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“Good girl,” Darien murmured, kissing the side of her head as he drove himself in faster, grinding the head of his cock against a deep, sensitive spot that made her legs twitch. “Such a good girl.”

“More,” Loren squeezed out, her toes curling on the mat.

“How do you want it, baby?”

“Harder. As hard as you can.”

He obliged her. His movements turned frantic. Animalistic, carrying her over the edge again, hitting that spot way inside her in tandem with his fingers rubbing her clit. She soaked him, her insides squeezing him so tightly it made him swear colorfully. Groaning deeply, he went over the edge too, finishing himself off inside her with several brutal, uneven thrusts, panting her name as he spilled himself deep in her deliciously aching body.

“Fuck, baby.” His movements slowed, his heartbeat strong against her back. “I’m so addicted to you.”

“Likewise,” she panted, turning her head so she could kiss him.

“How’s your back?” he asked her, pressing his lips to her cheek. Her brow. The tip of her nose. When he loved her like this, she couldn’t get enough.

“I’m sure I’ll feel it in the morning.” Her heart was pounding everywhere, the pulse between her legs gradually fading.

He gave a soft laugh.

“How’s your hand?”

His lips moved to the side of her neck now, the tip of his nose skimming the space just below her ear—an area he seemed to give attention to often, her curiosity making her wonder if it had to do with his tattoo. His identity. His past and present. When he kissed that spot, his tongue sweeping out to taste her, she shivered, her reaction making him twitch inside her. “I’m sure I’ll feel it in the morning,” Darien said, the rumble of his words traveling through her back and chest, settling right in her heart.

Afterward, Loren lay on her side, facing Darien as he looked at her. Just looked at her, his hand cupping her face, thumb grazing her brow. He’d dimmed the lights so only the row closest to the mirrors were on, the rest of the room dim, and he’d given her his shirt to wear. He’d put his jeans back on, but Loren had a feeling those would be off again in no time, given how the last few hours had gone. It was late now and the house was quiet, and she was here with Darien, alone in their own perfect bubble.

“I’m sorry I didn’t remember you,” she whispered.

His thumb dipped to her cheek, tracing the freckles scattered across the top of it. “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Don’t be. I understand why you did it. I didn’t before—understand, I mean—because…I couldn’t remember everything. And I was just…confused. And scared.” Not remembering anything was more frightening than she could possibly explain. To have your life ripped from you, so many important moments that had defined her scattering to the wind, the feelings scattering with them…

It was something she wouldn’t wish on even her worst enemies. It made her mind feel like it belonged to someone else, like it had somehow betrayed her, turning her into a stranger in her own life.

“You had good reason for reacting the way you did,” Darien said, his words as equally quiet as hers. “I’m just glad you forgave me.” A smile tugged at his mouth.

One tugged at Loren’s in return, and Darien’s attention briefly lowered to her mouth. “I can never stay mad at you for long.” She took his hand into hers, joining their fingers, and used her thumb to trace the symbols and ancient numerals on his knuckles. “Do you think we’ll ever get to experience a normal life together?” she wondered, unable to disguise her concern.

“Of course I do,” he said softly. Quietly. “This can’t go on forever, sweetheart.” He said it with the same level of hope she felt sparking in her own chest. “But if it does, I’ll be there with you every step of the way. Even if it takes forever, you have me.”

She felt her mouth sink, her heart sinking with it. “My forever will be a lot shorter than yours.” It was a truth that haunted her every waking moment. Since the day she was born, she had been identified by her mortal status, her inabilities outweighing her few abilities like a shadow constantly stalking her in the dark. A human lifespan was a mere blip in the grand scheme of things. It was rare that a mortal ever made an impact on a world like Terra. They died quickly, most never leaving so much as a trace of a footprint after a measly seventy, eighty years at best.

Darien was frowning, the blue of his eyes gray in this light. “Don’t say that, baby. Please don’t say that.”

She swallowed the tightness in her throat. “It’s the truth—”

“And it kills me.” His deep voice echoed, sending a shiver from her spine to her nape. “Rips me apart inside.” He gently squeezed her hand. “Live in the moment, okay? This right here.” He came in for a soft kiss. “You and me, right now.” Another press of his lips. “Just us.” And another. “This moment.” One more, and her heart all but melted.

“I love you,” she told him with a whisper.

He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. And then he let go so he could come closer, pushing up onto an elbow so he was hovering over her. The pendants he wore caressed her chest, the silver warm from his body heat. His mouth locked on hers, tongue spreading her lips, leaving no part of her mouth untouched, unclaimed.

This man’s kiss was a beautiful thing. Intense. Captivating. Irresistible. There was nothing better than this, nothing better than Darien.

He took her again, right there on the floor. He made love to her slowly this time, moving carefully right up until the end, showing her the side of Darien Cassel that no one but Loren ever saw.

She may be mortal, may be doomed to say goodbye to him eventually, but she still considered herself the luckiest woman in the world.

She would not trade Darien’s love for anything. Not even immortality.