Man, I needed this in my life. Needed her lips on mine, her arms around me tight, her grip on my heart secure and complete. Without it, I’d be alive, and I’d be here, but I wouldn’t be me. I wouldn’t be living.

My hands moved down her back slowly until I cupped her ass, urging her even closer to my cock. She pressed down, a soft moan escaping her. She adjusted herself slightly so she straddled me, her legs tucked behind her, and she moved against me in a sensuous, perfect circular motion.

I lifted my hands higher, burying them in her hair and yanking her down harder. She whimpered into my mouth and curled her fingers into my pecs, moving her hips faster. She tugged on my shirt impatiently. I broke the kiss off long enough for her to yank it over my head, and then I rolled her beneath me.

Her legs closed around my waist, urging me closer, and my gut tightened. If she didn’t stop making those little sounds, I’d be inside of her before she even came for me once. Slowly, I ran my hands over her breasts, lightly teasing her nipples. She arched into my hand, begging me for more without words, and I gave her what she wanted. Hell, I’d always give her what she wanted.

I was that much of a sap.

I cupped her, rolling my palms over her. The shirt had to go and so did the bra, so I stopped kissing her long enough to get her naked and grab a condom. As I stripped off her pants, I kissed a path down her thigh, over her knee, and nipped at her ankle. She cried out and pressed into the mattress, her breath coming in tiny bursts.

As I removed all my clothing, I watched her. I rolled the condom over my cock, never dropping my eyes from her. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were closed, and she trailed her hand lightly over her own stomach, a small moan escaping at the touch.

Holy fucking hell, she looked like a naughty angel brought to Earth. My angel…and I was never letting her go. Her father could kiss my ass. I was the man for her, and we both knew it. And wasn’t that all that mattered? I’d spent all this time stressing about her father’s reaction, when I should have been focusing on her.

I wouldn’t make the mistake again.

I crawled up her body, leaving kisses and nips as I went, stopping only once I was at her hip. I rolled my tongue over her hipbone, my heart quickening when she cried out and scraped her nails across my shoulders. I loved the way she looked when she was turned on. All rosy cheeks and soft lips. All mine.

I flicked my tongue over her clit, my finger thrusting inside of her at the same time. She screamed and arched her hips; her breath coming out harsh and uneven. “God, Finn. Don’t stop.”

Oh, I wasn’t planning on it. Not until she was a quivering mess.

I rolled my tongue over her, pressing a little harder, and moved my fingers in and out, building up the speed with each motion. When she tightened her legs on my head, a cry escaping her lips that sounded more like a breath than a word, I positioned myself between her legs. She scrambled to hold on to me, and I lifted her hips, driving inside of her with one smooth thrust.

“Finn,” she cried, her nails raking down my back.

“Come for me again,” I demanded in her ear, biting down on her shoulder and thrusting harder. “Let go for me.”

She dug her nails into my back and held her breath, her pussy clenching down around my cock so hard that she almost pushed me out. When she came, her walls squeezing me until I couldn’t fucking stand it anymore, I was right there with her, my hands gripping her as tight as I could as I soared into the sky.

When I came back down, she was running her fingers up and down my spine, kissing my shoulder over and over again. I knew, right then and there, that she’d meant every word she said. She’d be here waiting for me no matter what happened.

And it felt fucking amazing to finally, truly believe in that kind of love.

I looked up at Finn, trying to let my love shine out onto him, or light him up or something. It sounded stupid, in theory, but how many times have you looked at a couple and known they were completely in love just from the way they looked at one another?

If ever a girl looked at a guy that way, it had to be Finn and me.

I cupped his face like he always did to me, running my finger over his mouth. I could see why he liked doing it. It was sweet and made me feel closer to him. I repeated the gesture, rubbing the lip I had been kissing. “You okay?”

Because I couldn’t live in a world where Finn wasn’t okay.

“More than okay.” He kissed me, light and teasing, then pulled back again. “But you have to study. I distracted you.”

“I know.” I smiled up at him. “But I guess I have some unpacking to do first, huh?”

“Lots.”

He pushed off me, and I got dressed, watching him as he lounged back on the bed naked and completely okay with that. And so was I.

I could stare at him all night long, admiring the way the colors swirled over his hard muscles the whole time. His tattoos were perfect to me, but he seemed to think there was something wrong with them.

The fact that he thought he wasn’t good enough for me and my father made my throat tighten. Would I ever be able to convince him I loved him exactly how he was, not as a version of what he could be? That I didn’t want him to change at all?

Once I had on one of his green Hollister shirts and a pair of panties, I headed for the closet. His uniforms stared back at me, and I swear the things were alive. Like they were watching me. I was trying to act all confident about this whole possible deployment mess, but the truth was…I was scared, too.

He lifted on his elbows and watched me from the bed, his steamy eyes on me the whole time. I wanted nothing more in this world than to climb on top of him again and curl up in his arms. There was nothing in this world that his arms around me couldn’t fix.

I picked up my bag and took out one of my shirts, hanging it up on the hanger. It meant a lot to me, him offering me this space in his life and his key. It was almost as if, when he was gone, I’d get to be here with him—even without him.

It didn’t make much sense, yet it totally did.

And I liked the idea of sleeping in his bed when he wasn’t here. Smelling him on his sheets. But how long would the scent of Finn linger if he left? A day? A month? I had no freaking clue, but I did know one thing: I needed to spend as much time as possible with him.

I put a shirt on the hanger and gathered by thoughts. My phone rang from beside Finn on the bed. He glanced down at it and his mouth tightened. He picked it up and held it out to me. “It’s your father. He still isn’t texting me like he used to, so be careful what you say. Try to get intel from him.”

I nodded, crossed the room, and sat at his hip. After taking my phone out of his hand, I said, “Hey, Dad.”

“Hello,” Dad said, his voice clear and crisp. “Where are you?”

“You’re up late.” I checked the time, ignoring his question. It was almost midnight back home. Finn toyed with my hair, sending little shivers down my spine. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping by now? And why have you been so quiet this week?”

“I told you I’d be busy,” he said. “My turn for a question. Shouldn’t you be in your room?”

I tensed, and so did Finn. He must’ve heard Dad’s voice through the speaker. He dropped my hair and rolled off the bed. After grabbing his own phone, he swiped his finger across the screen. I raised my brows at him and he shook his head with a frown. He hadn’t gotten any texts from my father asking where I was.

What was Dad up to, and what did it mean for us?