Over Avi’s stupidly broad shoulder, I caught sight of an amused Yo.

“Well, hello, Yo. Fancy seeing you here.”

He pulled up a chair and straddled it backwards. “What’s up, Laurel? I didn’t recognize you with pink hair.”

I stood and twirled for him, completely ignoring a glowering Avi. “I was just about to go find another drink. Want anything?”

He shook his head. “Nah, I’m just here for the show.”

I spun on my heel and started for the bar, but I was stopped by an iron grasp on my elbow.

“Laurel.”

My body was my enemy. I wanted to be angry and annoyed and keep on ignoring him, but his baritone voice against my neck and my name rolling off his tongue set the electric wires under my skin sizzling. My feet refused to move, and my mind whirled with smartass retorts.

The first thing that came out of my mouth was, “You suck.”

He pressed his chest against my back. “What are you doing?”

“Hanging out with my friends. And you?”

“Why did that guy have his hands on you?”

I rolled my eyes. He couldn’t see it, but his question deserved it.

“That guy is Alex, my coworker, as you know. And his hands were on me because mine were on him.”

“Laurel, you’re driving me mad. Why?”

I turned to face him, my lip curled. “Are you kidding me? Is this you being jealous?”

He raised his arms, then let them fall helplessly by his sides. “Would you like me not to care that you are so close with another man? Should I pretend it is no big deal?”

“You don’t own me, Avi. We’ve had sex a few times, but that doesn’t mean you can plant your flag and stake a claim. If I want to touch my friend, I will.”

I knew I was talking bullshit. My brain fog had cleared enough that I realized just how the scene would have looked to Avi. And I wouldn’t have liked it had the situation been reversed.

He laid his hands on my shoulders and smoothed them down my arms until he picked up my balled fists. Slowly, he uncurled them, one finger at a time. “You’re right, Laurel. I don’t own you. But I do claim you. You’re mine.”

I met his eyes defiantly. “Oh really? If that’s the case, then you have to be mine too!”

He tipped his chin down and exhaled heavily through his nose. “I am. I have been for a long, long time.”

Whatever fight was left in me instantly fled. “You were mine and I didn’t even know it?”

He threaded our fingers together. “We sleep together in the same bed every night. What did you think was happening?”

“Not a whole helluva lot.”

He squeezed my hands. “If I just wanted a quick fuck, I wouldn’t have it with the woman I’m living with. And I wouldn’t have her in my bed, not fucking her. I thought I’d made it clear, but I suppose my actions could have been misinterpreted. We’re together.”

I glanced around the bar, then back at him, blinking. “You’re my boyfriend?”

He grinned, and I wanted to curl up inside his dimple and stay there for a while. Instead, I tucked it away with the other smiles I’d started collecting, deep in a little pocket of my heart.

“I really hope so.”

I shrugged lackadaisically. “I mean, I guess that would be okay. Are you sure you’re ready, though? I’m kind of a lot, and you just got out of a relationship.”

“If I wasn’t ready, I never would have touched you. I don’t do many things without thinking. And since the moment I met you, you’re the only thing I can think about.”

His words resonated within me. In some ways, we were just beginning, but truthfully, we’d been building something for a long time now. Living together had forced an immediate intimacy between us, even though both of us had tried to keep our distance. I’d just never thought we’d be here, with Avi telling me I was his and he was mine.

But now that he’d said it, I wanted it more than anything. As archaic as it sounded, I wanted to belong to him.

“I think about you a lot too,” I said, the breathlessness in my voice surprising me.

He lifted my hand and kissed each of my knuckles, his lips soft and warm against my skin. “You still haven’t gone on a real date with me.”

I pulled his hand to my mouth and nibbled each of his knuckles. “I thought I was your girlfriend. We skipped over the first date.”

He shook his head, his deep brown eyes on mine. “I don’t want to skip anything with you.”

“Can this be our first date then?” I asked.

He chuckled. “It would be quite a story to tell. You dressed up in your finest wig and costume, yet, somehow, I am the one who wore the wrong thing.”

