I’ve been talking to Lena on the phone for about an hour, but I still have so much left to say. I’m lying on my bed still wrapped in the towel I stepped into after my shower, kicking my legs up into my air as I fill Lena in on the past week’s events.

“It was a jazz bar and restaurant, and, oh my God, it was so lovely! I’ve never heard a jazz flute in my life before. It was kind of annoying at first, but then I got into it, and now I kind of love jazz flute. I couldn’t stop talking about it all the way home, and when I saw Cole last night, guess what he got me?”

“A jazz flute?”

I laugh. “Close! An album from the band that was playing. I’ve had it on loop while he’s been out shooting today. It’s put me in such a good mood! Everyone in the jazz bar was vaping, and when it’s playing in the background, I swear I can smell strawberry steam. Guess what we ate?”

Lena chuckles. “Tell me.”

“I had the most amazing venison steak, and Cole had a rack of ribs with this gourmet barbeque sauce. The fries came in tiny guitar cases! It was fantastic. I took pictures. I’ll show you when I see you.”

“Which will be when?” she asks. “Since you’ve been back with Cole, I’ve hardly seen you. It must have been three months since we last got coffee. If we don’t get down to Latte Latte soon, it’ll go out of business. We were their best customers.”

I wedge the phone between my ear and shoulder as I paint my nails a shimmering rose-gold. “I’m sorry! I know I’ve not been around. It’s just been so great spending time with Cole again. We never got the chance to really be together on US soil before. It’s like I’m discovering New York for the first time. And when we’re not out having dinner or seeing a show, we’re snuggled up here, watching a movie or talking for hours. I’ll never get tired of him. It’s amazing. I’m so happy right now.”

“I can tell. I can’t remember the last time you were this excitable—probably the first time you met Cole.”

“It’s like the universe made a mistake when we split, and now it’s being put right. Everything’s simply perfect. All my favorite parts of Cole are still there—he’s still spontaneous, funny and sexy as hell—but there’s a different side to him now, too. He’s reliable. He does all these little things to show he cares. Last night, he drew a bath for me. He’d brought home bubble bath with him, and it was coconut-scented which is my favorite. It was the sweetest thing. We got in the bath together, and—”

“—Woah!” Lena’s laughter echoes down the line.

“I was going to say we talked and talked and talked. I was wrinkly by the time we got out, and there wasn’t even any fooling around. We were simply absorbed in each other.”

“I’m glad things are going well for you.”

“They are! I’m spending every second I can with him. It’s a bit tough with the weddings—a lot of late nights—but I don’t mind waiting up. If I go a day without seeing him, it feels like years.”

“You’re sounding pretty head-over-heels again.”

“I know, I know. You want me to go in with my eyes open and expect something to give. I should be thinking ahead to when he inevitably ditches me and leaves, right?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You’re thinking it.”

“Actually, I’m not. You’re happy, and I’m happy for you. It sounds like Cole is treating you right.”

“He is. He really is. Speaking of, I’ve got to go, Lena. He’s coming over in a bit, and I’m not ready. Coffee this weekend?”

“I’ll hold you to that. No canceling. Tell Cole it’s my turn to see you.”

I laugh. “I will. I’ll speak to you soon, Lena. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

I hang up, that silly smile still on my face. I feel bubbly and light inside. For the last three months, everything has been more than perfect. Cole has been attentive and present, and I feel like we’re really working together. I miss him every time he’s gone, and every time he’s near, I get excited like a kid at Disneyland. I can’t remember the last time I felt so giddy with love.

Love.

My nails are painted now. I hold them up to the light and watch them gleam. I let my hair down from the curlers it was in, then put on a dark purple lipstick. I remove my towel and step into the new black lace lingerie one-piece with stockings and garters that I bought specially to surprise Cole. I complete the look by putting on a pair of heels, then look in the mirror. I look like a movie star and feel sexy as hell.

I gave Cole the key to my apartment a week ago, so I get on the bed and wait.

He’s home right on time—just past midnight.

My body trembles when I hear him pull into the driveway and the sound of his engine dies. I stand up with urgency and readjust my black corset. My fingers comb through my hair, and I pull it over my shoulder, sitting back down on the arm of the couch, facing the front door. I try to control my breathing and push my hair back off my shoulder. I cross my legs seductively, leaning back as I hear him walk up the steps toward the door. As the lock clicks into place and he opens the door, a tingle slams into me.

He looks at me, a smile forming on his lips. “I could get used to this. Maybe I should work late more often.”

“How was your day, baby?” I slide my fingertips along the tops of my swelled breasts and lean toward him, securing my three-inch stilettos on the floor and opening my legs to him.

He closes the door, sets his camera equipment on the floor, and walks toward me without another word. He unbuttons his trench coat but doesn’t take it off, his hands still in leather gloves. He cups my face as I stand up in front of him. I feel my heart race out of control as he kisses me, a hint of whiskey on his breath. The thought of it, rugged and dirty, makes my body respond. He kisses my neck, runs his leathered hands over my bare skin, and removes the corset wrapped around me.

I swallow hard, taking in his clothed frame. When the last of my lingerie is removed and discarded on the floor, he pulls his coat open and invites me in, wrapping it around me, pressing his body against mine. His gloves are rough against me as he slides his hand between my legs, rubbing back and forth. My arousal quickly escalates until it teeters on the edge of orgasm. He steps back, slides his coat off, and runs his hands over my hips one more time before removing his gloves.

“So delicious,” he says, licking his lips. His clothes fall away from his body as I breathe deeply at the anticipation of what he’ll do to me. He approaches me, naked and very aroused, enveloping me. My hands can’t stop touching him, and I want to smell like him, like the whiskey on his breath, like the musk from his arousal, like the smell of leather from his gloves. I grind against him, burying my hands into his hair, my tongue sliding into his mouth. The taste of his whiskey spreads across my tongue, making me hungrier for more. I moan, thrusting my tongue deeper, slamming my body against him, wanting to crawl inside him and stay forever.

“Make love to me, Cole.” I am breathless, wanting, needing. We lower our bodies to the floor, his trench coat bunched up underneath me. The feel of the buttons and coarse material dig into my back as I open my legs for him. He drops down on me, crushing me with the weight of his body and he enters me almost immediately. The anticipation that built during my wait for him, the aggression he used against me the moment he walked through the front door, my want for him, all let my arousal overwhelm me.

I hold on to him, pulling him into me, pushing my hips up against him so that the transition from lovemaking to feeling the orgasm hit blend together. He rocks into me, caressing me and kissing me until the soft waves of arousal finish crashing over me. I feel him continue after my body quiets. I feel his pace pick up. I’m patient, smiling softly, watching him work toward his own pleasure, and when he gets there, I feel myself growing closer to him—mind, body, and soul.