“Mmm,” she hummed. “You are a beautiful man, Diesel Kennedy. And when you come, you’re . . . magnificent. Yeah, that’s a good word. Magnificent.”

She was, too, he thought, but his mouth wasn’t working.

Her hands slid up his back, cupping his head, her fingers working magic on the base of his skull, which was pounding almost painfully.

“Breathe, Diesel,” she whispered and he realized he hadn’t been.

He sucked in a lungful of air and let it out. “Are you all right?” he asked, his face buried against her neck.

“I am so much better than all right,” she said with a smile he could hear. “I wondered how it would be with you. I wasn’t nearly creative enough.”

He laughed quietly. “Same.” He lifted his head. “I need you,” he confessed.

To his relief, her smile didn’t falter. “I need you, too.”

He hung there, watching every blink of her eyes, every flicker in their mismatched depths. But he saw truth. She was beautifully sated. I did that. And she needs me. She didn’t yet feel the same love that he felt. Not yet. But it could be. That was enough.

“I need to move,” he finally said. “Need to deal with the condom.”

“I know. I wish you didn’t. I wish you could stay inside me forever.”

“Well, I can visit again,” he said playfully.

She grinned. “I know. It’s the only reason I’m letting you go.”

“The others will know,” he said, abruptly worried that this would bother her. “I’m not going to be able to hide my smile.”

She shrugged. “Let them know. I’m proud that you’re mine, Diesel Kennedy. Proud that I finally got over myself and let you love me.”

His eyes widened. “I never said—”

She smirked. “You didn’t need to.” Her smirk softened to a smile. “It’s in everything you do. Every word you say. Every way you look at me.” She stroked her fingers over his cheek. “Give me time. I’ll get there, too. I promise.”

He swallowed hard. More than good enough. He pulled out of her reluctantly, watching her wince. “You’re not okay.”

“You’re . . . proportionately sized.” She winked at him. She seemed lighter. Freer. Younger. At peace. “Have I thanked you for that yet?”

Diesel felt his cheeks heat. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

She rolled her eyes, her own cheeks growing rosy. “I’m fine. I loved it, okay?”

He could see that she meant what she’d said. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

She smiled at him serenely. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Cincinnati, Ohio
Monday, March 18, 1:50 a.m.