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43

PENNY

No matter how many times I’ve played this scenario out in my head, nothing prepared me for the enigmatic Collins Stone. Never did I think the unyielding man would ever give in to the wishes of a girl like me.

Every touch of his hands running up my naked legs is intentional. He is slow and methodical. He says what he means and acts on what he says. Nothing Collins does is on accident or done without thoughtful consideration.

Every cast of his eyes warms me from head to toe, filling my insides with an energy that tingles through my limbs. He is seducing me with just his attention, and I’m melting under his approving gaze.

I didn’t think Collins could soften his exterior shell long enough to let me into his life, but here I am fully submerged—and I plan to soak up every second he is willing to give me.

Except I’m so afraid to disobey him by moving and be the reason all of this stops.

To Collins, I’m probably a walking red flag, and I desperately don’t want to wave that stop sign or make him second-guess his choices.

Because I want this.

I want him to erase my past bad experiences—or at the very least dull them enough to not be the focal point in my history.

I’ve been summoned to remain still and yet every inch of me wants to curl and mold myself around Collins’s strong body, like a custom blanket. I want my own touch to be branded on his skin so he will remember this moment, just as much as I want to remember it.

But I remain motionless. I just lie here, waiting for him to bend just another inch forward. I wait here while his mouth hovers lower. I wait here while I pray he takes what I hope he still wants and never has a moment of regret.

Collins’s kiss to my pussy is hard with the promise for more. His hands skate behind me to grip my backside, lifting me to his mouth and holding me there.

Then he pulls back, making me ache for more.

His lazy, nonchalant inspection of my pussy causes my posture to soften, coaxing me to melt my spine into the mattress.

I feel his greedy, rigid cock resting along my thigh. It’s a steady reminder of just how much I affect him, and I relish in the knowledge that I can. And I will.

If I could bottle up this moment and set it on a shelf for a time in the future when I thirst for this level of closeness, I would. Because every touch and caress is a reminder that what we are doing, what we have voluntarily consented to, is just temporary.

We are temporary.

And the forbidden contract that I’ll sign in a day’s time will be the death sentence to our relationship. It will be the end after the time on the clock runs out.

While my heart yearns for forever, my mind knows that this fleeting version of Collins is way better than a diluted or nonexistent version of him.

I know my heart will ultimately be destroyed in the end, so it’s best I savor this unfiltered taste.

Collins’s fingers pull back the lips of my pussy, and he just looks at me.

He sees me in my state of vulnerability, as I consent to lie here immobile while he just stares at me.

With slow and methodical movements, Collins teases and tickles my flesh, dipping just a tip or two inside and pulling back out in a rush.

He’s testing me, and I know I’m going to fail.

I know I won’t be able to keep this up much longer before I wrap my legs around him and just thrust myself onto him like a depraved hussy.

Applying more pressure, Collins controls the pleasure rippling through me, sending jolts of heated electricity to every nerve ending in my body.

But I need more . And he knows it.

We are standing at the blurred edge of the cliff, not sure where the threshold is that will send us both plummeting over.

Yet we both know this slow dance isn’t going to cut it.

Collins smiles. He fucking smiles, while I suffer in silence trying not to end this before it even gets started by disobeying him. Because I believe him when he says he’ll stop if I move—even if it hurts him in the process.

He’s a point prover, and I don’t want to be his example.

“I’ve got you, Penny,” he says softly, encouraging me with his light massaging. “You’re such a good girl. Keep following my directives, and you’ll be rewarded.”

I watch as his lips curve upward, and I can’t resist shivering. I don’t even hide what his praise does to me. It must be written all over my face and etched into every goose bump. I want to be his good girl. But deep down, I think I’m craving the consequences of being bad.

“Bend your knees. Keep your heels flat and pushed back. I want to see all of your glorious body—every square inch. Present to me what is mine.”

I remain silent and get a stern look from Collins. “What?” I whisper, unable to contain my confusion.

“Following orders and remaining still doesn’t imply I want you to stay quiet, Penny. If I wanted you to be silent, I’d gag you. It’s as simple as that.”

Okay, then. “Understood.”

“You are the most beautiful sight for my undeserving eyes. Forgive me while I take my time with you.” His eyes smolder with heat. “Your body is meant to be worshipped. Every fucking inch of it.”

