Stars peeked through the night sky when we finally finished up dinner. Dani hadn’t been wrong; this shithole of a restaurant made a fan-freaking-tastic bacon cheeseburger. So much so that I ordered an extra one to take home for a rainy day. But beyond the food, the night had been filled with more ups and downs than a damn yo-yo. One minute I was flying high, reminiscing about the past, the next, I was desperately fighting to remind myself why I needed to keep my emotions firmly shut the hell down.

It’d only been one night and I was already teetering on the edge of feelings I’d long ago thought banished, exiled to the wastelands. But Dani had a way of coaxing them out of me against my better judgment. She had a way of making me forget. I knew the definition of insanity, I knew the end result would be exactly the same, and yet, like a dumbass, there I was staring down the very same path again.

I wasn’t sure I minded all that much.

I had loved this girl with the ferociousness of first love, the all-consuming, can’t eat, can’t sleep love that feeds teeny bopper boy bands lyrics ad nauseam. When she left, I tried to deny I ever let myself fall that deep and believe so wholly that we belonged together. Heartbreak had a way of casting a very long shadow. But seeing her again, I realized I really could keep my promise to her—I wasn’t going to fall in love with her again.

Not again because I never stopped in the first place.

I sighed. Fuck me seven ways to Sunday, I was a dumb bastard. But not stupid enough to spend whatever time we had together denying the truth to myself. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t deny my feelings with my last dying breath to the entire planet. I had to save a little bit of face after all.

Dani bumped me with her shoulder. “Earth to Gavin, is anyone there?”

I glanced down at her, and her carefree smile unraveled me a bit. A part of me hated the way she stirred things up, working me up so it felt like a tornado was rampaging inside me, so that it felt like my heart was trying to climb up my throat and find a better, safer place to hide.

Just because I knew what I was feeling didn’t mean I wasn’t already tensing for the fallout.

“Gav?” She blinked up at me, no doubt taking in the change in my expression.

She was standing in front of me like she’d been plucked straight out of my dreams. I had no idea how long I’d have her for. It could be months if I was lucky, hours if I wasn’t. I could feel time slipping through my fingers like fine grains of sand, falling, falling, and disappearing into the night.

An entire night was gone and I hadn’t even kissed her. It was time to remedy that.

I stepped toward her, and her hand immediately found my chest. Her gaze darted down the street around us, left then right. “Not here.”

I checked our surroundings. “The sidewalk is nearly empty.”

“It’s not.” Her lips pinched together. “There’re two people on this side alone.”

I narrowed the gap between us. “They’re not looking.”

She hesitated a second before her gaze finally snapped back to mine. “To hell with it.”

At first touch a jolt shot through me, completely cliché in the electrical spark that traveled from my lips to my toes to my fingertips. Her lips played against mine and the feeling of it, her against me, felt like coming home. It felt like my entire world was a scattered set of puzzle pieces that had suddenly drifted into place.

My thumb skimmed the line of her jaw while I tasted her, tilted her head back and let my tongue explore all the places I used to know so well—the corner of her mouth, her chin, the hollow of her neck. Her hips rocked forward to meet mine, an involuntary sigh escaping her mouth at the delicious contact.

I kissed her again, all passion and heat and longing. I took my time with it, savoring the moment, letting myself fall into the feeling of having her in my arms again. My nose brushed hers and I broke away from her lips just long enough to whisper her name. “Dani.”

She froze, her hand immediately pushing me away. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced around us again. “We need to go.”

I tried to see what she was seeing, but it was nothing other than a quiet city street. Less crowded than the ones I normally frequented, patches of the sidewalk highlighted by flickering streetlights, an ambling stream of cars rolling down the street. There was the sound of tires on pavement, the crisp smell of spring air. “You know we’re fine here, right? No one’s watching us.”

She stepped back. “I’m leaving. The only question is if you’re coming with me.” The end of her ponytail snapped through the air as she turned on a heel and started walking.

“Whoa, whoa.” I hurried to catch up with her. “I’m sorry, alright?” I slipped my fingers through hers. “We’ll get out of here. Wherever you wanna go.”

Her hand wriggled free of mine. “I told you, Gav, I can’t do this with you like this.” She gestured around us. “If you can’t get that, if you’re not okay—”

“I got it.” I nudged her chin up with my knuckle. “Scout’s honor.” I held up three fingers, just to make my promise that much more official.

The corner of her mouth quivered. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Anywhere you want to go.”

* * *

A lamp crashed to the floor, the shade going askew as it landed on the hardwood floor. I felt the shudder through the floor boards as a chair followed in its wake. Somewhere in the back corner from his dog bed, Elvis gave an indignant huff and turned his back to us. Dani and I careened off the couch as we tore through my condo, leaving a path of destruction behind us.

On the ride over I’d pictured a nice glace of wine, seduction, and wooing, but Dani was having none of it. No sooner had the door closed than she’d pounced.

Not that I was complaining.

