Ali blinked, then laughed—soft and breathless and still a little dazed. “They’re loaned, not stolen.”
“They areclaimed,” he said, dragging his thumb gently along her jaw. “You’re never taking them off around me again.”
She rolled her eyes but the smile stayed. “You’ve got a whole thing now, don’t you?”
“Damn right I do,” he muttered, leaning in to kiss her again—this one slower, sweeter, all tongue and tenderness and too many weeks apart. “My girl. My heels. My wall.”
Ali made a scandalized sound, eyes wide. “Oh mygawd—you readIron Flame?”
Dylan grinned, not even pretending to be ashamed. “Only the parts with Xaden making Violet throw lightning and forget her own name.”
She snorted, head dropping to his shoulder. “You areunbelievable.”
“Tell me I’m wrong,” he said, carrying her toward the hallway. “Dark, broody man. Wall sex. Tactical use of shadows. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”
She giggled into his neck. “You’re insufferable.”
“And yet,” he said, stopping just long enough to nudge her bedroom door open with his foot, “you’re still clinging to me.”
The bathroom filled quickly with steam, fogging the mirror and softening the edges of the world. Dylan stood behind her under the spray, water cascading down their tangled bodies, his hands never far from her skin.
He washed her gently—fingers sliding over her thighs, her shoulders, her scalp—as if memorizing every part of her all over again. She leaned into it, boneless and safe, her cheek resting against his chest as he rinsed the suds from her hair.
Neither of them said much, but the silence was full. Full of touches and soft kisses, of murmuredyou okay, baby?and whisperedI missed you too muchwhen her arms circled his waist.
By the time they climbed into bed, Ali had traded the heels for fuzzy socks and Dylan had pulled on a pair of low-slung sweatpants. Her hair was damp and braided over one shoulder, and she was curled into his chest like she was built to fit there.
“Comfy?” he asked, brushing a hand down her spine.
“Mmm,” she hummed. “You’re warm.”
They lay like that for a long while, letting the softness settle in around them—just skin, and sheets, and the clean scent of soap between kisses. HGTV played quietly in the background.
Eventually, Dylan shifted, propping himself on one elbow to look at her.
“Hey,” he said, voice a little shy for a man who’d just taken her against the entryway wall. “Wanna go on a date with me tonight?”
She blinked, amused. “You’re here for twelve seconds and already planning an outing?”
He grinned. “You’ll like this one.”
Her brow arched. “Hit me.”
“Flashback Friday at the Hopeulikit Drive-In. Double feature.Cluelessand10 Things I Hate About You.”
Ali gasped like he’d offered her front-row Taylor Swift tickets. “Shut up.”
“I would never,” he said solemnly. “I saw it on the schedule earlier this week and called to make sure they had our usual spot open.”
Her eyes softened. “You remembered our spot?”
He leaned down to kiss her temple. “It’s where I fell in love with you the first time, Al. Of course I remembered.”
She swallowed hard, her fingers curling around the edge of his shirt. “You’re gonna make me cry.”
He smiled against her hair. “Then I’m definitely doing something right.”
Ali popped a Raisenet into her mouth and leaned her head against Dylan’s shoulder, her eyes flicking between the screen and the sky behind it—deep indigo now, scattered with stars.
