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He pinches the bridge of his nose, like he’s holding himself together by a thread.

“I don’t know. I just missed you,” he admits roughly. “I hated the way we left things.”

The heaviness of his words settles in my chest.

I miss you too.

“I should go.” He turns as if to leave, and I can’t let him. Not like this.

I reach out and grab his wrist, and he stops as though I alone control him. I wish that was true.

“Stay. Please, just stay the night.” The words spill out, even though I know I shouldn’t say them.

I know I should push him away. Keep him at arm's length. But right now, none of that matters. All I want is to be near him, even if it’s only for a few hours.

He shakes his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

But when he finally looks at me, I see the conflict there, and for a moment, it feels like he’s really considering it.

“Please.” My hand slides down to his, gripping it like it’s my last chance. “Don’t go.”

I can’t bear another goodbye, even if it changes nothing between us.

He hesitates, his fingers curling around mine, and then his other hand gently cups my cheek, tilting my head up.

“You know what will happen if I stay.” His thumb brushes over my lips.

I nod, the truth between us too heavy to ignore.

His jaw tightens, and in that split second, all of the space between us vanishes. He leans down, his lips brushing over mine before he captures them with an urgency that takes my breath away. And for just a moment, nothing else matters but the two of us.

The rest happens in a blur. One second, he’s standing; the next, he’s shirtless and in my bed, grinding his body on top of mine and kissing me with a frenzy.

He drags up my nightshirt, circling his hips into my center, his cock hard, causing my pent-up need to drown out the voice that tells me I shouldn’t do this. That I’ll only get hurt in the end.

But what if tonight changes everything? What if he sees how perfectly we fit together? How right this is? Maybe then he’ll want to make it work. Maybe it’s worth the risk.

My hands grip his back as he kisses me, both of us clinging to one another with raging passion, while he works his sweats down until I feel his bare cock rocking against me.

“Do I need a condom?” he asks out of respect, even when we’ve done this without one before.

And that just makes me fall for him even more.

“No.” I shake my head. “I’m on the pill.”

He growls, rolling his hips into me, making me cry out in pleasure.

When the crown of his erection enters me, my teeth sink into my bottom lip, his eyes watching me take every inch in one brutal thrust.

In this moment, I feel alive, as if everything else—the pain, the loneliness—fades into nothing. He cups my cheek, his movements slow yet deep, and for a fleeting moment, it’s as though we’re one. Connected in a way that feels stronger than anything we’ve shared before.

I don’t want this to end. I don’t want to close my eyes and wake up to the brokenness that will be left behind. The shattered pieces of us that we’ll never be able to put back together.

“Dinara…” His gravelly voice stirs something deep within me as his lips lightly brush mine.

“Don’t,” I whisper, shaking my head. “Just don’t say anything.”

The last thing I want is for him to tell me this is wrong or we should stop. Right now, there’s nothing I want more than to be with him, just like this.