” I don’t know why I ask; I can tell by the look in his eyes exactly what he has planned.
“I'm going to explore you.” He smiles, climbing up the bed.
“Oh,” I breathe when I feel his hands at my feet start to move up my legs.
“Yeah, I missed you. I missed the way you laugh.” He pulls my leg up, kissing the inside of knee. “I missed your smell.” He pulls my other leg up, kissing that knee as well. “I missed your touch.” He runs his hands up the tops of my thighs. “I missed the way we could talk for hours about nothing and everything.” His hands go to my stomach, then up my rib cage. “I missed your kisses.” His knees spread my legs wider. “I missed your mouth.” He leans forward, his mouth landing on mine. “I love you, and I'm so glad I have a second chance,” he whispers against my lips, his forehead touching mine before sliding back inside me. And for the rest of the night, we make love, touch, talk, and share. He explores me and lets me return the favor. When I close my eyes to go to sleep, my body is tucked tight next to his, my head on his shoulder, my leg between his, and his arm wrapped around my waist. I love him, and I’m happy to have a second chance too.