As always, he played her like the Sam expert he was, coaxing her until she was biting her lip to keep from screaming when the pleasure rolled over her in deep, intense waves.

He pushed into her, groaning as he let himself go.

For a long time afterward, he held her close as their bodies cooled and their breathing returned to normal.

“You feel okay?” he asked.

“I feel divine.”

“That was the goal.”

“Your naps are the best.”

“We aim to please at Naps-R-Us.”

Sam laughed and snugged back against him, wanting to be as close to him as she could get after so many weeks without the thing they both enjoyed so much. “Thanks for putting up with me and my crankiness while recuperating.”

“I love you and your crankiness.”

“You’re a rare and special man,” she said, turning his usual line about her around on him.

“I’d have to be to tame you.”

“You’re perfect for me in every possible way.”

“Likewise. Nice how that worked out, huh?”

“It’s the nicest thing in my whole life.”

Eli gave himself half an hour in the car to calm down, get his emotions under control and think about what he wanted to say before he called Candace.

She answered on the first ring. “Hi,” she said, sounding shy and uncertain.

“Hi. I can’t believe I’m talking to you.”

“I’ve been counting down to today for three long years while having no idea if you even wanted to hear from me after what my parents did to you.”

“All I’ve wanted was to hear from you. I’ve been so worried about you.”

“I was worried about you, which is why I never snuck a call. I was sure they were monitoring my phone, and I was afraid of getting you in trouble again.”

“It means a lot that you were thinking of me.”

“I thought about you all the time. It’s been really hard. I barely speak to either of them.”

“Wow. That must’ve been rough.”

“It’s been awful. A very, very long three years.”

“Are you still living with your mother?”

“For right now. I’ve been working like a fiend to save up for an apartment.”

“Come here,” Eli said before he took even a second to think about it. “I’ve got my own place at Princeton. You can stay with me.”

“Eli…” She released a nervous-sounding laugh. “We can’t just pick right up again. Can we?”

“Why can’t we? We both know we didn’t do anything wrong. We fell in love, and if the way my heart is racing just from hearing your voice is any indication, nothing has changed. At least not for me.”

“I thought for sure you’d have someone else by now.”

“There hasn’t been anyone else.”

“Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear.”