My mouth covers her pussy as she shakes uncontrollably in the bed. I hum my approval, adding to the overwhelming sensation she’s no doubt feeling.

“Oh God. Oh God,” she calls out as I swipe my tongue across her clit, and her fingers wrap around the comforter at her side. “Yes!”

She’s loud, and I love that about her. There’s no timid Tilly, scared to ask for what she wants or too bashful to let me know when I’ve hit the right spots. There’s never any guessing with her, even when it comes to sex.

I smile around her clit, sucking her sensitive skin harder than before. She starts chanting a language I’ve never heard before, rocking her hips and pushing her pussy against my face.

“I’m coming,” she says, almost singing the words. “Oh fuck.”

Her words spur me on, making me lick quicker and suck harder until her body’s quaking against the sheets and she’s gasping for air. I keep my eyes locked on her, looking at her naked body as her chest heaves.

She doesn’t speak, trying to catch her breath as she melts into the mattress. I slide between her legs, lining up my cock with her inviting pussy. Her knees fall to the bed, opening to me. I slide one hand under her ass and guide my cock slowly inside her with the other.

She peers up with her green eyes, cheeks flushed. I’m moving slowly, easing myself inside her gradually because the last thing I want to do is have this be over before I have a chance to really get started.

I close my eyes, the sweet ecstasy her pussy delivers almost pushing me over the edge. Go slow, I tell myself. I need this. I want this. There’s a time for fast, but now isn’t it.

I pull my hips back before thrusting forward with a little more force. I practically lose it, but I rebound as my body stills. Leaning forward, I take her nipple in my mouth, loving the way her pussy clamps down around my shaft.

Twisting my hips, I grind into her, pressing against her clit. Slowly, and almost to the point of torture, I move again. I grip her ass with one hand as I hold myself up with the other, staring down at the woman I’ve quickly fallen in love with.

Our eyes are locked on each other’s as I rock into her over and over again, keeping a slow, steady rhythm. Her legs wrap around my waist, and she locks her ankles against my ass. “Deeper,” she whispers.

I rock upward, forcing my cock deeper inside her, knowing I can’t last much longer. It’s impossible with the way her body feels wrapped around my dick and the length of time it’s been since I’ve felt anything this spectacular.

Tilly moves with me, shaking in my arms as her breathing grows more erratic with each thrust. My entire body’s on fire as the orgasm begins to take hold, making it impossible for me to stop.

I tilt her ass upward, changing the angle and pushing my pelvis against her clit. Within seconds, she’s crying out, digging her fingernails into my biceps as the orgasm builds inside each of us.

I thrust harder, moving faster than before, and chase the orgasm for us both. I squeeze my eyes shut, and colors explode behind my lids like a grand finale on the Fourth of July. I gasp for air, my heart racing as my body quivers, and I spill my seed inside her.

Her legs fall away as I collapse on top of her, breathing heavily.

“Sweet Jesus,” she whispers in my hair, swallowing and gasping right along with me.

Our bodies stick together, the fine sheen of perspiration acting as a binder. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” she asks as she touches my face.

“I wanted that to take longer.”

She laughs softly. “Don’t be silly. It was perfect.” She lifts her head and kisses me, wiping away any doubt I might have had.

Rolling onto my side, I pull Tilly with me and wrap her in my arms.

“Angelo,” she whispers and peers up at me.

“Yeah, baby?” I brush the hair away from her face.

“We didn’t use protection.” She grimaces.

“Fuck, I’m sorry. I got carried away.”

“I forgot too. I haven’t thought about condoms in…” Her voice drifts off.

“I’m clean,” I tell her, trying to put her mind at ease.

“Pregnancy,” she reminds me and runs her fingernails down the middle of my chest.

“It won’t happen again. I promise.”

There’re no other words spoken, and the only sounds in the room are our harsh breaths and beating hearts.

I haven’t moved in an hour. I’ve been staring at Tilly as she sleeps, feeling more content than I have in years. There’s no overwhelming guilt or remorse for what happened last night—only happiness, which I haven’t felt so completely in far too long.

The sunlight streams through the window above the bed, cascading across Tilly’s naked body and making her look almost angelic. She turns a little as the sheet falls away, exposing her breast in all its perfection.

There isn’t anything about her I don’t like. She’s as sweet as her cupcakes, caring, kind, and thoughtful. She loves the kids, and Tate has a soft spot for Tilly too. Marissa would’ve liked her if they’d met. They certainly would have become friends and probably stirred up a little trouble in the neighborhood.

Tilly’s eyes open slowly. “Good morning.” She stretches. “How long have you been awake?”

“Just a few minutes,” I lie because I don’t want to seem like a weirdo for watching her sleep for so long. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

She reaches out, placing her hand on my arm, and gazes at me from her pillow. “Did you sleep okay?”

“I haven’t slept that well in years.”

“Me either,” she says, fighting to keep her eyes open.

I grab her hip and pull her body toward me as I scoot across the bed, closing the space between us. “Go back to sleep,” I whisper as she relaxes in my arms and buries her face in my chest. “We’re in no rush.”

I could lie here all day with her body pressed up against mine, snuggling to keep the chill in the air at bay. There’s nothing more perfect, besides making love to her, than holding her close and just being.

She peers up at me with her green eyes shining bright against her pale skin and auburn hair. “What time are the kids coming back?”

I brush the hair away from her face with the back of my fingers. “Not until later.”

“I just wanted to make sure I didn’t have to run out of here.”

“There’s no rush. Lucio isn’t bringing them home until after dinner.”

She molds her body against me, throwing her leg over mine. “Good. I could stay like this forever.”

I hold her tight, inhaling the sweetness of her shampoo. “We don’t have to move all day.”

“Angelo.”

I know what she’s about to say is big.

“I never thought I’d feel this way again.”

“Me either, Tilly.”

“I’m happy for the first time in what feels like forever.”

“I know. I almost forgot what it felt like to be at peace,” I admit, knowing she’ll understand exactly what I mean without taking offense.

No one else would fully grasp the depths of despair someone deals with after losing a spouse. The empty chair at dinner, the cold spot in the bed, and other things we all take for granted on a daily basis. It’s not until the person is truly gone that we realize the finality of death and exactly what it means to be totally alone.

“Are we moving too quick?”

I touch her chin, making sure she’s looking at me when I say the next words. “We waited years to find each other. We’re two halves of the same soul. I think we were destined to meet. To suffer the same pain. To know each other’s loss. We’ve rushed nothing.”

“I feel like I’ve known you forever.” She slides her hand up my arm, gripping my bicep. “People will think we’re crazy.”

“People can think what they want. How long did you date Mitchell before you fell in love with him?”

Marissa and I met in high school after her family moved to the old neighborhood from out of state. The moment I laid eyes on her, I knew I had to make her mine. There was no doubt in my mind that she was the girl for me. People thought I was nuts, but I loved her more than anything in the world.

“I don’t remember a time when I didn’t love him.” She exhales softly.

I cup her face in my hands, wanting to kiss her so badly my chest aches. “We’ve been through more than most people twice our age. We know the preciousness of time and the fragility of life. There’s no rhyme or reason when it comes to the heart.”

Her hand glides down my arm and covers my hand. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Angelo, but I’m thankful you came into my life.”

“Baby, I’ve been asking myself that same question. We’ve got to stop thinking and just feel.”

Leaning forward, I press my lips to hers. I’m done with words and questioning the speed we’re moving. There’s no controlling the pace at which it happens or containing the powerful punch to the gut when everything clicks.

Love is love, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.