I continue to melt under his attentive gaze, taking his words at face value. His eyes can’t hide his true affections toward me, and I revel in knowing that my body can evoke this type of reaction from him.

“Take what I freely give to you, Collins. All of me.”

“I can’t wait to ruin you for every other man.”

“Yes…”

“You are so fucking perfect that by the time I’m through, your body will only respond to my touch.”

“Hmmm…”

Without more time to think, Collins leans even farther on his knees and blows right onto my wide-opened pussy. I hold myself still, only pressing my weight farther into the comforter that is covering the mattress. Every muscle in my body tenses, making me wonder if he could get me to orgasm—something I’ve only ever experienced by my own handiwork and even that is up for debate.

Then I feel it.

His lips…

His breath…

His fingers pulling my pussy lips wider.

Ever so slowly, his tongue outlines the curvature of my most private region, hitting every valley and hill along its path. Heat blossoms through me like a winter’s wine, warming me and causing me to leak out all over the surface of his bed, without any conscious way of preventing it.

My entire pelvic region sparks from Collins’s expert touch, igniting into a blaze that I don’t think I can keep contained.

It’s like a fuse is lit and the potential for a massive explosion is on the brink.

“That’s it, my sweet girl,” he says breathily on my most sensitive skin, eliciting a moan from deep within my throat. “You taste like strawberries and cream.”

Hours ago, I was just an assignment. Now, I feel like we’ve evolved into more—so much more. A zing runs through me over the possibility of what the near future might bring, and if it feels like anything that mimics right now, then I’ll be a happy girl.

“Hmm,” I moan, as Collins adds more pressure to his movements.

He licks from my entrance up to my clit and then back down again—over and over, tonguing my pussy. I can’t help but imagine what his actual cock will feel like when it’s inside.

I feel myself gushing all over the bed, unable to stop the force spiraling through me, as Collins rushes to lap up all that I’m offering to him.

With a heart that continues to pound, my breathing picks up in uneven pants.

Collins is handling my body better than I’ve ever done on my own, and it already feels like he has insider’s knowledge.

Placing a kiss on my clit, he raises his head to look at me, depriving me of his physical touch. “Relax and enjoy.”

I grind my teeth at his wicked smile and stiffen my jaw, deflating into the mattress from the pause button being hit. Is he joking? There’s nothing even remotely relaxing about any of this—especially when I’m forbidden to move. Surely he can see how hard it is not to shove my legs together under his inspecting gaze.

I can’t hide from him. Even when I squeeze my eyes shut, I can still feel his predatory stare on me.

I’m going to be devoured. That’s if he ever gets around to touching me again.

My body tenses as a finger presses against my entrance and then gently pushes inside. Collins fingered me in the viewing booth at Limit-X just last night, but now seems different—more stimulating.

Maybe it’s how exposed I am…

Maybe it’s how I’ve surrendered my body over to him…

When he hooks his finger, I moan out his name, and the man has the nerve to chuckle at me.

Dammit.

Collins knows exactly the effect he has on my body. It’s not as if I’m hiding my true feelings either. From my panting breaths to the way my body is buzzing with excitement, how could he not know the extent he has me literally wrapped around his finger?

“More,” I beg, urging him to speed up from his slow, intentional assault.

Making a tsk-tsk sound to shush me, Collins leans his head forward, capturing my entire clit into his mouth and sucking—hard.

Too hard, I think. Right?

I can’t possibly?—

“Ow!” I whimper. But then hovering on the sidelines is that unmistakable zing of pleasure. “Oh, fuck!” My words come out muffled. I’m on some brink I don’t think I’ve ever been at before. Every time in the past I’ve touched myself has never felt like this.

Not like this.

Never even close to this.

It’s too good. Yet too stimulating.

Every nerve ending is teetering between it being too much and not enough.

It’s too much pain, yet not enough pressure.

If I could just guide him…

And then I do the unthinkable…

I move—not just a little. A lot.

Shit.

Maybe Collins won’t notice.

Except he does.

All of the attention I’ve been enjoying halts, causing my entire world to stop spinning on its axis for the second time over the last twenty-four hours. Pushing up to my elbows, I watch as Collins stands up, then starts to walk away.

Oh, hell no.

While the sight of his muscular backside is something enjoyable to see, it’s the last thing I need in my line of vision right now.

I don’t need him giving up on me.

