She’d waited so long for him to say it. To accept it. To see her for who she was and what he meant to her. “You can touch me now.”

He moved to her, pulling her from her nest of blankets and into his lap, encircling her with his arms, holding tight.

She hummed, having missed this so very much she desired nothing more than soaking up how good it felt to be in his arms again.

Beth buried her face in his neck, breathing him in and letting that ease the panic. “I thought you’d never come to your senses.”

“You’re not the only stubborn one, darlin’. I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. Not ever.”

She squirmed a little, trying to get closer, and he groaned. “I’ve missed you. All parts of me.”

She felt the part he meant, poking into her behind.

Tipping her head back, she laughed, throwing her arms around his neck. “What are you waiting for then?”

He grinned, bending to kiss her, and she let all her fear go as she opened to him.

At first the kiss was nearly sweet. Reverent. He took it slow until she was just about to throw him to the floor and mount him.

“I’m trying to take my time here.” He spoke against her mouth and she nipped his bottom lip.

“Why? Jeez, Joe, give it to me!”

Laughing, he picked her up, and she grabbed on as he carried her to her bedroom. He put her down gently, and she launched herself at him, knocking him back onto the bed, pulling at his clothes as she straddled his waist.

“Someone wants it bad.”

She nodded, pulling her shirt up and off, satisfied for a moment by the way his gaze lasered onto her boobs, widening slightly.

He took them in his hands and she arched into his touch.

“I missed these. Though I did get a good look at a lot of them tonight in that sweater. So did Trey. Hope he got an eyeful, because if he looks at ’em like that again, I’ll poke him right in the eye.”

She laughed as he bucked her off and she landed on her back. “Though my girls looked amazing in that sweater tonight, I should tell you Trey has no romantic interest in me whatsoever.”

He pulled off her pajama bottoms and panties. “That sweater should be part of your regular date-night repertoire. He’d better not, or he and I are going to have to have a Come To Jesus about whose boobs are okay to look at. I’m leaving the socks on because they look hot.”

Like she’d complain.

He pulled his shirt and then pants and shorts off.

“Damn you’re gorgeous. I have missed all that Joe in my bed. Also I’ve had to use the step stool a lot more. And my vibrator.”

He groaned as he insinuated himself between her thighs. She hissed as the wave of pleasure of his skin against hers rolled over her.

“You can’t be telling me about your sex toys. I’ll explode.”

“I might even let you see one or two. After you remind me why you’re so much better than silicone, that is.”

“I’ll get right on that.” His mouth found hers again, his tongue sliding between her lips, filling her with his taste. She clutched his shoulders, holding him to her, wrapping her thighs around his waist.

She rolled her hips, trying to get some friction.

“Darlin’, easy now. It’ll come.”

She reached between them, grabbing his c**k and squeezing. “Now, now, now.” She smeared her thumb through the slick at the tip. “Then you can take it slow.”

His breath caught, and then he groaned, licking down her neck. “Impatient.”

“Yes. And it’s your fault. If you hadn’t neglected me so much I would be far more patient. You need to put this”—she squeezed him again—“in here.” She drew the head of his c**k through her for just a moment. Enough to make her a little shaky.

“Christ.” He reared up, reaching, fumbling through her top drawer until he found a condom, tearing it open with his teeth. She was so hot for him she didn’t even lecture him about how it was bad for him to do that.

She pushed him to his back, scrambling over him. He laughed, pulling her back down. “I want you from behind,” he said in her ear.

Oh.

She managed to get up on her elbows and knees as he slid fingers through her from behind. “Wanted to be sure you were ready. Oh, sweet, sweet Beth, you are.”

“Always for you.”

He slowly pushed in, stretching her, trying to take his time. Need clawed at him. Need to thrust in to his balls. Need to claim, to take back and mark. To let them both know she was his now and forever.

A restraining hand at her hip held her as she tried to push back, to take all of him at once. “If you do that, it’ll all be over before it starts. It’s been over a month since I’ve been here. It’s so good I may pass out. I want to make it good.”

She was temptation made a physical thing. Her curves, the pale gleam of her skin, the bumps of her spine as she arched. Her hair slid over the hand he placed at her shoulder, cool and soft.

“I dreamed of this.” He pushed in that last bit and paused, simply reveling in her body. In the way they fit. “There’s no one else but you, Beth. Always. I’ve never fit like this with anyone.”

He dragged himself nearly all the way out and pressed in again. Over and over. All the way in and then out, her body hugging at him as if she couldn’t bear his leaving.

She held him tight, squeezing her muscles around him until he gasped.