LISA

The sound of birdsong wakes me and the clock on my nightstand tells me it's only five-thirty. I sigh deeply at the heavenly warmth pressed against my skin. We're lying on top of the covers and Jennie is draped along my side, her face resting on my chest and her arm draped over my stomach. She's still in a deep sleep, unaware of me watching her. I take the opportunity to indulge while I swim in raw bliss, my body aching for her all over again.

The upcoming sun I always take for granted brings her face into sharper focus and I'm consciously grateful for the morning rays that bathe the room in yellow hues. She's a sculpted goddess and in this light, only vaguely human. Her long lashes flutter as if she's dreaming and the corners of her mouth are curled up, just a little. She looks happy and content and the sound of her steady breathing soothes me like nothing else ever has.

What we did last night, for hours on end, wasn't just sex. We made love. The panic I feel at that realization makes me tense but I also know that it was worth it, even if she breaks my heart. I gave myself to her. I gave her all of me and she gave me all of her in return. If I lose her, which I probably will, I'll live, and I'll always have last night to remember her by.

She stirs and licks her lips before she wakes, blinking against the light. For a moment, she seems disoriented but then she looks down at her hand on my stomach and smiles, letting out a content moan as she strokes my skin. "You're so warm and soft," she murmurs, bringing her lips to my neck to kiss it before nestling her face there, inhaling deeply against my skin. "And you smell so good."

I pull her closer and kiss the crown of her head, emotions swirling inside me at the intimacy. "I smell of you."

"Mmm… I like that." Jennie inches away to look at me and there's no regret in her eyes. "This is amazing." She strokes my cheek and studies me as if she's seeing me for the first time.

"What's amazing?"

"Just…" She hesitates. "Waking up like this. With you."

"So you're okay?" I ask, closing my eyes at her warm touch.

Jennie kisses me softly. "Yeah, I'm great. Are you?"

I nod, turn on my side to face her and wedge my thigh between her legs. At this, she moans again, parts her legs farther and pulls me on top of her. We fit so well together, and our movements are natural and instinctive, almost like we're one mind thinking the same. The kiss that follows is long and slow, deep and sensual as our limbs entangle and our bodies melt into one another. Her heat is burning against my thigh and her breath is quickening with every stroke of my tongue against hers. It is amazing. A deep-rooted sensation in my core reminds me how much I'm feeling right now. Not just arousal but so, so much more. I bring my hand between her legs and gasp at her reaction. She's so sensitive and knowing how much she wants me makes me ache to pleasure her.

Jennie moans and brings her hand to my center in return, stroking me while we drown in a long, exhilarating make out session. I slide inside her and she does the same and we move in a slow, sleepy pace, making love until we're so spent that we're ready to fall asleep again.

When I'm about to pull out of her, she stops me, covering my hand with her own. "Not yet. Can we just stay like this for a little while? It feels so… intimate. I love it."

I pull her closer instead and kiss her again. I'll never get enough of kissing her, of holding her in bed. She's right. It does feel intimate but the good kind, even though it scares me a little.

"If I promised you this is not a phase," she says when she's lying in my arms an hour later. "Would you have any reason not to want to do this again?"

I'm silent for a beat, reluctant to repeat all the excuses I've given her before. Truth be told, I'm so happy she's back in my life that everything seems unimportant right now. I've missed her more than I'd anticipated and now that she's here, in my bed, I don't want her to leave because it feels right and natural, and I need her. Finally, I give her the only honest answer I can without overthinking things. "I don't want to lose you."

Jennie smiles and weaves her fingers through my hair. "Good," she says. "Then you won't. Because I don't want to lose you either. Not again."

My heart starts beating in relief but I'm also terrified. We've said it out loud, we've taken the next step and I'm heading into dangerous territory. She could quite possibly shatter me, but I don't have the energy to fight this anymore. Surrendering feels good; I can stop overthinking things now and simply put my future into the slippery, unreliable hands of fate.

I smile and kiss her forehead. "I have to get up soon."

"Of course. I'll leave."

"Wait…" Pulling the covers over us, I bury myself in her warmth. "Just ten more minutes."