Not now. Not before this even really starts…

I won’t be able to survive this ledge he placed me on, unless he jumps off too.

It’s together or never. And I want together—dammit.

Rolling off the side of the bed, I chase after him, jumping on his back as he tries to get away.

“Hell, Penny,” he grunts, stumbling forward but steadying himself as to not drop me. He grabs my legs and spins me around to his front like a floppy rag doll. My ass bumps into his cock, causing it to twitch. “What has gotten into you?”

“Not you!” I yell in fury, clinging to him like a deranged bear cub. We are glued together and yet missing the mark entirely. If I just lift and lower, we would fit as a human puzzle.

“You moved,” he says simply.

“You made it impossible to stay still.”

How is Collins not affected like I am? How is he able to keep his composure when I feel like some horned-up teenager? It’s his dedication to discipline that makes me undisciplined. In comparison to his manners, I’ll always mess up.

I don’t stand a chance, and that revelation is sobering.

“You broke a rule—the only rule.”

I pout my lips. “You wanted me to fail.”

Smirking, his eyes darken, while his fingers extend over my naked ass cheeks. “It will be mighty fun for me punishing you.”

I allow my body to go limp and slide down from my perch, rubbing my pussy against every hard inch of his cock on my descent.

Good. Enjoy that attention while it lasts .

I prop my hands on my hips. Collins is the first man I’ve been around where my first instinct isn’t to conceal myself. He makes me confident—and a bit defiant.

“Then tie me the fuck up, but don’t you dare end things the way you just did. This isn’t a teachable moment, so quit trying to teach me a lesson I refuse to retain.”

Collins’s eyes twinkle with mirth. Why is he enjoying himself in my time of despair? He can be so annoying!

“Get back on the bed, Princess.”

I do as I’m told. It feels foreign at first—yet indescribably relaxing. Maybe this whole following directions thing is what I need after all. It’s like a revised game of Collins Says .

“Happy now?” I bite back. This new sense of confidence might get me into trouble, but the journey getting there will be all the fun.

“On all fours, ass in the air.”

“Oh damn,” I mumble. After a little hesitation, I slowly rotate my body, getting into position.

I feel his hand smooth out over my cheeks, humming to the rhythm of his movement. “Have you ever been spanked before, my naughty girl?”

“Only in my fantasies,” I quip, looking back over my shoulder to catch his expression.

It’s a semi lie, mostly because I’ve never considered it an option until I saw him with Daphne. I’ve been jealous of her ever since I caught them in the scene, silently wondering all this time what it would feel like to get marked by Collins Stone’s hand print.

“You deserve more than I’m willing to deliver at this moment, but I can’t wait to make you pay for all of your brattiness. You’re going to be so fun to tame. But don’t worry, I also like you wild.”

Collins runs his hand up to my lower back, circling it and then sliding it back down to the tops of my upper thighs. I hang my head toward the comforter, bracing myself for whatever he plans to do.

It’s the anticipation that gets to me.

When his hand leaves my thighs, I suck in a deep breath through my lungs and then wait.

And wait.

My body relaxes and then the whoosh of air resonates in my ears as the loud hollowing sound echoes into the room.

CRACK.

I flinch and then gasp as the pain in my ass cheek radiates through me. When the burning subsides, I’m left with this tingling sensation in my core and an aftertaste of confusion.

Do I want Collins to spank me again?

It wasn’t as scary as my mind made it out to be.

Before I can decide, another whirling sound fills the room as my other cheek gets the same treatment.

“Ouch,” I hiss, earning back a chuckle. “You are enjoying this too much.”

“So are you. And your body is going to prove it.”

The mattress dips and then his mouth is on my pussy. He spreads my folds for better access, driving his tongue into my entrance while using his fingers to tease my sensitive, swollen flesh.

Damn.

I don’t think I could get more exposed. He can literally see every vulnerable part of me. But before I get a chance to second-guess what I’m doing, he pushes in what feels like just one finger.

Twisting it, he penetrates me deep, making me want to grind my hips back to get more of him. More of his finger and more of his tongue.

I need more .

Pulling out, he pushes in with more pressure.

Fuck.

Why do I feel like I’m so tight?

I’ve read that pain and pleasure are similar feelings that are often presented together but never really understood how…

Until now.

Right now, in this moment, I understand why this act can be so alluring.

Then I feel a finger at my other hole.

