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All I could do was thank him. He hugged me when he left, his usual exuberance curtailed so he didn’t hurt me. “You scared us, Matthew. All of us. You coming to Port Albany is a celebration for everyone.”

“I can’t sleep,” she admitted.

“Still too nervous?”

“Your whole family, Matthew. I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep track of them.”

I chuckled. “Not everyone. Lots of them, yes. But it’ll be okay, sweetheart. Everyone is laid-back and friendly. We’re going to visit. Eat too much. Hang out. Let you get to know them.”

“I’m still worried.”

“It’s going to be great. I promise.” I paused, wanting to take her mind off what was worrying her. I had planned on telling her my news when we were alone in Port Albany, but suddenly I wanted her to know right now. “I saw Mark again this afternoon.”

“Is everything okay?” she asked, immediately concerned. She turned in my arms. “What did he say?”

“Everything is good. Better than expected,” I soothed her, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “He said that I could swim again. Nothing too strenuous, but easy exercise in the water.”

A smile broke out on her face. “That’s terrific news. I know you’ve missed it.”

“They have a great pool at the compound,” I told her. “And a small indoor one at the Hub.”

“It sounds like an amazing place.”

“It is.” I paused, touching her bottom lip and tracing it with my finger.

“You know what else Mark said?”

“No.”

“That I can be physically active again. Sexually.”

Her eyes widened, glimmering in the low light. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Easy,” he had admonished me. “Nothing over the top, and if it hurts, for God’s sake, stop. Slow can be fun too, Matthew.”

I didn’t mention that. I didn’t need to.

I lowered my mouth to her ear. “Come back to bed, Maddy. Let me relax you.” I sucked her earlobe between my teeth, nipping at the sensitive skin, then kissing behind her ear, making her shiver. “I’ve got the green light.” I cupped her breasts, rolling her stiffening nipples between my fingers. “Let me help you.”

She arched her back, a low moan escaping her lips. “Matthew.”

“We both need this,” I whispered. “Let me love you, Maddy. It’s been too long.”

She let me lead her back to bed, and we stood by the mattress, our eyes locked. “I’d like to see what the T-shirt looks like on the floor.” My voice sounded raspy, even to my own ears.

“Same with your pants,” she replied, the shirt landing somewhere behind me.

I loosened the drawstring and let the pants fall. I didn’t try anything sexy. I was saving my strength for other things.

Still, from the way she bit her lip and stepped closer, I think she liked what she saw. I groaned as she wrapped her hand around me, stroking, making me harder. I moaned her name. It had been so long since I’d felt her touch on my dick. Blood pounded through my veins, the sensation pulsating, heating me from within.

I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her. Learning her all over again. The way my lips felt on hers. The way our tongues touched, stroked, and danced, erotic and intimate. The contours and dips of her mouth. Her breathy little sigh as our mouths parted, then came together again. My heart raced, the beating echoing in my head, making me fully alive again.

Our hands never ceased in their explorations. I felt the delicate ridges of her spine, the way her waist indented and how her hips felt gripped in my hands. I found the spot by her right breast that made her giggle and squirm. She traced the muscles on my back, ran her nails over my biceps, and gripped my neck as we kissed. We sank to the mattress and lay on the bed together, side by side, touching, discovering, renewing ourselves.

“I need you.”