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Her voice turned hollow. “She knows where I work, Levi. Where our kids go to school. And now we’re supposed to sit here and just… wait?”

“No,” I said. “We take this to the detective. Every detail you can recall needs to be sent to Harlan. Plus with the shutdown, the kids will be here at home, I've called off all jobs at Master Builders, and I don’t plan on leaving this house unless it's for necessities.”

Sloane nodded with glistening eyes. “Okay." Her shoulders slumped. "I am so tired, Levi.”

“I know. But we’re going to end this. I swear. I will do it right and let the police handle it. Alright? ”

"Okay. I am choosing to trust you on this."

We sat in silence for awhile, unpacking everything we'd said and still wanted to say. Then she reached for me.

I didn’t hesitate. I opened my arms for her to fall into, the warmth of her body seeping into me. I kissed her temples, felt her breath hitch as I nuzzled into her neck to inhale the scent of her: comforting, familiar, delicious, everything.

“Fuck, I missed you today,” I whispered, my voice hoarse, raw with emotions I didn’t know I had left to give.

I felt the faint curve of her smile against my chest as she let out a long breath. “I missed you, too.”

She peeked up at me, the gesture so cute that I couldn’t help but lean down to kiss her. This woman was my world, my love, my life. She was so damn strong, so damn beautiful, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude every damn day she allowed me to be a part of her life.

I felt her hands tighten on my arms as her body pressed into mine; her body pleaded for more as my tongue explored her mouth. We pulled away, our breathing heavy.

“Move this to the room?” she murmured, her voice low, but certain.

“Fuck, yes, Sloane,” I breathed, barely able to control the surge of need that swept through me.

I didn’t wait another second. I stood and scooped her up, her surprised laughter drawing a smile on my face as I carried her to the bedroom.

"Careful you don't throw your back out, old man," she said between laughs.

"For you, I'd throw my back out a thousand times if you'd let me."

While holding her in my arms, Sloane's eyes locked onto mine.

I saw her hesitation, the lingering uncertainty under the surface.

But I also saw her hunger, the insatiable need within her.

I felt it too, the scars we both carried and the burning intensity of our love.

She was here. She was with me, and that meant everything.

She was trusting me with her body and soul again.

Once we reached the bed, I laid her down, but never broke her gaze. The world outside disappeared. In that moment, all that existed was her and me. I leaned down and brushed my lips against hers, not a kiss, not yet.

“All I could think about today was you,” I whispered, our lips barely touching. "Only you." My words were raw with honesty.

She whispered, “How often do you think of me?” Her voice shook as her hands wrapped around my neck.

My response came out low, possessive, a primal force I could no longer contain.

“All the time, Sloane.” I nipped at her bottom lip, savoring the shiver that ran through her.

“I think about your laugh. Your smile.” I kissed the corner of her mouth as I placed a hand to her hip.

"I remembered when you came, your screams, your face. "

Her breath hitched as I kissed her deeper, then pulled away. “Your little noises when I find the spots that make you fall apart.” I bit her lip harder and heard the sharp intake of her breath.

I couldn’t stop myself. Each word, each touch, was a confession. In the space between kisses, I unraveled as I realized just how much I did think about her, how much I needed her in ways I hadn't fully understood before.

I growled, "And let's be honest… I think about how your tight, wet cunt fits perfectly around my cock."

Her fingers dug into my shoulders, pulling me back to her lips as if she couldn’t get enough of me. I kissed her harder, again and again, every movement becoming more urgent, more hungry .

We undressed, Sloane mumbling about needing to shower but I desperately needed her in this moment. There was something else in the air now, an unspoken invitation to explore, to trust each other in ways we hadn’t dared before.

I paused, breath shallow, and met her gaze. Her eyes were dark with anticipation, and I couldn’t stop the smirk that tugged at my mouth. “Maybe I could become one of your book boyfriends,” I teased. “They seem to get you pretty hot and bothered.”

Her laugh rang out, that soft, musical sound I craved.

“Levi! Don't make fun of my boyfriends,” she said between laughs.

With a mock growl, I lunged and tossed her to the far side of the bed, careful but dramatic. “I can be aggressive too, you know,” I said as I crawled over to her. I kissed her collarbone, letting my voice dip low, teasing. “I can growl and whisper filthy poetry in your ear.”

She laughed again, her eyes sparkling, but there was something else behind them: vulnerability, quiet and sincere. She didn’t look away. “Are you sure?” she asked softly, breath catching. “Some of them have wingspans.”

