There are arms around me. Strong arms. And a nose and a mouth nuzzling my neck. Inhaling Diego’s spicy, citrus scent the minute I wake up makes me smile.

“Nice nap?” he whispers, pulling me toward him.

I nod into his chest and snuggle closer. If only he weren't wearing a t-shirt, then I could rub myself on his skin. I slip my hand under his shirt and feel goosebumps form on his back.

Then reality hits: someone sent one of my naked photos to my house. That’s why I’m at Diego’s in the middle of the day, napping. Shit. I sigh. The depressed, bad funk returns and I take my hand off his back.

“You okay, Cata?”

I wriggle out of his arms and stroke his face. Little lines form in between his dark eyebrows, and I try to smooth them away with my finger.

“I don’t know. Yeah. I think so. I mean, I’m not happy about the photo, obviously. But I’ve got to move on. Right? Try to live normally while this dies down.”

What does normal even mean after being humiliated in high school and in your first job? I need to figure that out. I only wish Diego wasn’t along for the ride. He doesn’t deserve this.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Why are you sorry? You have zero to be sorry about.”

I shrug. “I wish I was perfect for you. I wish I didn’t have so much baggage.”

“Jesus, Cata.” He looks exasperated and flips onto his back. “Don’t you get it? You are perfect for me. But you don’t need to be perfect at all, for anyone. And what is the baggage, really? That we did something stupid six years ago and it’s coming back to haunt us because some sick fuck is dredging up old photos?”

I don’t say anything.

“You were my friend in high school when I was a loser,” he whispers fiercely. “I practically had no family, no money and no future. And yet you took a chance on me. You were my friend, and then you actually wanted to be my girlfriend. You didn’t care what anyone said about me. Do you know how brave you were back then?”

“You were a bit of a dork in high school. I mean, a cute dork, but…” I grin.

He rolls on his side and laughs. Plants a kiss on my mouth. “I was so fugly.”

“Stop. You weren’t. You were different. And so was I.”

“But you hid your geekiness a little better.”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, right. With the glasses and the braces. And the Star Wars shirts. Sure.”

“I loved that Star Wars T-shirt.” He grins, then trails a finger up my bare thigh until it hits the hem of my shorts. Then he trails the finger back down toward my knee, and a familiar zing of lust shoots right between my legs. “I remember that one time your parents were away. Your brother was gone. And we had been making out for hours. Then we got up to make food, and you were in the kitchen, wearing nothing but that black t-shirt and those black panties. You were wearing your glasses, and your hair was all messy. Do you remember? I hadn’t seen anything so hot ever in my life.”

He growls and moves toward me, grabs my ass.

Diego draws me near again and works his fingers in my hair. I peck at his neck with my lips, then kiss it several more times, each time more slow and sensual than the last. His erection is hard and insistent against my thigh, through his track pants.

He slips a hand under my shirt and caresses my waist, and when I roll onto my back his hand instinctively travels around to the front. I’m wearing a t-shirt and shorts, no bra, and his fingers find my nipple. He cups one breast, then the other

His breath is hot on my ear when he scoots his whole body next to mine, biting my lobe. I shiver when I feel his fingers flutter over my stomach softly. He dips a hand down my shorts and groans when his fingers find my core.

He toys with my clit in little circles. Impatient, I undo the button of my shorts then unzip them, and he doesn’t take his hand away. Just lazily strokes me down there as I struggle to get my shorts lower on my hips.

“Do you think I can make you any wetter?” he whispers.

Shaking my head, I inhale deep and close my eyes. When I feel flush and warm all over my body, I can’t take anymore. My clothes need to come off so I can feel the full effect of his fingers, or his tongue or his cock. Or all three. I need him.

Sliding my shorts and underwear over my legs, I strip them off, then sit up and take off my shirt. Diego grins at me.

“Beautiful. God, you’re so beautiful.”

I lie on top of him, naked, and we kiss for what seems like forever. Kissing Diego is the most exquisite pleasure because his lips go from soft and sensual to hard and demanding in seconds.

