We all have our flaws. It’s actually pretty funny. He pouted like a child when I won — by a huge margin — and I couldn’t help but laugh. Olivia squealed with delight, and came to hug me, happy that someone had finally defeated her dad.

I enter the bathroom and leave the door ajar. He’ll come in sooner or later, and the thought makes me nervous, even though it’s my choice to leave the door open.

Last night, I kept picturing getting on my knees for him. Dreamed about it. Woke up with my panties soaked and more turned on than ever. I’m not sure how good I’d be at it since I’ve never done it for a man, but I want to do it for him. And that thought alone makes me squeeze my thighs together.

I open the shower and step in, the water playing over my naked body. For a couple of minutes, I just stand there, contemplating everything that’s happened lately.

Baby steps are hard to do in real life. If you want life to go slowly, it only seems to speed up. My process with Elias has been tough and fast. That doesn’t mean I’m fully healed; it just means I don’t have to work as hard on it as I used to.

It feels like I’m living a dream, in a bubble that could pop at any time. I’d say this moment won’t last forever, but having faith in a positive future won’t harm me. Hopefully.

If I think about it, even leaving my mom’s grasp was a good thing. I needed change and closure. That’s what the new house is giving me. A lot of things have changed, but at the same time, they’re like they’ve always been. Enya still works for me — actually, what she’s doing is more than work — and Olivia still makes my head hurt. I think I’ll probably even start walking dogs again.

Warm hands massage my shoulders, shaking me from my thoughts, slipping a soft moan from me.

“I’m hard from that alone,” Elias teases, kissing my back.

I turn around; I want to see him. I can’t get enough of looking at him lately.

He’s so different inside and outside the bedroom. Elias is a respectful guy, and he might seem innocent at first, but once he gets you in bed, it’s game over. So forceful and rough. Can’t say that I don’t like it. In fact, it only makes me greedier.

And I like to think he’s that way because of me. Because he’s hungry for me, just as much as I am for him. I can’t stop picturing him naked. It’s almost outrageous how much I crave him.