“That’s my good girl,” he rasps.
Then he slaps my pussy before he leans down and seals his mouth to me again.
My release rushes over me in a molten wave, setting my body on fire. It pools low in my belly before spurting out of me with an anguished cry. My vision fades for a few seconds before coming back in full color to find Alek resting on top of me with his fingers caressing my face.
His eyes are soft and warm on me as he croons sweet nothings.
When he sees I’m present, he smiles softly, brushing a kiss over my nose before leaning off me.
I throw my hands out to the side as if I lost all function of my body for those few seconds. Then I feel the cool plastic of the Nerf gun by the tips and a wicked little thought crosses my mind.
As he fusses over me, oblivious to my intentions, I inch the gun closer, every movement deliberate and silent. The moment it rests in my palm, I snap it up, cock it, and level it at his chest.
His jaw drops and his eyes widen. “You wouldn’t.”
“Say please.”
Recognition lights his eyes, and his lips twitch. “Please.”
“That’s a good boy,” I purr. Triumph surges through me as I slip out from beneath him, springing to my feet, every muscle coiled to bolt.
He tries to rise, but I am faster. I fire once, cock, fire again, then fling the gun at his feet and dash away, laughter bubbling up wild and free.
“Hayvin Marie,” he roars, his bare feet slapping against the floor as he races after me.
His arms catch me from behind the instant I cross my bedroom threshold, and I squeal with delight. Alek spins me in his grasp, tossing me onto the mattress. He hovers above me, his dick brushing against my slickness, his fingers gliding upmy arms, and pinning them overhead before weaving our hands together.
I melt beneath him as his gaze sweeps my face, love blazing in his eyes. Whenever he says those words now, I feel hope war with fear; he’s confessed it countless times since we parted, never demanding I echo them. There’s only gentle acceptance from him, never a flicker of hurt. I still carry pain from the one time I did say it—he left me for someone else. Since then, fear has sealed my lips. Each moment, my longing to trust him again wrestles with my old wounds, terrified of being rejected all over again.
Every day, the feeling swells deeper and fiercer, inching toward overwhelming me. It tightens my chest so much that I’m sure my heart will burst from holding it in.
I close my eyes as his lips flutter over my brows, drift across my eyelids, trace down my nose, and finally settle on my mouth.
Our kiss is gentle yet hungry, intoxicating and sweet, a rush of euphoria and longing. What stuns me most is the gratitude and pure love woven through it, so powerful that it brings tears to my eyes.
He must sense the tears slipping down my cheeks, because when he pulls away, I see panic quickly override the tenderness in his eyes. The shift from intimacy to alarm jolts the moment, and his concern radiates through every gesture.
“Fuck. I’m so sorry. This was too much. It was too soon.” His voice is thick with worry as he leans down, kissing the tears away. “We don’t have to go any further.” The words spill out fast, fear and regret tightening his features as he tries to reassure me.
“Let me go,” I say softly, urgently, needing my hands free so I can soothe his panic.
He’s quick to release me, but when he tries to lift off me completely, I wrap my legs around his waist, holding him to me.
I lift my hand to curl around his cheek, running my thumb along his stubbly jaw. “I love you, Alek.”
“What?” he whispers, tears shimmering in his eyes.
“I love you,” I murmur, lifting my head to brush my lips over his.
He presses his forehead against mine, not ashamed, as a tear falls from his eye. “God. I love you, too, baby girl. So fucking much.” He squeezes his eyes closed. “I thought I fucked up too much to hear you say those words to me again.”
“I was scared, too. For so long, I didn’t think I’d ever have this with you.” My relief and vulnerability tangle together. “This is all I ever wanted from you. I wanted—” I pause, shaking my head, then try again with trembling breath. “I needed you to finallyseeme. You had this side in you all along, Alek. You just had to shut out all the other shit that was blocking it.”
“I only have this side for you, Hayvin. Nobody else and no amount of apologies will ever make up for the hurt I caused you by making you believe differently.” He lifts his hand to cover the one I have on his face and leans into the touch. “I wish I could reverse time, so that I could fix what was broken inside of me much sooner. If I had done that, I’d have never lost you. I would have never hurt you as I did. Thank you. Thank you for gracing me with another chance to get this right with you. Thank you for loving me even when I didn’t deserve it because, baby, there were a lot of times I didn’t.” He kisses my nose. “Thank you for taking a risk in loving me again, trusting me not to put you through the same pain. I can’t promise to ever give you perfect, Hayvin, but I promise to give you all of me. For as long as you’ll have me.”
A happy sob heaves from my chest as tears drip down my temples. “Is forever too long?”
“Oh, baby girl,” he breathes against my lips, as he moves his hips and slides inside me. “Forever isn’t long enough.”