“Give me your tongue,” he murmurs, and I do, flicking it over his full bottom lip. He clenches my tongue with his lips and sucks on it, then I thrust into his mouth. He grips my hips, and I rock back and forth on his erection, and then several totally unwanted words pop into my head.

Whore.

That’s what the girls in high school called me on Facebook when the photos were leaked. I told myself it didn’t matter, that we’d graduated, that I was on my way to school in New York City.

Slut.

I haven’t thought about that moment for years, that awful day that I received a Kik message with one of the photos attached from an anonymous account.

Ugly.

I freeze up, suddenly not wanting to be intimate with Diego. A chilling thought goes through me: what if Diego was lying about having the photos? What if he had them and someone hacked into his computers? But why would he lie?

Why can’t I trust anyone?

I roll off him and shimmy under the covers, then put my hands over my eyes. I’m so stressed and confused, I’m not thinking straight.

“Hey, baby girl, what’s wrong?” he asks, softly.

“I’m sorry, I remembered…”

Diego scoots under the covers and rolls to one side, propping himself on his arm so he can look at me. He doesn’t say a word, maybe because he already knows. From the look on the face, he knows my memories are upsetting. I shouldn’t explain, but I do anyway.

“I suddenly remembered what happened after the photos were sent around to everyone. How anonymous people messaged me. How dirty it made me feel. Like I’d done the most shameful thing.”

Diego strokes my hair then puts his arm around me. He still doesn’t say anything. I don’t want him to, really. I want him to keep holding me, as if that will make everything okay.

“I wish I hadn’t ever asked you for those photos,” he says.

“I wish I’d never taken them.”

“But Cata?”

I peel my face from his chest, my eyes burning and threatening to explode with tears. “Yes?”

“They were taken with love.”

I scowl and jerk my head back. “Hunh?”

“The photos. I asked you for them because I loved you. I still love you. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. We did it out of love.”

“And lust,” I quickly respond.

“Sure. And that, too. But really, they came from a place of love. We were exploring. We were kids. We were stupid. We shouldn’t let that one mistake define us. Not when we’ve found each other again. We have nothing to be ashamed of. You especially have nothing to be ashamed of and shouldn’t make it an important part of your life. I don’t think any differently of you. You’re still the person I admire and respect. I should have said that six years ago, but I’m not always the best at articulating my thoughts. In case you hadn’t figured that out.”

I study his beautiful face and something inside of me opens up. Something becomes lighter, easier. I trace his mouth with my finger, then replace my finger with my lips. Soon we’re kissing again, slowly and passionately.

Rolling on top of his body, I straddle him and sit up, allowing the sheets to fall away from my body. I want him to see me naked, see all of me. For some reason, he’s keeping his hands on my thighs and not going straight for my breasts, but I take his hands in mine and rub them over my nipples, across my stomach, and down between my legs. It’s like I’m reclaiming my body from the shame, as if I need to direct what he does, what I do, to take back all that’s been stolen from me.

“We don’t have to do this if you feel uncomfortable,” he whispers. “I’m happy to hang out and talk.”

I lean forward, my hair hanging in curtains around us. He grasps my hair with both hands, and I shake my head. “I don’t want to talk. You’re right. We have nothing to be ashamed of.”

We kiss, slow and hot, our tongues slipping against each other.

“I want you on top of me,” I whisper. He flips me over, and I slide my hands under the waistband of his pants, then slip them over his hips.

He’s not wearing underwear, and I giggle a little. “Going commando?” I ask.

Rolling his eyes, he bites me. “I forgot to do laundry.”

“That’s okay,” I say, spreading my legs. “It’s fine with me if you forget that.”

Diego nuzzles my neck with his nose when he enters me. He feels thick and sharp all at once, filling me. A sexy, deep grunt comes from his throat when he’s all the way in. His rhythm as he fucks me is slow, almost dirty, the way he’s grinding on me. But it's also sweet and slow because we're in the moment. Together.

Cradling my neck and jaw with one hand, fisting the sheets with the other.

I gasp because he feels so amazing. We breathe in unison, looking into each other’s eyes.

I am his. He’s mine.

There is only love between us now, not the past, not our mistakes.