I gave his jeans and Henley a once-over. “You do stand out. Next year, you’re going to be Cyclops.”

“Not Superman?”

“No, we’ll save Superman for when we’re at home.”

He breathed out a laugh and pulled me against him in a tight hug. “I’m sorry I was angry with you, Laurel. I know you would never cheat.”

I stiffened for the briefest of moments, then let myself melt against him. I’d have to tell him. Not tonight, but I would. Soon. Probably.

“I wouldn’t. And I forgive you. I know where you’re coming from, and trust probably isn’t easy for you right now.”

He brushed his knuckles across my cheek. “It is with you. I let my mouth get in front of me sometimes, and I can be a big fucking asshole, but I trust you, Laurel. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”

I wondered if this was the “there” Rachel had meant when Frannie was trying on wedding dresses. We were standing at a precipice, unable to see over the edge. It should have been scary to take that next step, especially for me, because I had no idea what the hell I was doing, but taking that step with Avi felt as natural as taking my next breath.

“You’re my sabra.”

He rested his forehead against mine. “And you’re my lovely.”

Someone bumped into me from behind, jostling us apart. When I turned to see who’d ruined the moment, I was greeted with a cackling Valentina and a smiling Nidhi.

“Get a room,” Valentina said.

Avi kept his arm around me as I swatted at her.

Nidhi held up a margarita. “I got you another!”

Avi took the drink from her. “Do you mind if I drink this for you? I want you sober in my bed tonight.”

Nidhi and Valentina sighed simultaneously. I might have been embarrassed had I not still been a bit tipsy. But I let him have the drink, because I didn’t want to give him any excuse not to fuck me when he took me home.

I couldn’t wait for relationship sex with Avi. I couldn’t imagine anything topping wall sex or stair sex, but I sure as hell was willing to try.

We went back to the table to rejoin my friends, and I pushed Nidhi into the seat closest to Alex. Avi apologized for his caveman behavior, and Yo appropriately mocked him while he and Alex shook hands. It was all very manly.

We stayed for a while, filling Avi and Yo in on our day. Yo’s eyes glazed over pretty quickly, killing his chances at flirting with Valentina. Avi seemed interested, though, and asked a lot of thoughtful questions.

Addressing Alex, he asked, “You’re into this stuff too?”

“My interest is...growing. Nidhi’s been teaching me a lot.”

She giggled and blushed. Girlfriend was a goner. “Alex knows more than he likes to admit. He’s a Star Wars expert.”

Yo held up a peace sign. “I know Star Wars. Live long and prosper.”

Avi whacked the back of his head. “You’re not funny.”

Yo pretended to be perplexed. “Oh, so Star Wars and Star Trek aren’t the same thing?”

Valentina tapped Avi’s arm. “Does your cousin get beaten up a lot?”

He laughed softly. “He has been punched and slapped quite a few times.”

Yo waved a hand in front of himself. “It’s the face. It’s just too pretty. People want to mess it up.”

Valentina scoffed. “Okay, Yo. I’m sure that’s it.”

Avi kept some part of his body touching some part of my body throughout the evening, and I was never unaware of him, even as Valentina and I got into a heated debate over who was the best Mystique. This was our first time hanging out with friends, and it was like we’d done it a million times before. These were my new friends, and he was my new man, and everything was exciting and fresh, yet I was settling into these relationships like one of my comfy pairs of pajamas.

When Yo and Valentina went to the bar to order another drink, and Nidhi and Alex were fully engrossed in a murmured conversation, Avi touched my face, and I smiled at him.

“I want to take you home. I’m tired of sharing you,” he said.

“So take me home, Avi.”

I was fully sober by then, and so ready for him, I could have taken him into the bathroom for sink sex. But slow, sensual bed sex sounded good too. Really good. Sink sex could wait.

We said our goodbyes, then Avi drove us home, our hands intertwined between us the entire way. As we got closer to home, I became aware of how goddamn itchy my head was. I wanted to rip my wig off, but I was scared of what my hair underneath looked like. Avi was my man, and he should want me for my insides, yadda, yadda, yadda, but I didn’t quite want to enter the stage where he witnessed my post-wig hair.

