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"Just never felt right."

Jace swallows hard as his movement slows. "Lenny I—"

"It's okay," I whisper, not needing to hear the rest.

Not wanting to.

He presses his lips into a flat line, shoving it down. "For what it's worth," he says quietly, stilling completely. "I never stopped wanting you."

Something that knotted suddenly in my chest just now, loosens.

I tighten my legs around him, arching my back to bring my whole body closer. "It's worth everything," I admit.

Jace kisses me again, harder this time.

He moves faster, his speed building until it's reckless and rhythmic, our bodies meeting in perfect timing, our skin slick against each other. The veins in his arms stand out as he braces himself over me, and I can feel him grow harder and harder inside.

"Lenny," he breathes, voice rough. "I want to do everything I've dreamt about all this time, but—" He sucks in a sharp breath. "Fuck, I'm gonna come."

"We have three weeks."

His breathing turns ragged as he pounds into me faster. "It's not enough," he grinds out.

I clench around him, and his head hangs between us.

"No, it isn't," I say.

But it's all that we have.

23

Jace

Iwoke up this morning after a night full of two things I haven't had in too long—

Lenny and a decent sleep.

My eyes are still closed, but I know there's a blanket draped over me that I don't remember pulling up. And when I stretch, hoping to find her, my palm grazes nothing but a patch of cool sheets instead.

I blink my eyes open, half expecting to see her moving around the room or yanking on one of my hoodies.

But there's nothing.

My mind flashes back to last night—our hands on each other, her under me, me inside her for the first time in years. It's something I've thought about for longer than I'd like to admit—watching her come undone in my favorite way. Being with someone who actually makes me fucking feel something back.

But nothing I expected to happen when she got here.

My thoughts keep reeling.

Was it too much?

Too risky?

Too stupid for me to even think I could do this again without setting myself up for the same heartbreak as before? Without setting us both up for failure?

We said we'd make the most of the weeks we have, and I convinced myself I could put the past behind us long enough to enjoy it.

But last night could've easily changed things.