Already missing who I am because of her.

***

“What are we doing today?” Kate asks two days later. And what a difference two days make. The swelling is completely gone, and it seems that she’s back to her old, energetic self.

“Sleep,” I reply, and close my eyes beside her, goading her.

“No. No sleep.”

“You need to rest.”

“Eli, I’m fine. All recovered. You can even have sex with me and I won’t die.”

“That’s not funny,” I reply calmly and turn to face her. “You could have died.”

“I didn’t,” she says, and cups my cheek in her hand. “I’m fine. And you’ve kept me in bed—not for the fun stuff, I might add—for two days.”

“Fun stuff?” I ask and kiss her forehead. “You want fun stuff?”

“Yes.”

“Not yet.”

“Eli, my face swelled, not my…other places.”

I laugh. I can’t help it. She’s so fucking funny when it comes to the swearing.

“These places?” I ask and brush the backs of my knuckles over her nipple, making it stand at attention.

“Yes,” she whispers and closes her eyes. “That’s a good place.”

“What about this place?” I ask and drag the same knuckles down her stomach to her navel, circling it softly, loving that fucking piercing.

“That doesn’t suck.”

I grin and kiss her collarbone. God, she’s soft. And expressive.

She’s addictive.

How am I going to live without her?

Because I will live without her.

But not today.

“And this?” I ask as my fingers drift down between her legs, lightly touching her warm skin. “What about this place, cher?”

“Best. Place. Ever.” Her hips move, wanting me to press harder, deeper, but I hold back, barely tickling over her tiny pink pussy lips, watching in satisfaction as she squirms next to me. Her neck and cheeks pinken; her breath quickens. She grips the sheets at her hip opposite me and bites her lip. “That feels nice.”

“Just nice, huh?”

Oh, we can do a whole lot better than fucking nice.

I kiss down her torso, lick the underside of her breasts, enjoying every gasp and moan that comes out of her delicious mouth. Her fingers find my hair and hold on tight as I nibble down her ribs, kiss a circle around her navel, then travel down between her legs. I spread her wide and growl when I see how wet she already is.

“You’re so pink.” I press a kiss to her pubis. “So wet.” Her clit, making her gasp. “So sweet.” I sweep my tongue through her folds, then pull back and look up into her shining green eyes. “I could do this all day.”

“You’d kill me,” she replies, and lets her head fall back as I grin and press a kiss to the delicate skin of her inner thigh, the crease where leg meets torso, then pay the same attention to the other side. “You are killing me.”

“Just taking my time, cher.” It seems we always take it so damn fast, because I can’t wait to be inside her, can’t wait to feel her come apart at the seams. But this time, I want to enjoy every movement, every sigh, every moment. “You’re quite fun, you know.”

“I am?” She smiles down at me, decidedly happy with that compliment.

“You are.” I lap at her now, from her pussy all the way to her clit and back down again. Her fingers tighten in my hair, pulling in the best way. She’s sweet. Just a bit tangy.

Perfect.

“Eli, I want you inside me.”

“I’ll get there.”

“No, really.” I glance up at her tone. “This is so good, but I really want to feel you inside me. Please.”

I kiss my way back up her delectable body, rest my hard cock against her folds, and prop myself on my elbows beside her head, careful to keep my weight off of her.

She takes my face in her hands and pulls me down to kiss her thoroughly, lapping at my lips, licking every drop of her own juices off of me, and if that isn’t the sexiest fucking thing ever, I don’t know what is.

I pull my hips back, and Kate reaches between us to wrap her little fingers around me, making my eyes fucking cross, then guides me inside her in one long, slow stroke.

“Oh, God,” she whispers, her green eyes never leaving mine. “You always feel so good.”

“It’s all you, cher,” I reply.

She shakes her head and bites my lip. “It’s us.”

I close my eyes and lean my forehead against hers, unable to keep from moving any longer. She squeezes around me with each thrust in the most amazing way, making my balls lift and tighten, my spine tingle.

I’m not going to last like this.

“Look at me,” she says softly.

“Bossy thing, aren’t you?” I say as my eyes find hers. She doesn’t reply. She simply lifts her legs higher on my hips and clamps down, hard, her pussy rippling as she comes in waves.

She doesn’t cry out. She just grips onto my arms and lifts her head off the bed, resting her forehead on my chest as she comes harder than I’ve ever felt her. I’m helpless to stop the orgasm that tears through me, also so damn strong, but quiet.

She lies back and smiles up at me, trying to catch her breath.

“That’s the best medicine ever.”

I grin. “You’ll never hear me complain.”

I brush loose tendrils of hair off her sweaty cheeks and kiss her forehead, her nose, and her lips. When I move to pull out, she holds me close. “Not yet.”

I’d move the earth for her right now if I could.

Her fingertips glide up and down my back, to my ass, then up again lazily. “I have to go to the office today,” she murmurs.

I frown. “I thought you were done.”

“I need to put together the last of my reports, then I need to pack.”

Her eyes are sad as she looks up at me, almost as though she’s silently begging me to ask her to stay. “When are you leaving?” I ask instead.

“Day after tomorrow.”

“I want to spend every minute with you.”

She smiles, then shakes her head.

“You don’t have to. We know this is finished, Eli. We can just cut it off.”

“No, I don’t want that.” I kiss her lips softly. “I want to spend every minute with you that you’re here. I’ll take you to the airport myself.”

“Why?”

I swallow hard and call myself a selfish fucking bastard, and a coward, when I say, “Because I’m not quite ready to say goodbye.”