Nate’s hands slide down my legs and he lifts me up like my weight means absolutely nothing to him. A laugh pops from my mouth when he drops me down onto the bed. He shifts over me, solid and safe, and waits until I meet his eyes.

“Hi,” he says, close enough for the word to spill straight into my mouth. And then, a flicker of a smile.

I grin back. “Hi.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Nate doesn’t take the sweatshirt off, just moves inside me and holds on to it like it’s the only thing that’s keeping him from flying away. But I need it off. I need to feel his skin against mine, the humid heat of it. I push myself up and yank it over my head until there’s truly no space between us, no boundaries, no limits. I don’t know if it’s the whole make-up sex thing or the fact that we both know Nate will be leaving in a few days or something else entirely, but tonight feels more intense than all the other times. Emotions rage through us like fire, hot and burning and unstoppable, and it’s like we’re fucking on the edge of the world. Nate tucks a hand under the small of my back, pushing farther, deeper, and I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the strength of him, the need in him. My nails dig into the flesh of his back, and he grips the headboard, keeps moving inside me like he’s not going to stop until the edges of my soul rise in my eyes, and when I feel him start to tremble and slip away, I reach between us and put him back inside as if it’s where he belongs. He moans, a small, tender sound, and it’s beautiful. I grip his hair and kiss him slow, still rocking into him, not wanting it to be over. He rests his head against my chest, my sweat becoming his, his becoming mine. We stay like this for a few minutes, listening to each other’s heartbeat.

In the morning, sunlight pours in through the windows, the sheets twisted around my body. I can feel Nate behind me, a hard mass of warmth at my back. My head moves on the pillow; it’s still warm and damp with the smell of us. I start to turn over, but he’s awake already and stops me, hand easing around my waist. “What did you dream about?” he whispers, scooting closer.

I smile and reach for my phone to check the time. “Can’t remember them. You knocked me out cold.”

Nate’s hand slides down between my legs.

I bite back a moan and smile. “Dreaming hard, huh?”

We both laugh.

Nate presses his face into my neck. “Want to real quick before I hit the gym?”

“Yeah, but go slow.”