"Mine," I growl against her skin. "Say it."
"Yours." Her fingers thread through my hair, tugging. "Always yours."
I set her down long enough to strip away her clothes. Each piece that falls reveals more soft skin, more curves, more of the woman I love beyond reason.
When she's bare before me, I just look at her. Memorizing. Worshiping.
"You're staring," she says, but she's smiling.
"I'm appreciating." I shrug out of my shirt, watching her eyes track the movement. "I almost lost you. I'm never taking this for granted."
I kiss her again, slower now. My hands map her body—the curve of her waist, the swell of her hips, the softness of her thighs.
She tugs at my belt, impatient. I help her, shedding the rest of my clothes until there's nothing between us.
"Bed," she murmurs. "Nathan, please, bed."
I lift her again, carrying her the last few steps. She laughs against my mouth, the sound bright and free.
I lay her down gently, following her onto the mattress. She spreads beneath me, welcoming, and the sight makes my chest tight.
I explore her body slowly, learning every curve, every soft gasp, every place that makes her arch into my touch. And when I finally enter her, it's with our eyes locked, seeing each other completely.
"I love you," I breathe against her lips.
"I love you," she echoes, and the words are a vow.
I kiss my way down her body. Her collarbone. The valley between her breasts. Her stomach. She squirms, gasping.
"Nathan—"
"Let me worship you," I murmur against her skin. "Let me show you how much you mean to me."
I settle between her thighs, and the first taste of her makes us both groan. She's already wet, already ready, and I take my time exploring her with my mouth.
Her hands fist in the sheets, then in my hair. She's making small, desperate sounds that drive me wild.
"Please," she gasps. "Nathan, please, I need—"
"I know." I kiss the inside of her thigh. "Let go, Eve. I've got you."
When she comes apart under my tongue, her back arching off the bed, it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.
I kiss my way back up her body as she trembles through the aftershocks. When I reach her mouth, she kisses me deeply, tasting herself on my lips.
"Inside me," she whispers. "Nathan, please, I need to feel you."
I position myself at her entrance, and our eyes lock. This moment—this joining—feels sacred somehow.
I push into her slowly, watching her face as she takes me. Her eyes flutter closed, her mouth falling open on a moan.
"Look at me," I command gently.
Her eyes open, dark and dazed. "Nathan—"
"Stay with me," I breathe, starting to move. "Right here. Just us."
"Just us," she echoes.
