“THIS BETTER BE fast,” I said, towel wrapped around my waist as I paced in front of Zane. Ang was showering and whatever shit was about to fall, I wanted to protect her from it all. Even if it had nothing to do with her or us, I didn’t want her worrying about anything. Not so soon.

“Wow, look at that.” Zane crossed his arms. “Give a guy a little bit of food, and suddenly he remembers all the reasons for feasting.”

“Really?” I groaned, “We’re doing this now?”

“You texted. I texted back multiple times. There was a storm, I was worried.” Zane shrugged. “And then Jay was looking for you, and he couldn’t get ahold of you.” He tossed me my phone. “I think you should check your messages, unless you’d rather hear it from me first.”

“Hear what?” A sense of dread washed over me.

“You know what?” Zane looked skeptical, “I have a better idea, give me your phone. I’m going to put it away until you get fed some more, you can come grab it before you’re needed on set, before the storm.”

“The storm already hit.” I pointed outside.

“No.” Zane sighed. “But it’s about to.”

The shower turned off.

“Look.” He licked his lips. “She’s breakable, she’s frail. If you’re not in it right now for the long term, don’t walk into that bathroom, stay the hell away from the bedroom. If you can’t walk through the hurricane and come out on the other side the same as when you went through… then I need you to promise me you’ll send her back to her room and freaking lock the door behind you.”

I leaned against the wall. “See now you’re worrying me, because you never get that tone unless things are really serious.”

“All I need to know,” Zane’s jaw ticked, “Is if you really trust her now, in this moment. If you’re in it.”

“It’s none of your damn business,” I roared.

“It is when it affects so many people,” Zane said in a low voice. “So, what is it?”

“I trust her.” I tried to have conviction behind my words, but I knew the fear was still there, it lingered like a sickness, the fear that she’d leave, that I’d mess up again, that we’d break each other.

Zane exhaled and grabbed my phone sliding it into his pocket. “Then make tonight good, because something tells me tomorrow’s going to have enough problems of its own.”

“I think I’ll take my phone now.”

“No.” Zane started walking backward toward the door. “Have a good night, Will. See you in the morning.”

I was still standing, staring at the door when Ang’s hands wrapped around my waist. “Everything okay?”

“Not according to Zane.” I sighed, hanging my head as a groan rumbled in my throat at the way her hands teased my chest. “But I suddenly don’t care.”

“You sure?” She moved around me, squeezed my neck, and lifted her lips to mine brushing a soft kiss on the bottom before taking it in her teeth and biting down. “Because I can go watch TV or something. There’s this book I’ve been—”

I scooped her up in my arms, ignoring her protests and laughter, then deposited her on my bed. She bounced up once before I dropped my towel and crawled toward her.

“No movies.” I laved each perfect breast. “No books.” I moved up to her mouth, greedily drinking her in again, cupping the soft skin of her chin with my thumb, rubbing it over and over again as I memorized the velvet softness of the way she felt beneath me. “I missed you,” I confessed with another heated kiss to her mouth.

Her hands moved down my biceps, and stayed, squeezing with each dip of my tongue, with each exploring kiss.

“So damn much.”

Tears built up behind her gaze.

One fell.

I watched.

Waited.

She held her breath.

And just as it hit her lips, I caught it, and kissed it away.

Maybe it was her breaking point.

Maybe it was mine.

But she flipped me on my back, and devoured me, her hungry kisses making me weaker than I’d ever felt in my entire existence as her mouth moved lower and lower.

“Not tonight,” I said in a guttural voice. “Tonight I need to be inside you again and again until you understand.”

“Understand what?” She stopped kissing me, her flush face and bruised lips made my heart pound, just like the way her body arched, rocked against mine with her realization.

“That it’s real.”

“No acting,” Ang agreed. “No cameras.”

“No publicity stunts.”

“No screaming fans.”

“Us,” I whispered, leaning up for another kiss. “Just us.”

“Us.” She nodded, her forehead touching mine before she angled her body over mine, her skin almost feverish to the touch as she groaned out my name and rode me.

“Shit.” I grasped her hips and slowed her movements, only to lose complete control when she slammed my arms back against the mattress and took control.

With a grin I bucked with her, allowed her to dominate, let her control, and bruised her ass with my fingers as I held on.

Her head dipped forward, and her hair grazed my chest while I kissed her mouth. All that silk brushing over me was too much. With a groan, I flipped her onto her back, lunging into her, forcing the bed against the wall with every move I made.

“Will Sutherland.” She said my name like a prayer. “I missed you.”

I was home.

Her body tightened and pulsed around me as we both found release. “Not as much as I’ve missed you.”