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I had no fear as Mav walked us both to the bedroom and I barely noticed when he laids wrapped around his waist as he settled his weight on me, but the second I hit the bed, his hands found ether with his and held theainst mine feverishly as he kissed me over and over and I kneouldn’t take e I had no idea if Mav sensed how close I was or if he was in the same boat, but he suddenly released h to liroins

“No,” I whispered before I could stop myself, the neediness in my voice off the charts Fuck, I was such a rawto scare hi was just supposed to be about sex I bit intohim not to leave me

Mav watched an to truly worry that I’d ruined the whole thing But instead of stepping back, he reached out and used his thurip h pad swiped over the tender flesh several ti And then he leaned overhimself on his other arm Our mouths were mere centimeters apart, but he didn’t kiss me

“Don’t hide from me,” Mav said softly and then he did kiss me A quick brush of his mouth over mine “You don’t see it, do you?” he asked

“See what?” I soet out

“How fucking beautiful you are…how perfect”

I felt tears stinger Deeper “Tell ainst my mouth

Maybe if he hadn’t been brushing his fingers throughtiny kisses against ether But his words, his touch – they cracked open so deep inside of me and I couldn’t stem the tears that fell “I’m afraid you’ll leave me,” I whispered as I closed my eyes “I’m afraid this will all be soain…”

Huh me as tears slipped unchecked down ers and his mouth to soak up my hot tears and when I finally settled, I heard him whisper, “I’ve tried”

“Tried what?” I asked,dry and scratchy

“Leaving”

I stiffened at that, but when I instinctively tried to ht down on ers began stroking back and forth overto soothe me

“Every day for the last three days I packed ot onwhere I ended up,” Mav said quietly as he continued to pepper my mouth with small kisses “And every day I turned around and caot this same room and waited and hoped”

My sto I shook my head in disbelief “You didn’t call or text…”

Mav kissed h to whisper, “I leave so I don’t get left,” and then hisHis final words hung in an to kiss me, desperately, as if the adate for hi kiss with equal fervor and when he pulled ht so I could sit astride his around him so there was practically no space between us Mav reached behind his neck with one ared to pull his T-shirt off in one clean sweep He tossed the garh his hair to push it back, giving me an unfettered view of his broad chest I sucked in a breath at the sight of the large tattoo that spanned the upper half of his body

A phoenix

“Oh ers trail over the bird’s broad wings and long body While the color wastail, the detail as very intricate and beautifully done and it felt like at any moment the beautiful creature would continue its ascent from the fiery ashes from which it had been born