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“Shh. Close your eyes and let me do this. You’ve been taking care of me; let me finally take care of you.”

I brace my hands on his torso, increasing my pace slightly, my hips moving steadily. Preston’s eyes are closed, his face a mask of pleasure, and I feel a surge of power, knowing I’m the one giving him this. I watch him, memorizing every detail. The way his body moves beneath me with every noise, the way his lips part as he struggles to maintain control.

Preston’s hands find their way up my sides, cupping my breasts, thumbs brushing over my nipples. The stimulation sends tingles across my breasts.

An unwilling smile tugs at my lips as I feel his body tense beneath me, beginning to thrust upward, meeting my movements with a desperation that makes me want to unravel. I move faster, in sync with him, as the tension that’s settling in me coils tighter and tighter.

A low, guttural moan rips from Preston as he cums inside me, his release sending me over the edge as well. It ripples through me in waves, leaving me breathless and shaky as I collapse on top of him. The only sounds now are his heartbeat and his lungs filling with air.

He slides his fingers through my hair, tangling them in the strands as he holds me close to him. I feel his lips press against the top of my head, a tender gesture that speaks volumes.

Nothing can touch us or hurt us in this moment with his arms wrapped around me. I feel cocooned in his warmth.

“I love you,” He mumbles in the same spot he kissed.

“Me too.”

“No regrets?”

I lift my head to look at him, staring deep into those golden eyes. This is the man who’d been a stranger, an enemy, and a savior all rolled into one. The man who will be my husband.

“None. You?”

He gives me a gradual, devastating smile. “Only that we didn’t do this sooner.”

I laugh, settling against him again. Soon, we’d have to get back on the road, back to reality, but for now, I let myself believe that maybe… just maybe, together we can outrun anything.

* * *

“So… since we’re going to be husband and wife, I think it’s time for you to open up. Let me in a little.”

“Don’t you already know everything, Ghost? Isn’t that what you said yesterday?”

“Not everything,” he admits. “Plus, I’d rather hear it all from you. Start with your family.”

I suck in a harsh inhale. Family is a touchy subject, one I don’t like to visit often.

“Well, I’ve kind of mentioned my dad; he died when I was two, so I don’t really have any memories of him. I’d like to imagine he would’ve made everything better, though, or at least made life a little more tolerable. I guess I’ll never really know for sure; I don’t know any of his family, and my mom never wanted to talk about him.”

“The real question is: do you look like him or your mom?”

I shrug. “I only have one picture of him, and it’s just a side view of his face. It’s from right after I was born; he’s holding me. All I can tell is I got my freckles from him and my natural hair color.”

“And your mom? You said she couldn’t settle down.”

“If you want to talk about a fucking mess, that’s her. I’m not sure if she’s always been that way, or if it manifested after my dad died, but she couldn’t hold down anything to save her life. My grandma tried to help as much as she could once my mom finally got a house, but anytime they would get in a fight, my mom would pull me away. I was her little pawn.”

“That’s… really sad, Wynnie.”

“I really, honestly think that’s why I fell for Caleb and all his bullshit. Because it’s what my mom did too. I so badly wanted her love. She’d be nice and buy me things, give me a bunch of attention, then the next, she’d turn. She never hit me, but words hurt just as bad. Especially when she was drinking or doing drugs—whatever floated her boat at that time. Caleb and her were the same, and I just wanted to fix them both thoroughly.”

“Do you miss her?”

“Sometimes,” I exhale. “When things are bad, yeah, sometimes I wish I had a mom. Doesn’t even have to be her, necessarily, just a mom.”

“How long has it been since you last saw her?”

“When I left for college. I moved to Harris, which is only an hour away from her, but she never calls or anything, so I don’t either. But I’m sure she’s having a heyday with everything on the news.”