No.

“I can’t,” I whisper, trying to wiggle and clench off access.

“No square inch of you is off-limits, Princess. And one day soon I will claim you here”—he presses his finger right over my virgin hole—“and when your cries of pain morph into moans of passion, you will know I own you. Fully. And without reservation. But that takes a lot more prep work than I’m patient for right now. So for now, your virtue is safe.”

I let out a sigh of relief, hanging my head. I’m definitely not ready for that right now and am glad he realizes it as well.

His mouth opens so wide I fear he will swallow my entire pussy.

I’m going to die a good death and will think my life was fulfilled because of his mouth.

Once he releases me, Collins moves back to give me the space I definitely don’t need. I want him to?—

CRACK.

“Dammit, you didn’t even warn me,” I scold.

CRACK.

And then I feel it—my pussy leaking. It’s not from the pleasure he previously gave but from the zing of pain he just delivered.

It’s as if my mind is playing tricks on me.

How can…

I feel the trail of liquid down my thigh, and when I hang my head onto the mattress and look between my slightly spread legs, I can see the glistening. I can also see Collins’s expression of…

Adoration?

Pride?

Gratitude?

“You are exquisite, my sweet girl. So responsive and yet so curious. I’m going to have so much fun getting you to submit to my will.”

Pulling my head up, I look over my shoulder. “Who says I’ll submit?”

Running a hand up my leg, Collins gathers the product of my arousal onto his fingers. Leaning over me, he places two of them into my mouth, beckoning me to lick them clean. “You already are,” he says smoothly, as I comply.

I moan around his fingers as he probes and pushes them into the back of my throat, testing my gag reflex I assume.

“But lucky for you, your sass just helps me think creatively about how to provide balance and the framework to assist you in fully discovering yourself.”

Helping me to turn over and get settled on my back, Collins hovers over my body with his. He leans down to kiss my lips. This time it’s much more urgent. Pushing back my hair with his fingers, he massages my cheeks with his thumbs.

“Are you sure you want to continue?”

I nod and give him my full attention. “I don’t need any more safety checks, Collins. I’m sure.”

His eyes spark. “Good. Because you’re about to get all of me. And once we get acclimated, I won’t be gentle.”

“I appreciate your warning, but I’ll be fine. I don’t need coddled. I need devoured.” I want primal. Feral. I want for someone to be so obsessed with me that their only serenity is being buried deep inside me.

Sliding a hand to my pussy, Collins cups it and growls, “No one touches this during our time together. Do you understand me, Penny?”

“Got it.”

“Not even you without permission.”

“Okay…” Surely he doesn’t really mean that. I can ask for clarification later.

“I don’t fucking share what’s mine, and I don’t plan to go long between reclaiming it. You’ve made me needy and on edge for weeks, so learn to accept the consequences like a good little girl. There might be days we don’t leave this bed. So if you want to back out now, you better say so. And do it quick before I implode.”

“Quit acting like we don’t desire the same things,” I bark out, driving my hips upward to show my wanton need. “I can handle you, Collins.”

His eyes study me.

I’m not sure what he’s looking for, but I hope he finds it soon.

“If you need me to pause or stop at any time, you will tell me. Understood?”

I nod.

“I need your verbal consent, Princess.”

“Yes. I will tell you.”

Reaching between us, Collins slips a finger inside me, pumps a few times, and then pulls out. He does this four more times. When I think he’s going to just continue on with his frustrating torment of stop-and-go, he keeps one finger inside and then presses down with another hard on my clit, causing my body to shudder.

“Ahhh…”

It’s as if he pulled the trigger on me.

My body erupts from the simple move. Giving me no time to enjoy the wave I’m riding on, he grabs a condom from the top of his nightstand, rips it open with ease, and then rolls it down his length. Then lining himself up, he presses the head of his cock into my entrance. Rocking his hips, he presses forward and then pulls back. A little forward…then back again. Each time he seems to go a bit deeper, stretching me to the point where I think I can’t possibly take more. Forward…then back again.

But seeing that Collins is very much still hovering above me and the space between us isn’t even closed, I am having my doubts that this will even work from a functionality standpoint.

“You’re not going to fit,” I whisper.

What if he doesn’t fit?

What if all this prep work is one big misunderstanding and he changes his mind?

What if I’m too much work and not worth the effort?

“Get out of your head, Penelope.”

