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“Of course I wanted you to stay!” It was her turn to look away. “But I know I probably should have said that.”

“And I should have talked to you about the future,” he said, taking her hands in his. She gazed into his eyes. “I was just afraid of scaring you off.”

She finally smiled. “You? Scare me? Psh.”

He laughed, and she did, too. She jumped up to hug him, and he immediately wrapped his arms around her, spinning. The relief she felt being with him was immeasurable; she finally felt like she could breathe again.

“I’m sorry I was so mean to you,” she said, curling her fingers into his hair. He set her down to look into her eyes, his hands lingering on her waist.

“Don’t worry,” he said with a lopsided grin. “I’m used to it.”

“No, really.” She meant it. “I was scared. But I really do love you, and I’m so happy you’re staying.”

“I’m never letting you go again, Luce. That day, I should have come after you and explained, but you must understand—when you’ve spent your whole life feeling unwanted, then spent the last of your courage to open your heart and try, when it doesn’t work, you don’t want to try again. It’s too difficult.” He swallowed. “But I realized there’s no point to life, really, if I don’t have you, so might as well put everything I have into trying.”

He looked at the woods around them, the fluttering leaves, the chirping birds. “I’ve been coming here the last few afternoons, walking this trail, trying to think of the right words to tell you this,” he said. “Then I saw you going up and followed you, thinking I was dreaming. Until I heard that exasperated tone of yours and hoped it might be me you were calling.”

She smiled. “I only ever use that tone with you, you know.”

He chuckled. “Lucky me.”

A breeze blew through the air, and she shivered, hugging him close. She had forgotten how cold it got without him to keep her warm, and she was never letting him go again, either.

“Tell me more about your new job,” she said, pulling back as the breeze calmed. “Tell me everything!”

“I already accepted the offer and got a place of my own, too,” he said. “It’s not too far from Charles and Little Brook—not too far from you.”

“Good,” she said, glad to know more. Her gaze dropped to his lips. “Now kiss me.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. His mouth came over hers, and she sighed against him, the stars within her finally aligning once more. She had missed his body, and she pressed close to him, every inch of her lighting up as he pressed back. She hummed with contentment.

After a few blissful minutes of kissing, he pulled away to look at her, a smile on his face. His blue eyes were warm.

“I can say I love you in three different languages, but none of them would ever taste quite as right as your mouth on mine,” he said.

Lucy’s heart glowed, and she kissed him again, desire spreading through her. She had missed him, every part of him. Being away from him had been torturous, and now all she wanted was to be fused once more.

He brought his hand up to cup her face, and she took his wrist, guiding his fingers to her mouth. Grayson had such lovely hands. She sucked on one finger, then the next, watching his eyes darken as she did.

He made a strangled sound, rubbing his thumb over her throat with delicious pressure, and desire pooled between her legs. His other hand clutched her waist tightly, pulling her flush with him, their hips pressed together. A tremor ran through her at the feel of him. Her heart pounded painfully inside her chest, making her ache.

Suddenly, she didn’t just want his fingers in her mouth; she wanted all of him.

It was a good thing her hair was already up in a ponytail. She kissed his palm, then reached for his zipper. His chest heaved with shaking breaths as she went to her knees, giving him a devilish smile as she unzipped his trousers.

He was so big and already so hard for her. When she took him in her mouth, she moaned deep in her throat. The sound reverberated through both of them. He thrust against her, urgent and desperate.

She had missed the feel and taste of him in her mouth, and she savored it now, working him up and down until he was swearing. He moved his hand to hold the back of her neck to better fuck her mouth, and her movements quickened, pushing him closer to the edge.

He threw his head back, eyes rolling, and she sucked harder, glad to see him undone. She released him only when he said he was going to come, watching him hungrily as he finished.

Grayson’s chest heaved under his button-down shirt. He was still mostly dressed, except for where she had lowered his pants, and Lucy loved to see him so absolutely wrecked.

She grinned at him as she rose, fingertips sliding up his chest, and his blue eyes flashed with desire and the promise that they were just getting started. Her blood thrilled with anticipation.

Grayson pulled his pants up, then put a hand on her bare neck, sliding his palm up her nape. He reached for her ponytail, slowly wrapping her hair around his wrist until his hand was full. Lucy’s pulse quickened.

Then he pulled tight. She gasped at the delicious pressure as he tilted her head back, exposing her throat.