He ran his fingers up the length of me as his other hand roamed my stomach and up to my breast. His lips found my neck, his skin on fire against mine. I stepped out of my dress and moved toward the bed, and he followed until I reached the end and bent, propping myself on my forearms.

His hands trailed down my ribs, my waist, my hips, and he knelt between my legs, fingers squeezing tight as he buried his face in me, his tongue hot as he licked up the line. I gasped, rising up on my tiptoes from the shock, and he followed, unrelenting. I dropped to the bed, my cheek against the covers, barely able to keep myself standing as he ravaged me with my pulse racing, fingers twisted in the sheets.

I reached behind me, slipped my fingers into his hair and squeezed, gasping when he pressed harder, deeper into me. But it wasn’t enough.

I tightened my grip in his hair, pulled his head back and called his name. He let me go, stripping off his shirt when he stood, then his pants as I lay panting. And then I felt his touch, his fingers on the backs of my thighs. He cupped them and urged me to climb onto the bed.

“I want to see your face, your eyes,” he said, his voice rough as he guided me to roll over, my breath shallow as I stretched out on my back as he asked. He climbed up my body until he was hovering over me. My legs hooked around his thighs, feet tucked in the curve of his calf as he brought his hips lower and grabbed his length. He guided his tip to rest against me, and a moan passed my lips, my hips shifting to try to force him in, body aching for him.

He gripped my hip to still me, flexed slowly, and we both watched him disappear inside of me.

I sighed, and his eyes found mine as he pulled out and rocked into me, rolling his hips. Then again. And again, and again, strong and smooth, claiming and promising. He was everywhere — the weight of him against me, his hands in my hair, his lips against mine, his voice breathing my name, telling me he loved me, telling me he needed me.

And I needed him. I would always need him.

My heart beat faster, my breath shallow until I let my body go. Let my past go. Gave my heart to him as I gave him the rest of me, his name on my lips as I flexed around him fast at first, then slower until I could finally breathe again.

When I opened my eyes, they found his.

“I love you,” I whispered, and his eyes fluttered closed, his body rolling in a wave, every breath deeper than the one before until he slammed into me, neck taut, a cry passing his lips as he came.

He rested his forehead against mine, hips still flexing slowly as he pulsed inside of me. I laid a hand on his chest, feeling the solid thump of his heart as he strung delicate kisses on my neck, my cheeks, my lips. And then he filled me to the hilt and propped himself up to look at me. His beautiful face was soft, and I took a long moment to memorize the shadows of his cheekbones, the swell of his lips, the cut of his jaw, the love in his eyes.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.” They were words I couldn’t say enough.

He touched my cheek. “I know how you can make it up to me.”

“How?”

“Don’t ever leave.”

I smiled and kissed him, wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into me. And when I broke away, I pressed my lips into his ear. “I’ll stay as long as you’ll have me.”

And he whispered back, “Forever.”

Cooper

I woke before her that morning, my eyes blinking open slowly, unsure whether or not I was dreaming.

I was wrapped around Maggie, my arm around her back and hand in her hair, our legs tangled together. But I didn’t move, not for a long time, just listened to her slow breathing, feeling her chest rise and fall against mine as I thought about everything that had happened, everything that had brought us here.

She was mine, and I’d never let her go again.

And then my thoughts jumped forward. I daydreamed about everything to come. Listed all of the things I wanted to show her. Pictured her standing in front of the Taj Mahal. Smiling at me from across a cafe table in Paris. Holding my hand on the streets of Istanbul.

I wanted to show her all of the things I’d seen, to experience it all with her. Through her.

I wanted to hold her hand for the rest of my life.

She stirred against me, untucked her arms and wrapped one around my ribs, slipping the other between my neck and the pillow. I squirmed, trying not to laugh when she buried her nose in my neck.

She chuckled and squeezed me. “Are you ticklish?”

“No.”

She shifted her nose, and a laugh shot out of me.

I backed away so I could see her. “Maybe a little.” I smoothed her hair and cupped the back of her head, kissing her forehead.

She sighed, opening her eyes sleepily when I propped my head on my hand.“I could sleep for days, I think.”

“It’s been a long couple of weeks.”

“It’s been a long year,” she added, “but I feel … I don’t know how to explain it. New. Like I walked outside and closed the door behind me, and now I’m looking out at the whole world.”

I smiled. “I missed you.”

“So much. I thought about you all day, every day.”

I wrapped my arms around her. “We should get out of bed.”

She groaned.

“Hamptons.”

That stopped her. “Just promise me we can lie in bed all day tomorrow, and I’m good.”

“I promise.”

“All right, then.” She pecked me on the lips and rolled away from me. I watched as the sheets fell away and she stepped into the beam of light from the window, illuminating her curly hair like a halo. I could barely breathe, and she looked back to catch me staring.

She smiled.

That smile was something I’d work for every day, forever.

Within an hour, we were showered and fed. Astrid had her suitcase sent over, and I’d packed some of her things in my duffle bag while she finished eating and straightened up the kitchen.

I smiled at her as I walked back into the kitchen. “Bobby’s downstairs.”

She wiped her hands on a towel. “Oh, good. Let me just grab my suitcase.”

“I already packed some stuff for you. Just grabbed the rest of your toiletries.”

She made a face. “What if you forgot something? Let me go check.” She walked past, but I grabbed her wrist, planting a kiss on her lips when she rebounded back into me.

I looked down at her, smiling, willing her with my words. “Trust me, Maggie.”

Her eyes went wide, open as they did sometimes, and she whispered, “I do, Cooper.”

“Good. Now, come on. Let’s not keep Bobby waiting.”

She chuckled. “All right. But you’d better have packed underwear.”

I winked and dragged her toward the door.

Her smile fell. “Oh, God. You didn’t, did you.”

“Guess we’ll see.”

We made our way downstairs and out the back where Bobby leaned on my black convertible Jaguar.

She stopped dead. “Where the hell did you get that?”

I raised an eyebrow, smiling. “Uh, a Jaguar dealership?”

“Obviously, but holy shit. I thought we were taking the Mercedes.”

“You thought I just had one car?” I asked, amused.

“Two. The Porsche.”

I hooked an arm around her neck and kissed her temple, whispering, “That’s my beach car. This is my real car.”

She laughed as I dragged her to the car and opened the door, closing it once she was tucked in, climbing in next to her like a dream. And I had to be dreaming, I thought as she smiled over at me.

I started the car, put on my sunglasses, and pulled away. Only in my dreams would I ever imagine that such a girl could love me just as much as I loved her.

Cooper

Maggie’s hand was wrapped around mine, nestled in her lap as we drove up the coast. We were in the last hour of the trip, the scenic stretch before we reached the Hamptons, and I glanced over at her, her hair flying, the Jaguar rumbling around us, top down, radio bumping. Her bare feet were on the dashboard, and she leaned back in the seat, face tilted toward the ocean, elbow propped on the door, chin in her hand.