“I don’t think so. I’m still down here, sunk in a deep, dark hole, and you’re up there, in the light, living life with a smile and a song. Worlds away from me.”

“You know that I’ve faced difficulties. That my life hasn’t been moonbeams and fairy tales. You know that my smile is hard-won. Be patient with yourself. Be kind to yourself. We don’t have to be our thoughts. That voice in your head telling you that you’re bad and tainted. You can hear it, acknowledge it, but you don’t have to live it, or live up to it. Forgive your father and then forgive yourself. We all fail, we all fall.”

“I fell harder than most. I chose to fall.”

“And you can choose to forgive yourself. You’ll never be able to love yourself, or anyone else, until you forgive your father. I can’t make you believe in love but I do know this . . . I love you, West. I’ve fought very hard against it but I can’t help myself.”

“You can’t love me. I’ve been honest with you about my feelings on the subject.”

“You don’t have a choice in the matter. I love you, West. And I loved what you did to me, what we did together in this bed. And against the wall.”

“Did you now?” His voice dropped to a low growl. “I loved it, too.”

“There, you see? You do love something . . . fornication!”

He snorted.

“And you’re rather skilled at it, I must say.” Keep things playful. Keep him smiling. Don’t allow him to dwell too much in the darkness. Keep him here with her.

“I’m the best,” he said immodestly.

“And are you ready for more?”

“Pardon?” His voice was almost a squeak.

“Because I am,” she purred. “I want more. I want you inside me again. Stretching me to my limits. Your heavy body pinning me against the bed.” The wanton words poured forth from her mouth as though she truly were wicked. Maybe she was and she’d only just discovered it.

She kissed his neck. “I want to feel my breasts crushed beneath your chest as you take me again.”

He laughed, his breathing ragged. “I don’t know if I can, sweetheart. Give me a moment.”

She shifted her hips, rubbing against him. She felt him swell and harden against her thigh and cooed her approval. “There, I knew you had it in you.”

His laughter rumbled, filling her heart with happiness. “Greedy girl.”

“I am greedy. I want more.”

“You want this?” He flipped her onto her back, then teased the tips of her breasts with his tongue until her mind swirled with desire.

“Yes,” she moaned.

“And this?”

He moved lower, his tongue exploring her navel, her hip bones, and moving between her thighs.

“Oh, West. Yes. That’s what I want.”

“Where do you want me?”