Her face fell and she looked down. “I understand.” Her voice was quiet, and broken. “Well, maybe we can be friends again, somewhere in the near future. Despite everything, I still want you to be happy Brody.”

What just happened? Clearly she’d misunderstood what I meant. I grabbed her arm as she turned around, and stopped her.

“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying.”

She frowned, a line forming between her brows. The instinct to smooth it over with my thumb, like I always had, was overwhelming.

“I think I do,” she replied. “You want us to move on.”

“I do. Together.”

We stood in silence and I took the chance to continue. I thought about giving her a fancy, romantic speech, but she deserved more. She deserved the truth. I stepped closer and she tipped her head back.

“I know we have a lot to work through, but it all comes down to one thing,” I paused, trying to steady the thump of my heart, “I miss you. I miss waking up with you next to me. I miss seeing you walk around barefoot in the kitchen. I miss kissing you,” I brushed her bottom lip with my thumb, smiling when she sucked in a breath, “I miss hearing you sing in the shower. I miss making love to you at all hours. I miss having angry sex with you. I miss having you in my life, Demetria, and I know I can live without you, but dammit, I don’t want to.”

“I’ve missed you too,” she choked out, “but how do we move on from everything? After everything we’ve put each other through?”

I cupped the back of her head and inched my face closer to hers. “It won’t be easy,” I replied in a whisper, “but if you’re willing, I figured we could just…begin again.”

Demi’s eyes glistened in the moonlight and I wanted so much to erase the last year. But I couldn’t. All I could do was express my willingness to fight, and hope to God she’d do the same.

“Fight for us,” I breathed. “Decide that everything we’ve been through isn’t enough to stop you from fighting for us.”

I could tell by the way her eyes searched mine that she was contemplating it. I started getting nervous again. At least it wasn’t a flat out no.

“What about Sienna?” She flinched. “She’s pregnant.”

I shook my head. I was planning on explaining this all to her later, but now I had no other choice.

“She lied. She was never pregnant.”

“Oh.”

I waited, and then asked, “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking…that I really want you to kiss me right now.”

I took my chance and crashed my lips to hers. Our mouths moved with familiarity, certainty. I knew her mouth, her lips, their taste, and yet my body was hot all over like it was our first kiss. Her tongue ventured into my mouth and she coaxed mine into a wicked dance of give and take. Her hands fisted in my shirt, and mine slid into her hair, pulling her head back so that I could deepen the kiss. I swallowed her moan just as she swallowed mine. It was perfect.

Until we heard cheering and clapping coming from what I knew to be living room of Huntley and Grayson’s house. Demi and I broke apart, both breathless and desperate for air. We looked to the side and found our closest friends and family watching us. They all smiled like idiots and cheered us on.

“Oh God,” Demi muttered into my chest. “How embarrassing.”

I chuckled. “At least they got a show, but you never gave me an answer.”

“Can we take it slow?” she asked.

I brushed her lips with mine, feeling the way her body shivered from the contact. “We can take it as slow as you want.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Fingers trailed down my spine and cupped my butt cheek. My skin broke out into goose flesh and I felt my nipples harden.

“Hmm.” Brody hummed next to my ear as his hand dipped between my legs. I squirmed, earning a chuckle from the beautiful man next to me. The rich timber of his voice made heat pool between my legs. I wanted him. Again. And judging by the erection pressing into my side, he was thinking the same thing.

“Good morning,” I murmured. I turned my head to face him and he gave me that panty dropping I’m going to make you scream my name smile. His brown eyes lured me in, like they always had, and in them I saw everything I’d always wanted.

“It will be very soon,” he replied. I saw the gleam in his eye and my insides coiled in delicious anticipation. He was insatiable, had been since last night. It was the first time we’d had sex since he’d come home and while it was torture to wait, I was glad he’d made good on his promise to take it slow. We’d worked through the things we needed to, taken one day at a time, and the result was not a mended relationship, but a completely new one. Brody made me believe he wanted me and he showed me every day that we were meant to be.

Last night, Brody had taken me on a date, something we’d never done before. He did all the things a woman would expect on a date – bought me flowers, opened the door for me, took me to a nice restaurant, made me laugh – and when we finally got home I couldn’t take it anymore. I dragged him back to my bedroom and we spent the rest of the night learning each other’s bodies from scratch.

I turned over and before I could blink he had me beneath him. The hard planes of his chest pressed down on my breasts and he settled between my legs, his erection hot against my belly. My blood simmered beneath my skin.

“There she is,” he said, his full lips stretched into a grin. “I was worried you weren’t going to wake up at all.”

I pushed my hands through his hair and cradled his head. “It’s not my fault you tired me out,” I sighed lazily. “I’m worried you might’ve broken me.”

He smirked, and if I wasn’t already wet I was now. “We’ll have to find out now won’t we?”

My heart started beating double time and my skin prickled with awareness. He pulled a pebbled nipple into his mouth and bit down before licking away the sharp sting. The intensity could be felt all the way down below where his hips rested on mine.

“I love these,” he murmured, palming my other breast. I arched my back but we never broke eye contact. Something about it made it even more sensual. His hand slid further down, his fingers feather light, until they brushed my tender lips. I bit my lip and whimpered.

“This,” Brody whispered, “Is.Mine.” He pushed two fingers into me and rubbed my clit with his thumb.

“Brody,” I sighed, “Hmmmm.”

I felt the tension start low and build, hoping for that inevitable release. Then Brody stopped, and I had to stop myself from scowling.

“Don’t worry, Demetria,” the way he said my name made me shiver, “I have…bigger…plans for you.”

My eyes broke from his, only to land on where he’d positioned the head of his cock at my opening. He pushed in, slowly, gently, and it was the most violent pleasure to feel him fill me up. He braced himself on his forearms and threaded his fingers through my hair. My hands trailed down his back and dipped into the deep crevices formed by his muscles.

“I love you,” I whispered against his mouth, “so much.”

“I love you too,” he replied. He devoured my mouth, feasting on me like he was a starved man. His hips started moving, slowly at first, and then faster and harder. I wrapped my legs around him and hitched my knees up under his arms. The slight change in my position took him deeper and the tip of his cock hit my sweet spot.