She's never looked more beautiful.
"I need you to come back," she says. "I need you to survive this. Because I can't do this alone anymore. I can't keep pretending I don't need you."
"Then stop pretending. Let yourself need me. Let yourself trust that I'll be here."
She searches my face for any sign of doubt, but I don't give her one.
I believe what I'm saying.
I have to believe it because the alternative is unacceptable.
I lean down and kiss her and when she kisses me back, it's with a desperation that tells me everything she can't put into words.
Angelica has fallen helplessly for me the way I have for her.
We're inseparable now, and it makes me want her more than ever.
I deepen the kiss and she responds immediately.
Her hands move to my hair.
Her body presses against mine.
All the tension and anxiety from the past few hours pours into this moment.
I roll her onto her back, my body covering hers as the kiss warms to a passionate flame.
Her lips part under mine, and I taste the salt of her tears mixed with the sweetness that's all her.
My hands slide down her sides, gripping the thin fabric of her nightgown, bunching it up until I feel the smooth heat of her skin beneath my palms.
"God, Angelica," I groan against her mouth. "You drive me insane."
She arches into me, her nails scraping lightly down my back, sending sparks through my veins.
"Then show me," she whispers, her breath hitching. "Show me how much."
I don't hesitate.
I tug the nightgown higher, exposing her thighs, her hips, until I can pull it over her head and toss it aside.
She's bare underneath, her body glowing in the moonlight, every curve and shadow begging to be touched.
I dip my head, trailing kisses down her neck, nipping at her collarbone as she gasps, her fingers tangling in my hair.
"You're so fucking beautiful," I murmur, my mouth closing over one breast, sucking hard enough to make her moan.
Her nipple hardens under my tongue, and I tease it with my teeth, just on the edge of pain, while my hand cups the other, rolling the peak between my fingers.
She bucks against me, wrapping her legs around my waist. "More," she demands, "I need more of you."
I shift lower, kissing a path down her stomach, feeling her muscles quiver under my lips.
My hands spread her thighs wider, and I settle between them, inhaling her musky scent.
I glance up at her, her eyes locked on mine, dark with desire.
My tongue flicks out to taste her, savoring the way she shudders.
