“But, we’re adults,” he said, erasing my hope like a strong breeze carrying away a puff of smoke. His tone was easy and reassuring, almost as if he thought he was telling me what he thought I wanted to hear. For once in Dean Slater’s life, he hadn’t read the situation right.

Still, I smiled and nodded my head. “Yeah, we are,” I agreed.

“And adults can have a little fun without getting carried away, right?”

“Right.”

“Here,” he said. He lifted my hand to his bare chest, placing it in the center of his ribcage. “Breathe with me. We can calm down together, and then you can decide. Close your eyes,” he added when I stared up at him.

I did as he ordered, focusing on the feeling of my hand on his chest and his on mine. Once I felt the slow, steady pace of his breathing, I realized how fast mine was. With effort, I shifted my attention to my chest and made it move more slowly than it wanted. I took the breaths in, holding them until I felt Dean release his.

After only a minute or two, I felt calmer. Without the rapid breathing, the tightness in my chest was gone. With the careful patience of Dean, I felt calmer again.

I opened my eyes, meeting his and nodding. “That’s better. Thank you.”

“Any time. Do you want me to give you some space?”

I considered his question. I knew he wanted this to just be sex. In his head, it was only two bodies getting satisfaction. I should’ve told him “no” because I knew it would be more than that for me, but I couldn’t.

I took his shoulder and pulled him closer to me. “Space?” I said. “Right now, that’s the last thing I want. I want you closer. I want all of you.”

The fiery look in Dean’s eyes made me wonder if he knew how I really meant those words, or if he was just thinking about the sex. I wasn’t sure, and I decided I could worry about the consequences later.

I let him climb back over me and gently urge my legs apart with the weight of his hips. He stared down at me, hair dangling down in messy locks as he held my gaze. “You’re sure?” he asked.

“Positive,” I said. And in that moment, I realized I was. I was sure I didn’t want to hold back anymore. I was sure that I would never be happy if I spent my whole life guarding my heart. Because what was the point of a precious treasure if I had no one to share it with? And that was maybe what I’d been missing. I had to realize my love and my trust was precious, but the point of having those things in the first place was to share. They weren’t feelings to hoard away and protect until I grew old and tired. It was risky, yes. It was scary, yes. But in so many ways, it felt like the whole point of being alive.