I kiss her again, deeper this time, and she stops talking. Her legs part, wrapping around my waist, and I'm already reaching for the nightstand drawer, fumbling for a condom.
“Wait,” she gasps. “We didn't use one last night either. I'm on birth control, remember?” I wasn’t sure if that was just a heat of the moment thing or not, and I wasn’t going to assume.
“Best news I've heard all week.” I position myself at her entrance, looking down into her eyes. “Tell me you want this.”
“I want this.” Her hands cup my face. “I want you.”
I push into her slowly, watching her face as she takes me in. Her eyes flutter closed, her mouth falls open, and she lets out little, hungry moans.
We move slowly, like we have all the time in the world. I don’t want this morning to end. I want to have Avery in my bed all day. Hell, even all week. All year.
I memorize everything for later. The way she feels wrapped around me, the sounds she makes, the way her nails dig into my shoulders when I hit that perfect spot.
“Liam,” she gasps, her body tensing. “I'm close?—”
She comes with loud whimpers, her legs tightening around me, and I follow seconds later, burying my face in her hair as pleasure rolls through me.
We stay tangled together for a few minutes, catching our breath. Then she pushes gently at my chest.
“Shower. Now. I really do need to get to work.”
“Shower together?”
“No.” She slides out from under me and heads to my bathroom. “The shower is my me-time. Sacred space. No boys allowed.”
I smirk. “But I could wash your back.”
“Liam.” She pauses in the doorway, completely naked and completely confident. “Me-time. It's happening.”
I watch her disappear into the bathroom, hear the water start running, and grin like an idiot. She's in my apartment, in my shower, and she spent the night in my bed without running away. And she opened up to me.
I feel so fucking honored.
It’s more than progress. Bit by bit, I’m beginning to get pieces of Avery I never thought I would.
I pull on sweatpants and head to the spare bedroom I converted into a puppy space. Olivia did a great job setting them up yesterday. Food and water bowls, puppy pads, toys scattered everywhere, and six small beds arranged in a circle.
The puppies are awake and immediately swarm me when I open the door. Princess is first, tail wagging frantically. Trouble is right behind her, already trying to chew on my sweatpants. The others pile on, all demanding attention.
“Morning, guys.” I crouch down, letting them climb all over me. “Miss me?”
I feed them, changing out their water and picking up the inevitable accidents on the puppy pads. It's tedious work, but I don't mind. There's something calming about the routine, about being responsible for these small lives.
I'm in the middle of playing tug-of-war with Trouble when Avery appears in the doorway. She's dressed in yesterday's clothes, and her hair is still damp from the shower.
I want to take her right back to bed. I can’t wait to get to the point where I can have her for a whole weekend.
“There you are,” she says, and then she's on the floor with me, legs crossed, immediately surrounded by puppies.
Princess goes straight to her, climbing into her lap. Avery laughs, stroking the puppy's fur, and my chest does something weird and tight.
This is what I want. This easy domesticity. Avery in my space, playing with my dogs, looking like she belongs here.
“They're getting big,” she says, scratching behind Princess's ears. “How old are they now?”
“About ten weeks. Olivia says they're doing great with basic commands.”
“That's good.” She's quiet for a moment, watching Scout try to steal a toy from Bandit. “Liam, you should really think about finding homes for some of them. Keeping all six is going to be a lot of work.”