“I have to take a shower when we get home,” I said.

“Me too. I am extremely dirty.”

I laughed. “I have to clean off all this makeup. I have bronzer on my stomach!”

“I noticed. I think I prefer your original color. But I do like this costume.”

I twisted in my seat so I could see his profile. “Do you have any idea who I am?”

His lips quirked. “None.”

“Oh, Avi, I hope you don’t have plans tomorrow. We’re going to be watching some cartoons.”

He glanced over at me for a moment, amusement along with something else on his face. I thought it was...affection, and tenderness.

“My plans are to be with you,” he stated simply.

My thighs clenched, and my heart stuttered in my chest. He always said what he meant, so if he didn’t want to spend the day watching cartoons with me, he sure as hell would tell me.

We parked, and I made up my mind. Screw the shower. Screw wig hair. I needed him, and it had to happen the second we walked in the door.

I slammed the door behind us, sliding the lock with a click. He looked at me. I looked at him. My chest heaved. The tips of my fingers tingled. My heart lurched in his direction. His hands were at his sides, and he raised them, just slightly, palms out. That was all the signal I needed. The distance between us was wiped out in four steps and two seconds, and my arms and legs were wrapped around him in the time it took him to blink and take a breath.

I didn’t wait for him to speak. His hands cradling my ass was enough of a reaction. My mouth found his, and I was home. It had only been since this morning that we had kissed, but it might as well have been years. I was kissing my boyfriend, not just the guy I sometimes fucked. It felt different, but the same. His lips were just as warm and soft on mine. His tongue was just as skilled at making me tremble. His touch was just as electrifying. The sparks that he made fly off my skin sent a jolt straight to my heart. His kiss was claiming, and so was mine.

The path to my bedroom was littered with my wig and boots and Avi’s shirt and belt. His fingers smeared a path through the bronzer on my stomach and back. The marks told a story, and I wished they never washed off. Looking down at myself when he laid me on the bed, I let my hands follow the trails he’d blazed on my body. And Avi stood over me, watching.

“You’re so sexy. I want to be soft, but I don’t know if I can.”

I reached my hand up to him. “You never have to be soft with me in here. Save that for out there.”

He sank down on the bed, his knees on either side of my thighs, exhaling from deep within his chest. “How did I find you?”

I raked my nails down the ridges of his abs, watching them tighten at my touch. “Luck.”

He yanked my shirt off and did away with my bra in an instant. “It’s more than that.”

Before I could ask what he thought it was, he pulled my nipple into his mouth, erasing everything but the electric connection between us. My back arched off the bed, pushing my breast further into his mouth. I clutched at the sheets over my head, already on edge, and he’d barely touched me. Maybe it was the solid week of just kissing, but I thought it was just this man and how I felt for him.

He let go of my nipple and ran his fingers between my breasts, leaving more lines.

“You look like a tiger.”

I clawed down his biceps. “Meow.”

He laughed and buried his face in my neck, licking and sucking my spot until I saw stars. His legs were still over mine, so I couldn’t move. I could only take what he wanted to give me. And I had no doubt he would give me exactly what I needed.

Avi worked his way down my body, his mouth not missing an inch. And then he was in between my thighs, his fingers working my clit, his tongue licking me from my front to back. I didn’t care that he lingered at my ass, tasting me there. I might have felt self-conscious with anyone else, but not Avi. He only did what he absolutely wanted to do, and tonight, my entire body was on his agenda.

He pushed my legs back so I was spread even wider and replaced his tongue with a finger. I’d never heard myself make the noises that escaped me. I sounded wild and free, uninhibited and loud. And from the grunts coming from Avi, he appreciated every bit of it.

My feet pushed on his back as I pressed myself into his mouth and came for what felt like hours. He never stopped, not for one second. His tongue and fingers brought me past the brink, over and over, until I was a sweaty, limp pile of muscles and bones.