That made me laugh. “The Halloween store has wings. Say the word.”

We broke down laughing together, tangled in the sheets and breathless. When the laughter faded, she looked up at me. She looked… shy.

“I trust you, Levi."

Trust.

Not just affection. Not just lust. She was handing me something delicate and hard-earned, a precious treasure that the Old Me had never cherished. I stared dumbfounded into her eyes, clueless on what to say.

"So, Levi… are we doing this? Otherwise Mama's got a date with a shower and a bed. ”

I laughed. "Didn't realize my competition was a loofah and hot water."

“The loofah always listens. Doesn’t interrupt. Great for exfoliation and post-breakdown therapy. Very low maintenance.”

I said, “Well, I guess I’ll have to work harder than the loofah.”

She raised an eyebrow, her voice dry. “Levi, we both know you’re always harder than a loofah.”

“Why thank you for noticing,” I said cordially as I pressed myself against her. “You have this effect on me. It’s a constant problem.”

“Mm-hmm,” she muttered with a lazy smile. “It certainly doesn't feel like a problem.”

“Oh, Sloane,” I murmured as I kissed her forehead, “you haven't felt anything, yet.”

I pressed my lips against her skin, lingering, grounding us both in that moment. Then I reached over and opened the drawer, pulling out one of the toys we’d talked about the other day along with the restraints.

This was all new territory for the both of us. We didn’t move fast with these things. Every decision was deliberate, a brick in the foundation we were rebuilding together.

“Tonight’s item,” I began, holding up the sleek toy with faux announcer flair, “is a very special purchase. Five-star reviews. Promises of intensity, transcendence, and mild spiritual awakenings.”

Sloane arched a brow. “Spiritual, huh? Should I light a candle first?”

“Only if it’s peppermint. That’s my scent of focus and performance,” I deadpanned.

She rolled her eyes. “God help us.”

I smiled, letting the performance drop as I settled down beside her. “Jokes aside… this is about you. What you want. What you feel safe wi th. That’s all I care about tonight. That's all I care about every night from now on.”

Her smile faded into something softer, deeper. “I know,” she whispered. “That’s why I said yes.”

“We don't have to do this tonight," I murmured, my fingers brushing gently along her wrist. “I want you. Desperately. I want to know what it feels like to have you choose me again. Not only in the quiet moments, but like this too. To know you trust me with every part of you.”

She nodded, breath shaky, but her eyes didn’t waver. “I want this. I trust you,” she repeated.

That word again.

"Okay,” I whispered.

With deliberate care, I secured her wrists first, the soft leather fitting snugly but gently around her skin. I checked each one twice, brushing kisses to her knuckles as I did. Then her ankles, binding her to the corners of the bed in a way that left her exposed but not powerless.

Her body was splayed open beneath me, her chest rising and falling faster now, but her eyes never left mine.

She was beyond stunning. She was utterly devastating in her vulnerability.

I reached for the blindfold next, but paused with my fingers resting lightly on her temple.

“You remember the safe word?” I asked.

She gave a soft scoff, trying for humor, but I could hear the nerves in her voice. “Yeah… I remember. Wait, can we use a new one?" She paused for a moment before whispering, "I’m nervous, Levi.”

I kissed her gently, my lips brushing hers like a promise. “That’s okay. Being nervous means it matters. But you are in control, Sloane. You always are. I’ll stop the second you need me to. Say the word, and we’re done.”

She took a deep breath, then gave a subtle nod. “Okay.”

“Say it once for me now so we both know it,” I said, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

“Loofah.”

I smiled and kissed her again. “I see what you did there."

"Complaints?"

"None. It's perfect."

With that, I began as I slipped the blindfold over her eyes.

With her vision gone, her other senses sharpened. I saw it in the way her lips parted, the slight arch of her back as she adjusted to the loss of sight, the quiet exhale that left her.

I let my hands wander first, tenderly tracing every curve and dip of her body as if I was memorizing her all over again. Then I reached for the items I’d gathered for different textures and sensations: a soft feather, a velvet glove, a silk handkerchief, a loofah.

She gasped, squirmed, and moaned. She laughed at the rough edge of the loofah. Her body arched and trembled beneath the blindfold, and I watched it all, my own body tense, aching, alive with every reaction she gave me.

“You’re so beautiful like this,” I said as my lips trailed along her skin. “So perfect.”