Cameron "You're beautiful." She was. I'd never seen anyone more beautiful. Especially right now when her face was still glowing from the aftermath of her orgasm. She closed her eyes. There was a secret smile on her lips. My back stung from the imprint of her fingernails when she'd dug them in there. She'd dug them in there deep. My spitfire. Her arms and her long legs fell limply on the bed. I stroke her stomach, her sides, fascinated at how big my hands looked on her body. I could hold almost her entire waist in them. I massaged her arms gently, her legs, taking care that she was comfortable, then grabbed the folded blanket we hadn't used and covered her with it. The look of satisfaction on her face made me want to make her come again. Her climax came quickly that I wondered if it was always going to be like that. Was that her first? It made me want to give her more pleasure, find out if my theory was true. But if I stayed and did just that, it wouldn't be in the way she was ready for. I wanted to pump myself inside her, feel the eager thrust of her hips as I let myself get lost inside her wet, tight heat... "I'm taking a shower. Be right back," I said. I pushed up from the bed before I did something we'd both regret in the morning. She said she wanted to wait, and I meant it when I said I would never force her. She had to come willingly to me. But damn. The sight of her spread on that bed, all rosy and soft and so f ucking beautiful... I clenched my jaw. A cold shower would be a good idea right about now, I thought as I headed to the bathroom. She was ruining my self-control. I glanced at the clock, noted it was one in the morning. We'd only slept for a couple of hours. Needs and wants, I thought as I turned the lights on, took off my pants, jumped in the shower. There usually wasn't a confusion between the two for me. I could differentiate and prioritize them quite easily. But with Kara, the lines got blurred. Everything got blurred when it came to her, but for one thing. There was an absolute demand inside me, an almost desperate one, to keep her in my life. I had slashed myself open, willingly, in front of her and had spilled my guts—secrets that I'd been harboring inside for years that always ripped me apart every time I thought about them. Much less speak of them. But I knew that was what she wanted from me. And I was desperate enough to do anything to keep her. Last chance, she'd said. There had been no choice for me after that. It was either tell her or lose her. And the thought of losing her completely was unbearable. And this time I knew it would happen if I didn't do anything. It surprised me how I felt after telling her everything. It felt... less dark around me. As if a heavy shadow had taken a few steps back. It was still there, I could still feel it hovering, but it was somehow less ominous now. It didn't seem an all consuming presence as it was before. What shocked me more than anything was that she... stayed. She f ucking stayed. I knew there was a huge possibility that she would leave after she heard it all, but I would have told her everything anyway. Because she had asked it of me. And if there was even a slight chance that she would stay, hell, I'd take it. There had never been anyone like her before in my life. Everything that I'd experienced with her was all new to me. I had no baseline, nothing to compare it to. And I was afraid I'd screw it all up. In fact, I was sure I would screw it all up. I wasn't sure about a lot of things, and that was fine, it always had been damn fine, but there was one thing I was certain of—with absolute f ucking clarity. The moment I woke up and saw her, with those big hazel eyes filled with emotion that choked me up, there was this overwhelming need to touch her, claim her for myself, make her feel how important she was to me. And I was going to show her the only way I know how. Not with words or promises, because I had never been good at those, but with my touch. Make her feel even a tenth of what I felt for her, give her something I could only give her. And she had welcomed me, given a part of herself to me. I knew how much it meant to her. I remembered her telling me how she never dated anyone before and that she was still a virgin. And for her to give a part of herself willingly to me gave my heart a hitch. Made me feel that I... meant something to her. Something important. I want to be your monkey. I chuckled. She did this thing where she'd rest the side of her cheek on my shoulder and rub. Like a sweet cat. It was so unexpected. Freakin' drove me insane. She was so sweet, so hot. Her small breasts were perfect, so responsive. I loved the way she gripped my hair, how unaware she was doing it, and how she gave herself fully to sensations. Gotta think of something else. No matter how many times I thought about it, I couldn't get over how she was still here after what I told her in the maze. It's not your fault. Nothing that you or anyone could say to me would change my mind about it, she'd said. Did she mean it? I'd heard it all before—from the doctors I'd seen when I was a kid, how it wasn't my fault, how I should start to heal and let go. Their words all felt meaningless. None of them got through me. They were professionals who got paid to care. That wasn't real. Not to me. But she was. It was her presence—her resilience and compassion that meant more to me. More than anything. I needed her right now. Under me, moaning, calling out my name. I wanted to feel the press of her legs between my hips as I... Think of something else. But, Christ, I wanted this woman like I never wanted anything before in my life. There was no rational explanation for it. It just was. What the hell is this? My bike. I missed my damn bike. I couldn't wait to drive it on the road again. The speed, the freedom. Once it was restored, everything would come back to normal again. I pictured it in my head. Parked in front of the cabin, it would look black and sleek and gleaming. And there she was coming out of my cabin, wearing nothing but white lingerie. In my head it was sheer white. And lace. And it made my mouth water. Ice-pick high heels. She'd throw me that come-and-get-me look over her shoulder. She'd crooked her finger at me, her fiery hazel eyes on me, as she hooked her leg on my bike and sit on it like she was going to... Damn. I braced my hands on the tiles, clenched my teeth. The bike. Get back to the bike. Maybe she'd look better naked. In my mind her lingerie disappeared. She was naked now, blinking slowly at me, silently asking me to take her. I gave up and rubbed one out. I dried myself quickly, put on the same jeans, and stepped out barefoot into the living room. She was sleeping.