I scratch Will’s back, touch his soft hair, skim my fingers down his arm, tracing the line of his biceps. He’s lean but muscular, heavy but keeping most of his weight from sinking me into the mattress, and he’s so warm. His skin is practically on fire, and I can feel his erection pressing urgently against the front of his underwear.

“What will people say about us?” I’m voicing my biggest fear, needing him to realize that this is the thing I’m the most afraid of. I know he loves me. I know we can make this work. How can we not? We’re both in so deep, there’s no working our way out of it now.

And I don’t want to. I’m in love with him.

“Who cares what they say?” His mouth moves against my neck when he speaks, tickling my skin, and I try to shift away from him. He only holds me closer.

“I do,” I admit, my voice small. “I’m scared all the attention will ruin it. Ruin us.”

He lifts his head, shifting so his hands are braced on either side of my head, his intense gaze locked with mine. “Nothing will ruin us. I will never let you go, Katie. Ever. It’s like you’re embedded in my very soul.”

His words touch something deep inside me. I want to believe that no one can ruin what we have. I know he’s strong, but am I? What if my mom and my sister turn away from me? Can I handle the speculation and the rumors and the horrible things complete strangers will say about Will?

About me?

“I won’t let anything happen to you or to us. No one can tear us apart. We belong together, Katie. You’re mine.” He leans down and presses his mouth to mine, a quick yet deep kiss that leaves me breathless. “Fuck what anyone else thinks. What do you think?”

“I think I love you.” I smile up at him and he smiles in return. “I know I love you.”

“I love you, too. It feels like I always have,” he admits, his voice, his expression, so heartbreakingly sincere I kiss him before I do something crazy.

Like fall apart and cry like a little girl.

The kissing turns into touching and then my panties are gone and his boxer briefs disappear. We’re wrapped around each other, skin on skin, no barriers, just us, and I can feel the head of his erection rubbing against me. Hard against soft, hot against wet.

Until he’s slowly sinking inside of me, rocking back, withdrawing almost completely before he’s pushing back inside, farther this time, making me sigh with pleasure. He’s slow, patient, groaning low in his throat, the primal sound urging me to wrap my legs around his hips, sending him even deeper.

We both moan and he gathers me to him with one arm, holding me close as he starts to move inside of me in earnest. The push and pull of our bodies, the friction they cause, I get caught up in it. Lost to the sensation of him moving within me until I’m crying out his name on every thrust, clinging to his sweaty body, positioning myself in a way that every time he pulls out, I see sparks.

“Christ, Katie, you feel too damn good,” he murmurs against my hair, and I nod in agreement, too overcome to speak, too afraid I might say something incoherent since my brain feels like it’s about to short-circuit. “Are you close?”

I want to be close. I don’t know if I’m close. It feels good. The head of his erection seems to bump something deep inside that sends a bolt of sensation straight through me, but otherwise I . . . am a complete failure when it comes to knowing my body’s cues sexually.

Not that I ever really wanted to figure them out. I was too damn scared for too many years, too ashamed to allow myself to have any sort of romantic or sexual feelings.

“I—I don’t . . .” I shake my head, embarrassed. Frustrated.

He can sense my struggle. Lifting his torso from mine, he reaches in between us, touching the spot right above where we’re joined. I suck in a surprised breath at the wave of pleasure that washes over me and my body arches toward his, like I have no control over myself.

“You like that,” he whispers, sounding pleased.

I nod, not wanting to speak. Too busy concentrating on the way his fingers work their magic on my body.

“Does it feel good?” He increases his pace, his finger moving in circles as he begins to thrust again. “Are you going to come, Katie?”

Oh, his voice is so deep. I can feel his every word vibrate in his chest, every moan and ragged breath. I close my eyes and let my senses take over.

My hair rustling against the pillowcase as Will thrusts into me over and over. The gentle slap of skin on skin when he pushes in extra deep, the wet sounds of my body as he strokes me with his skilled fingers—it’s too much. I’m on complete sensory overload and my muscles tense, my belly contracts just before I fall completely apart, my body shaking, my hands clutching him close. I breathe against his skin as I fall over that delicious edge and he lets out a strangled groan before he tips over that same edge right along with me.

We cling to each other. Our breaths slowly even out, our hearts, our bodies coming down, until he’s rolling us to our sides so we face each other, his softening erection pulling out of me, accompanied by a gushing wetness. Shock renders me still when I realize what just happened.

“We didn’t use a condom,” I whisper. I didn’t think of it because . . . well, I didn’t think of it. Oh my God. So what’s Will’s excuse?

“Ah, shit.” He blows out a harsh breath and rolls over so he’s flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He’s got his hands linked together and resting on his chest, his dark hair is a riotous mess, and he looks . . . hot. Stressed out but hot. He turns to look at me, his mouth pulled into a frown. “I’m sorry, Katie. I just . . . I don’t know what happened. I forgot. Just giving you one more reason not to trust me, I guess.”

“Hey.” I reach for him, resting my hand on his cheek, turning his head so he’s facing me. He’s frowning, his eyes clouded with worry. I could be flattered that he was so overcome with need that he didn’t think of using protection, but how stupid are we? The last thing we need is to bring a baby into this world. We’re messed up enough. “It’s okay. Nothing will come of it.”

“Are you sure?” he asks pointedly. I know what he’s referring to. I’m a woman—I get the whole cycle, period thing.

I drop my hand from his face. “I’m sure.” And I sound way more confident than I feel. I’ve always been irregular and I’ll skip a period here and there, which is normal for me. “And I trust you. I know you didn’t do this on purpose.”

It’s a big deal, that I can trust him. I can only have faith in the fact that he won’t lie to me again. If he does . . .

I have no one to blame but myself for allowing it to happen.

“Yeah, but I should be more responsible.” He sounds irritated. “I don’t need to put any more burden on you.”

I scoot closer to him, resting my folded arms on his chest, gazing up at his handsome face. The dark stubble on his cheeks and jaw, his mouth swollen from our kisses . . . he has a dangerous look to him. I like it. “Nothing you do is ever a burden.”

He smiles down at me, a little closed-mouth curve of lips that doesn’t really reveal much. “You say that now. Wait until we go back home to our real lives.”

“We get to go back to Molly,” I point out.

His smile grows. “That’s a good thing. I miss her.” He’s checked on her twice that I know of, calling the local overnight kennel she’s staying at.

“We have to watch the interview with us and your—father tomorrow night,” I remind him.

His smile fades. Not the most pleasant subject to mention, but it needed to be said. “I don’t want to.” He sounds like a little kid. Next he’ll cross his arms and stomp his feet.

Not that I can blame him.

“We have to. I’m not going to face the potential firing squad unprepared. We have to know what he says. Besides, I’m curious to see how Lisa edits our interviews so we both look like total assholes,” I mutter.

He shifts away from me, his expression full of feigned shock and horror. “Did I hear you just now? Did you just say the word asshole?”

“Stop.” I reach out to hit his shoulder, but he dodges away from me at the last minute. “I’m serious! She’s going to make us look bad.”

“But like assholes, Katie? Such language.” He’s teasing. Seeing the amused light in his eyes is almost worth all the other crap we’ve suffered through these last few days. Weeks. Months.

Years.

“Says the man who drops constant f-bombs.”

He leans in and kisses me, effectively silencing me. And then proceeds to continue silencing me for the rest of the night.