Avi moved us to the head of the bed, his jeans having disappeared at some point while I lost my mind. He held me in his lap, his cock nestled in my slick, sensitive folds. I bit and sucked his rough jaw while his fingers dug into the flesh of my hips and ass.

Then he raised me up and fisted his cock, guiding himself into me. My walls were already clenching as I took him in. I was already so tender and swollen, I started coming around him as he was still lowering me down.

“Fuck, that is so beautiful,” he gritted.

“What are you doing to me? I’ve never...never…” I shook my head, my hair sticking in clumps to my cheeks and neck.

“I’m going to always fuck you how you deserve to be fucked. My cock is yours now.” He thrust up, just as he pushed me down, my thighs slapping against his. “Everything I am made of is yours. It’s all for you.”

His words spurred me on. My muscles solidified, and I rode him hard. His golden skin glistened with sweat, and I licked it off his neck. His hands weren’t soft, but they were reverent. I felt the adoration in his touch. And his eyes were full of lust, yes, but so much more. I didn’t know how I’d missed this. How deeply he cared for me. How much he truly wanted me. Not some fake, dressed up version of me, but the raw, unfiltered, real me. He saw it all, and he passionately desired it.

“You’re mine,” I panted.

“Yes, I fucking am,” he growled against my neck, pushing his cock so deep inside me, I felt him everywhere. My arms circled his neck, and my walls clenched around him, making him groan.

“Oh, fuck, baby, if you don’t want me to come inside you, tell me right now.”

I tightened my hold on him. “No, no. Everything you are is mine. Give it to me.”

He fell, and I went with him, my ears ringing and my entire body tightening. He ruined me and made me perfect. He tore me apart, then filled every crack. I was falling, falling, so close to love I could smell it. And it smelled like winter and home.

We collapsed on each other. Avi was smeared with my bronzer and we were both sweaty messes, but I’d never felt better. I giggled and curled into him, hiding my face under his arm.

“You laughed like this the first time we were together.”

I kissed his side. “I know. It’s because you make me feel so crazy.”

He stroked his fingertips down my back. “Just don’t tell me this isn’t going to happen again like you did then.”

I propped my chin on my hand, smiling at him dreamily. “I don’t think I could even pretend to say those words.”

He patted his chest. “Come here. I want to say some romantic things to you.”

I laid my body on his, and he cupped my cheeks. “You are so lovely, even with makeup smeared all over you and crazy hair.”

I flicked his nipple. “I thought this was supposed to be romantic!”

He chuckled. “You didn’t like that? Okay, I will try again.” He rubbed his thumb back and forth under my lip. “I have never met anyone like you. You’re so delicate, but so strong. I want to take care of you, like you take care of me. My lovely Laurel, I will never forget the way you took me in your closet and comforted me.”

“And told you my stupid dentist story?”

His smile was so warm, I felt it under my skin. “Yes. You didn’t have to do that. I knew you were something special before then, but from that moment, I knew you would be important to me. You are important to me. I hope I can make you feel that.”

“You’re important to me too, Avi. And you’re really good at this romantic business.”

His hands moved across my shoulders and down my back, settling at the base. “I want to do the right things with you.”

“You are. You really are. And I want you to be you. I don’t need polite. I need real.”

He shot me a wicked, sexy grin. “I love not being polite with you. And I will always give you real.”

I kissed the center of his chest. “Say something else romantic.”

He held my eyes as he slowly stroked my back. “Your skin is so soft. I want to always be touching you. Your hand or your shoulder or your little troll feet. Sometimes, I rush home from work, because my hands have been twitching all day to feel your skin.”

My breath caught, and my heart tried to escape through my throat. “Avi…” my voice was barely a whisper, “you’re making me fall for you. More than I should.”

He hugged me fiercely. “Fall. It’s safe.”

And I knew I would fall. I had no choice in the matter. I’d taken the step into the unknown where there was nothing beneath me except the hope that my landing would be soft and Avi would be right there with me.