“I’m scared.”

Collins moves his mouth to my ear, gently nibbling at my lobe. “I know, Princess. But you have to trust me. Getting you broken in is the best part of the journey. I will fit. But first, I need you to stop with the self-doubt monologue probably running on repeat in your head. You have one job to do—lie here and take what I’m going to give to you. Let me worry over everything else.”

“Okay,” I say with hushed breath.

Pushing himself back up off me, he captures my eyes with his. “And Penny?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m not worried.”

I look at him confused. “Why not?”

“Because your body was made for me.”

Before I have a chance to react or to think, Collins slides his mouth to the hollow of my neck and kisses my sensitive flesh.

A hand grips my breast and squeezes.

I’m writhing underneath his attention, and slowly I feel the walls of my pussy loosen.

“That’s my girl.”

His sweet words are thick and needy, as warm as honey.

He applies more pressure.

A whimper escapes my lips. “It hurts…”

“Relax your core and let me inside your warmth.”

“I’m trying.”

“You’re doing great, Princess. Let me make you feel good.”

Throwing my head back on the pillow, I let out a labored breath. My face wrinkles and unwrinkles with the pinching pain I’m enduring.

Collins pushes some of my hair off my forehead, tucking it gently behind my ear, as he bends to kiss my eyes and then my nose. I can’t possibly be looking my best right now, and yet the reflection of adoration reflected back in his eyes allows me the ability to relax into the mattress and absorb everything that is Collins Stone.

How can the same man treat me like a pampered princess and an insatiable slut all in one night?

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the contrast. It definitely keeps things interesting.

As I adjust to accommodate him, I trail my hands up and down his arms that are holding him up, as to not crush me.

“Am I doing okay?” My words come out raw, as my throat can’t seem to find hydration.

His eyes soften, as he slides a hand between us to rub at my swollen clit. “You are taking me so well. I’m almost all”—he rocks his hips and pushes a little bit more forward—“the way in.”

Then I feel it. The sudden fullness…

The burn of being stretched to my max overwhelms me, and the warmth of being this close to the man I thought I could never have is almost too much—too intense.

I’m immobile. I don’t even think I could move if I was dared.

Collins studies my face, pausing all movements. “You’ll tell me if it becomes too much?”

I bite my bottom lip and then suck it entirely between my top teeth while nodding, before quickly realizing that that will not suffice. “Yes.”

“I’ll know, but you will still tell me.” It’s an order—not a question.

“Yes,” I echo, reaffirming.

Placing his forehead against mine, he sighs. “Good. I could stay buried in you forever, just like this, and be content.”

Leaning down, he captures my mouth, tasting and exploring, and allowing me time to get used to this new feeling of what it means to be in Collins’s bed.

His nose nuzzles my hair, breathing in my scent, as one hand slides behind me to grip my backside, while the other tangles in my hair.

He begins to move again, pulling out moans from deep in my lungs with each simple movement.

My locks wrap around his fingers and he tugs to get my attention. “I can’t wait to feel your pussy melt around my cock as it shudders from another orgasm.” He grinds his hips into mine. “You’re so fucking tight, and I’m going to find the greatest pleasure in stretching you out for my liking.”

Lowering his hand, Collins grips my breast, kneading it while his mouth devours its twin. My lips part to exhale, as he alternates sides.

Sweat drips down my cheeks as I surrender my body over to a man who clearly knows how to command it.

“Collins?”

He slams into me a little harder, making me gasp out in pleasure while he pulls back out. “Yes, my dirty girl?”

“I’m close…”

It is shocking to even think I could have more pleasure to endure, when this slow burn rhythm has me in a weird state of need.

Collins places a kiss on my forehead, thrusting back into me. And then without warning, we roll, causing me to take ownership of our movements—from the top.

Helping me to sit up, he grips my hips to adjust my placement with his cock still buried deep within me.

“Use me, Penny. Make yourself cream all over my cock. Make that pussy weep for me.”

“I don’t think…” I don’t like the pressure of performing, and most definitely not from this angle.

His fingers dig into the sides of my abdomen, lifting me up a few inches to force me to withdraw from the comfort I have when he is fully inside. Then he presses me down so my ass hits against his upper thighs.

“There’s no reason to be shy now. Take from me what you desperately need.”