By the time we actually made it to the bedroom, there was a trail of shoes, pants, and shirts scattered in every direction. We reached the bed and between my knees hitting the edge of the mattress and Dani’s insistent shove, we toppled over. The mattress squealed as our bodies hit, bouncing slightly.

Dani’s hands gripped my shoulders as she pinned me down and straddled me, her mouth never leaving mine. She sucked my lower lip between hers, biting down. Then we were back at it again—tongue, teeth, mouths—ravishing each other like the world was ending and our time was running out.

Although, honestly, it really was.

My hands skimmed up her back, tracing her soft skin, following the path of her spine until my fingers found the clasp of her bra. One flick and it was undone and tumbling from her shoulders. She gasped when I levered myself up, keeping her seated comfortably in my lap while I traced kisses across her chest. Down, down until I could draw her nipple into my mouth—sucking, biting, teasing.

Her fingers gripped my hair, tugging me closer while her hips ground down against mine. I was hard as a rock, my dick practically pulsing inside my boxer briefs. Two incredibly thin layers of fabric were all that separated us, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep me from feeling her heat.

She rolled her hips and my eyes nearly rolled back in my head. “Fuck, Dani.”

Her hot breath skated across my neck. “More, I need more.”

So I gave her more.

While our mouths tangled together, my hand skimmed down her stomach. Goosebumps followed in its wake, all the way to where I slipped my fingers inside her panties. She was so wet for me I nearly groaned. I teased her, tracing tiny circles around her clit, giving her just enough that she was writhing against me, panting out uneven breaths.

Her fingers gripped my shoulders so hard I was sure there’d be bruises in the morning. Well-earned bruises, and I’d savor every single one.

She rocked against me again, all pent-up energy and need. “Gavin.”

Of all the music I’d made in my entire life, nothing sounded sweeter than her moaning my name.

I wrapped her hair around my hand and tugged, exposing her throat, the erratic pulse of her heartbeat right below her skin. “Tell me what you need.”

Even with her head tipped back I could still see her tongue sweep across her lips. “You.”

I slipped one finger inside of her. “Like this?”

She shook her head, gaze coming back to mine. Her pupils were blown wide, cheeks flushed, hair a beautiful mess. “No.” Her fingers tightened their grip on my neck, dragging me closer so she could sink her teeth in my earlobe. “Condom. Now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I grinned at her, taking a second to tweak her nose before I slipped out from underneath her to do her bidding. My boxer briefs met the floor, and I turned around, condom in place, to find Dani stretched across my bed, one leg bent at the knee. Fuck, she was beautiful.

Creamy skin stretched as far as I could see, her deep red hair a startling contrast to the white fluffy pillow beneath her head. Her fingers traced the curve of her breast, the small globes dusted pink from the attention I’d paid them.

She crooked a finger at me and I felt powerless to give her anything other than what she wanted. At least as long as what she wanted was me.

My body covered hers, and I paused, resting on my elbows, just to look down at her. Lyrics spiraled through my mind, endless words for the luminous glow in her eyes, the haze of pleasure between us, the crazed beat of my heart beneath my ribcage. If I’d had my notebook (and even the slightest inclination to do anything other than what I was doing) I could’ve filled the whole damn thing.

There were other words there too. Ones the Gavin of a few hours ago would have denied with every atom of his being, but that were nevertheless true now. I loved her, and whether she stayed or left, loved me back or broke my heart again, they were still the ones I needed to say to her.

“Dani, I—”

Her mouth was on mine again, hungry and relentless. She swept her tongue into my mouth, teasing mine until she got a response. Her legs tightened around my hips, and in one quick, decisive motion she rolled us over so she was on top again.

“Dani—”

This time it was her finger that landed on my lips. “You don’t need to say anything.”

She sat back and took me inside her in one smooth motion, both of us gasping at the sensation. Her breasts rose and fell on a deep breath, her hips rolling to take me deeper. My fingers wrapped around her hips and my thumb skimmed over a patch of bumpy skin—an old scar that never healed well. It startled me for a second, that several inches of skin that wasn’t the same as the last time I’d seen it. I’d just started to wonder how she’d gotten it when she started to move against me, and I lost the thread of that thought completely.

“Mmm.” I rocked my hips up to meet her downward thrusts.

She let out a little sigh, eyes closing as she found her rhythm. And hell, what a rhythm it was. Her fingernails scraped my chest, the sensation completely short-circuiting my senses. I reached up to gently pinch her nipples, rolling them between my fingers, one at a time, until she was nothing but strung together moans and whispers and pleas.

“Now, please now.” She sucked in a breath, riding me so hard the entire bed shook.

I gave her what she wanted—the whisper of a touch right between her legs, a stroke that shattered both of us so sharply there weren’t any words at all. There was only skin against skin, our bodies pulsing, hearts racing. And in the commotion of it all, between the gasps and shuddering, there actually were a few words left standing. Ones that ripped across my consciousness, scorching themselves there with their ferocity: God, I still love her.