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“Shh, I’ve got you, tesoro.”

Inside, I lay her on the sofa just long enough to lock the door, though the bolt clicking into place wakes her fully. Her eyes flutter open, unfocused, then find mine.

“Marco?”

“You’re home.” I kneel in front of her and brush the hair from her cheek. “Are you okay?”

She blinks slowly, and a small smile graces her lips. “Yes.”

The answer releases tension I didn’t know I was holding.

“I’m okay.” She reaches up and cups my jaw in her hands, and I lean into her touch like a starving man. “I don’t want you to worry about me. Let’s just focus on finding Jenna.”

My jaw clenches. I hate that she’s right.

“Okay.” I kiss her tenderly. “I love you.” My declaration comes out rougher than I intended. “I know I don’t say it enough, but I do. I love you so much that it scares me.”

“I love you too.” She rests her forehead against mine, and I inhale her jasmine scent. “I’m sorry I’ve been a little distant since yesterday.”

I can’t read the hesitation in her voice or the emotion that flickers across her face. But I’ve learned that chasing meaning in every minute sign or look only pushes her further away.

“I understand.” I skim her cheek with my thumb, wiping away a stray tear. “I’m scared too. But we’ll figure it out together.”

“Together.” She says it like a prayer.

Then she kisses me again.

It starts gently. Her lips are soft and careful, like she’s mapping me, but then I feel the shift. Her fingers grip my hair. When I tilt her head back and deepen the kiss, she moans.

Somewhere between her mouth and mine, the tenderness catches fire.

Her hands slide under my shirt, her palms flat against my stomach, and I suck in air at the contact. Her fingers feel cool on my heated skin, spreading goosebumps over my chest, and every touch drives me fucking crazy. I’ve held myself together for days, watching her pull away and not knowing why, all the while swallowing the urge to lock her in this house until she tells me everything. Now she’s touching me like she needs to remember I’m real.

“I need you.” The admission escapes her between kisses, desperate and true. “I need to feel you now.”

She doesn’t have to tell me twice.

I wrap my arms around her, carrying her. She’s lighter than she should be. Have I been so lost in my own head that I didn’t notice her avoiding meals? I take her to the bed and lay her down like she’s crafted from glass.

She peers up at me with open desire in her dilated pupils, her lips slightly parted, her cheeks rosy. My groin thrums in anticipation.

I start with unbuttoning her shirt. My fingers are firm, but inside, I’m unsteady. Each inch of skin I uncover, I follow with my mouth. I reveal her collarbone, the valley between her breasts, then the curve of her ribs. My stubble drags against her, and she shivers. The small whine that escapes her throat goes straight to my cock.

“You’re stunning.” My lips trace the spot just below her navel. An expression flickers on her face again, but it’s gone before I can identify it. I run my fingers over her belly, enjoying her sucking in her stomach, her breath hitching beneath my palm. “So strong. So brave.”

She pulls me up, her hands fisting in my hair, and drags my mouth back to hers. “Make love to me, Marco. Please.”

Please.

That fucking plea cracks my restraint. Gone is the careful tenderness she needed when she was fragile. Now, she’s asking for me.

I strip away the rest of her clothes hastily. When she’s bare beneath me, I worship every inch of her, her breasts, her ribs, the soft plane of her stomach. She arches into my mouth, her fingers twisted in my hair, desperate noises escaping her that go straight through me.

I’m shedding my jeans when she presses both palms against my chest and pushes with surprising strength. I land on my back, the mattress absorbing the impact.

She climbs over me, one knee on either side of my hips, and the sight of her above me—flushed, fierce—steals the breath from my lungs. Her dark hair curtains her face, and her green eyes bore into mine.

“My turn.” She speaks with a fire that tells me she’s done being handled. “You promised me equal footing. So, let me take what I need.”