Using the strength from my thighs, I rise all the way up until the tip of his cock is resting right outside my entrance. I circle my hips. My head drops back and my eyes close.

“I think I can get off just like this,” I say breathily, enjoying the sensations.

Collins’s fingers dig into my ass cheeks, while he thrusts his hips upward at an angle, never allowing more than an inch inside of me. “I very much agree.”

Grinding my core onto him, I twist until I get the exact friction I’m looking for, and then I rub and slide until I feel those telltale signs that I’m about to go over the edge.

And I do—epically.

My mouth screams his name, as my body slumps forward. It’s as if our hearts collide, drawing us closer to one another in a way I have never experienced before and probably never will again. It is that profound.

Within seconds, I’m on my back and Collins is reclaiming his control. He pumps inside a few more times while I detonate around him.

Then he pulls out, rips off the condom, and tosses it haphazardly to the floor.

Kneeling on the bed, Collins curls his fingers around his rigid cock as much as they will allow and pulls along the shaft in a rhythmic motion.

“Spread your legs, Penny. And accept my mark on you. Because next time, I’m shooting deep within you.”

With bated breath, I wait until the first shot of his cum erupts from the tip and hits directly onto the lips of my pussy, coating me with the liquid heat.

An animalistic growl comes from deep within Collins’s throat, making shivers run up my spine, as his eyes darken to nearly black.

But his pulsating cock doesn’t stop. Splatters speckle my tits and my belly, marking me of his taking.

It is primal.

It is territorial.

And it is so freaking hot that I know this memory will be burned into my mind forever as a reminder of exactly who I belong to. And despite our arrangement being temporary, I have no doubt just how possessive and overprotective Collins will be during our contractual limits—a contract that has yet to be signed.

“Are you okay?” he asks, cutting through my own mental monologue.

“That…that…” I can’t keep my brain under control. “Never happened to me before.”

There’s something so intriguing about this enigmatic man holding his rigid cock in his palm and painting my body with his seed.

“Well, thank fuck,” Collins growls, looking at my body—his canvas. “I’ve never seen a prettier sight than the one lying before me right now, drenched in me.”

“I feel like Jell-O.” And probably look like it too.

Collins kneels between my thighs, his semi-hard cock in his hand, and looks at me with utter satisfaction evident in his lazy smile. “You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” His spoken words echo my silent reciprocated ones. “I love this sight of you bathed in my cum like a good little girl who is accepting her fate and her purpose. I’m never going to want you to leave this bed.”

My pussy pulses with every dirty word he speaks. He makes me feel like a freaking goddess. Never in a million years did I think Collins Stone would cave to me, and soon I’ll be signing a document that will basically end us before we even begin.

Will I be able to walk away from this intoxicating man when the time is up?

And if I can, will I forever be a fraction of the woman I believe myself to be right now?

Collins lies down beside my spent body, pulling me to him.

His hand drifts over my breasts and then my stomach, rubbing in his cum as he goes, until he settles his palm against the warmth between my legs. Pressing deliberate circles into my flesh, he massages and makes the sparks come alive inside me at my core.

“Are you sore?”

“Yeah, a little,” I downplay.

Leaning over, he kisses my lips. “You are hurting more than a little, Penelope.”

My eyes catch his. How does he know?

But he does. So I just nod, as there’s no sense in denying it anymore.

Taking his fingers, Collins trails them along my outer lips, teasing me and causing tingles to resonate throughout my entire body. Picking up the pace, I feel my insides tightening, silently begging for…

Pressure?

“Roll over to your side, that’s it. Good. Now grind yourself against my palm. You control it.”

And I do.

And within just a couple of minutes, the slow and deliberate caressing causes another orgasm to be pulled from me without any real effort.

I am screwed.

Without a doubt—screwed.

My mind starts to wander, drifting in and out of being present and floating away.

“The next time we do this, there will be a formal contract binding us together,” he says casually, as I keep drifting. “And no artificial barrier between my body and yours.”

“As long as you make me feel like I do right now, I’ll be…” My words slip off the edge of my tongue, entering a world where everything is still safe and right.

“Good night for real , my sweet girl.”

And when the fog clears just a little…

I swear I hear…

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to let you go.”

So I whisper back, “I doubt I will either.”

“I am prepared for everything in this life. Except for you, Princess.”

Follow Penny and Collins’s story in On a Fault Line , as their journey continues.