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He did it again. And again. And again.

I had been surprised by the control he had seemed to have over himself, but after those three additional thrusts, he lost it.

“Damn it, Layla,” he clipped, pounding mercilessly. “Do you know what you do to me? What you’ve done to me for years?”

If it hadn’t been for the desperation I heard in his tone, it would have been easy to mistake his words for anger. It wasn’t like he hadn’t said enough down in the bar to inform me of how badly I’d messed him up.

But that neediness in his voice had kept me anchored to him, to what was happening between us. Lifting my head from the pillow, curling my fingers around the back of his neck, I urged his mouth to mine again.

I couldn’t kiss away all the hurt and fear and despair, but I could try to make it better for him. And I knew it helped when he moaned the moment my tongue slipped past his lips.

At one point, Liam pulled out, rolled onto his back, and urged me on top of him. I swung my leg over and sank down on top of him. My eyes closed, and my head dropped back as his hands roamed over my body. I relished the feel of his hands on my skin until he rolled us again.

It was easy to get caught up, to get lost in the gentle brushes of our lips and the sweet tangle of our limbs. It was easy to have everything else melt away as Liam moved inside me.

There were undeniable groans of pleasure and moansof delight. All the things that had torn us apart simply faded away with each touch, kiss, and thrust.

And years apart meant doing everything we could to prolong it, to stop it from hitting too fast. But eventually, there was nothing we could do to prevent it.

It was coming.

Fast and hard.

All I could do was hold on to him and brace for it.

“Layla,” he whispered, his unblinking gaze on mine.

“Liam,” I rasped, my fingertips pressing in.

Then it happened.

We came together, the warmth spreading through my body so deep and gratifying.

When we made it to the other side, Liam rolled onto his back and took me with him. Our labored breaths mingled, sweet and warm, and I felt a level of exhaustion that had more to do with feeling so fulfilled than being tired.

“It’s nothing like I remembered,” he finally said. “At the same time, it’s just like I recall it being with you. How is that possible?”

I wasn’t quite sure I knew how to describe it, but I certainly understood it. Lifting my head from his chest, I smiled at him. “I think it’s the details we forget. But there are some things I don’t think you can ever really fail to recall. The way it feels inside, the connection, is what sticks.”

“Yeah. Maybe you’re right.”

We stayed like that for a while before we moved to get ourselves cleaned up. When we returned to thebedroom, I didn’t get the chance to get my clothes and put them on. Liam wrapped his arms around me and took me down to the bed with him.

And for a long time, he held me close, kissing me and allowing his hands to roam over my body. We worked ourselves up to another round, which was far less frantic but much more emotional.

Afterward, Liam pulled me close in the bed again. This time, he didn’t kiss me into a frenzy. He simply held on tight and allowed himself to succumb to the exhaustion.

For a while, I simply watched him as he slept, feeling such a mix of emotions over everything. I thought about all I’d done wrong and how I wished I could have gone back to fix my mistake.

Eventually, even though it hadn’t felt like nearly enough time with him, I glanced at the clock and noted just how many hours had passed since I’d left my mom’s house. I’d lost track of time with him.

So, as carefully as I could, I slipped out of his hold and got myself dressed. Then I pressed a soft kiss on his cheek before I tiptoed out of the room.

18

LIAM

Before I even opened myeyes, I knew she was gone.