When Mekena came out of the bedroom, she found Markus leaned up against the counter, wearing only a pair of shorts. A pair of shorts that hung so low on his hips, that in all reality, it should be a crime. A damn crime against poor innocent girls who were unable to handle such beauty. Girls like Mekena. But shit, she wasn’t innocent anymore, not that it mattered when this Adonis of a man stood before her. He was downright sinful, she swore. His body, Lord, she could stare at it and talk about it for hours. His abs and other muscles were so defined, cut in so perfectly they should be featured in a magazine. Since she had just seen all of him and more, she was surprised she was still so speechless, but she was. Big-time. A little smile covered her lips as he looked up, a grin pulling at his own lips.

“Hey,” he said almost shyly, and her heart went wild.

“Hey,” she whispered as she looked down, noticing that Mr. Right was on the floor, eating. “You fed him?”

He nodded, and once again, her heart went insane. He cared for her cat. “He attacked me, basically knocked me to the ground, and I figured by his wailing that he wanted food.”

She snorted. “He attacked me too. I hit the ground.”

Markus then held his elbow up, a little cut on the bend, and she laughed. “He isn’t very nice.”

Coming to him, she cupped his elbow, compassion in her eyes as she held his gaze. “He is a different animal when he is hungry. I’m sorry.”

“We have that in common,” he said with a grin as he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her forehead. When his lips pressed against her forehead, her eyes fell shut as he whispered, “Are you okay?”

She nodded against him. “Sore.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry?”

She giggled softly. “I think that’s part of it.”

“It is. But I don’t want to cause you any pain. Ever.” She knew that each word came from his soul. She felt the emotion rattling her as she held him, her nose pressed into his chin. She felt so safe. So whole in his arms, and she didn’t understand how she had gone so long without him. She knew why, obviously. But how she was in one piece would almost be a mystery. Was she really in one piece? She left a part of herself with him when she ran, and standing there in the dark kitchen, in his arms, she felt like she had that part back.

She never wanted to lose it again.

She didn’t want to lose him.

Pulling back, she looked up at him and smiled as he asked, “So tell me something?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you move to Florida? I thought you loved it here.”

She shook her head as she moved out of his arms, leaning against the counter with him. “I needed a new start.”

“I knew you didn’t want to be a doctor.”

She smiled. “You had called me on that before.”

“I had. Your passion wasn’t for saving people, it was for preserving moments on film.”

Her heart fluttered as she nodded. He used to lie in the quad with her and watch as she would take random pictures of people on campus. Pictures of leaves, squirrels, and birds. Anything that moved, she took a picture of. She loved it; it was her passion, and he always knew that. “You’re right.”

“I know,” he said with a wink, but then his face turned a little serious. “I thought you moved because of everything that happened.”

She nodded. “I did.”

“Of course you did,” he said sadly, looking up and exhaling hard.

“Yeah, I had to run. I had to get off that campus. I swore I would see y’all together.”

He scoffed. “No way. I never wanted Skylar. Never. She went through the whole Bullies’ house, and even if she hadn’t, I wasn’t attracted to her. I was attracted to you.”

Their eyes met, and she smiled as she nodded. “I know, but it scared me because she made me believe that you wanted her.” Her voice broke a bit as she looked away. “I felt like if I stayed, I wouldn’t get over you. Over what happened.”

“Yeah.” Looking over at her, he asked, “Did it work?”

“Not at all,” she answered and he smiled. “Obviously, since I just jumped you like a cat in heat.”

He laughed at that, nodding his head. “Yeah, I never expected that. And really, how in the world were you still a virgin? It’s been almost two years.”

She shrugged, looking down, a little embarrassed. “I don’t know. I’ve been busy with work, and I really didn’t know anyone in Florida, and then I didn’t meet anyone. It just didn’t matter, you know?”

He didn’t seem to understand as he held her gaze. “Well, I wasn’t a virgin.”

“I know,” she scoffed.

“And I slept with people while we’ve been apart,” he admitted cautiously.

“I’m sure you did,” she said, though it did sting a bit that he had been able to move on. But she appreciated his honesty. He was laying his cards out, and she wanted to do the same.

“In no way had I moved on, though.”

“Oh,” she murmured, pressing her lips together and fighting back her grin.

“At first, I did it to see if I would remember. I mean, I would be drunk and I would go home and I would remember everything that happened that night, like I’d always been able to before. That’s why I started to believe she had drugged me. Then I was just fucking women to forget. To forget what happened completely. And I did for a little while. I compartmentalized what had happened with Skylar, and I chalked it up as a loss. But I learned very quickly I couldn’t forget you,” he admitted, his eyes burning into hers. “I know this isn’t easy to hear.”

“It isn’t.”

“I’m sorry, I just want to be honest. I don’t want anything to come up either and have you feel betrayed. I want you to know, and also know that I was just lost without you.”

Swallowing hard, she nodded. “I appreciate that, and I couldn’t forget you either. I think, in a way, my virginity was yours.” She paused, looking away as her eyes started to cloud. “I was so mad at you, hurt and broken, but I wanted you back. I never got over you, and I missed you something insane.”

“I missed you too, a lot,” he admitted, and her face hurt, she was smiling so hard. “So, do you like Florida?”