I must have dozed off because I woke up when I heard Drake getting in and starting the car. I rubbed my eyes and stretched as he drove around the circle to get out of the cemetery. I felt like the worst girlfriend ever for sleeping when he needed me.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I will be.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Nah, I’m talked out at this point. I told them everything I had to say.”

I grabbed his hand and held it tightly. “I’m glad.”

“I think I needed that, so I could let go. I’ve been holding on to them for too long, and it was destroying me. Dr. Peters and you have helped me realize that. I said my good-byes, and now I need to move on.”

“You never have to forget them, Drake. We can always come back whenever you want.”

“I know.”

* * *

My stomach started growling around the time we hit the Oklahoma border. Drake stopped at a small diner, and we spent over an hour there, just relaxing and enjoying our food. I’d noticed that he was taking his time with everything on this trip. It was like he was trying to prolong our time alone together for as long as possible.

When I asked him about it, he shrugged.

“We aren’t part of the rest of the world until we get back to L.A. I don’t want anything to interfere with us, and I know it will once we get back. I want to enjoy the time alone with you.”

I smiled. There was my Drake. “I love you.”

He gave me a strange look. “I love you, too. Why are you telling me now?”

“Because that was one of the sweetest things I’ve ever heard.”

* * *

By the time we hit Tulsa, it was starting to get dark. I could tell that Drake was getting worn out from driving all day, and I asked him to stop for the night. He found a hotel that was much like the last one we’d stayed at.

We checked in and headed to our room. I grabbed my pajamas and went to take a shower. After being stuck in a car all day, it felt nice to stretch my muscles as I showered. The warm water was relaxing as it washed the day from my skin.

I finished my shower, dressed, and went back into the room. I settled down onto the bed as Drake took a shower. This time, he hadn’t bothered with asking me if a single bed was okay. I didn’t mind at all. I’d missed snuggling with him when we were apart. I kept telling myself that we had to take things slow, but I felt my resolve waver when he stepped out of the bathroom in only his boxers again. The fact that he’d opened up to me today, letting me see his vulnerable side, didn’t help either. It made my plan ten times harder.

The Drake that had pushed me away was long gone, and my Drake was back. He was the one who had stolen my heart so long ago, and I couldn’t deny him anything. I knew I’d had a good reason for needing to go slow, but as he lay down beside me, I couldn’t seem to think of it.

“I’m beat.” He yawned.

“Why don’t you let me drive tomorrow?”

“I might take you up on that, but you have to sign a waiver before I let my baby go.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s just a car.”

“It’s my baby. Period.”

“Men,” I grumbled as I rolled over and snuggled up to him.

“I’m only kidding. You know I trust you with my car. It’s Adam who I would never let behind the wheel.” He shuddered visibly.

He wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head. This was heaven. I relaxed further into him as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to Drake rubbing small circles across my lower back. I kept my eyes shut, knowing that he would stop if he knew I was awake. He pushed my shirt up as he started rubbing higher and higher. He moved his hand back down, so it was resting on my hip as he continued to make those circles across my skin. I squeezed my eyes shut while I tried to keep my breathing under control. God, I’d missed his touch so much.

When he scooted closer, I could tell just how turned-on he was. I felt the length of him pressed against my bottom. He was hard and ready. I couldn’t stop the tiny moan that escaped my lips.

His hand froze. “Are you awake?” he whispered.

“Nope,” I mumbled back.

He leaned in and kissed the back of my neck. “Faker. How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough to know you were feeling me up.”

“I was not feeling you up. I was rubbing your back.”

“But you wanted to feel me up.” I rolled over to look at him.

“True, but I was trying to follow your rules.”

I studied him closely. “It’s driving you nuts, isn’t it? Not being together, I mean.”

“It is, but I understand why you’re doing this. You don’t want us to move too fast before we get back to the way we were.”

I sighed. “It’s that, but a part of me is afraid that I’ll get too close to you too fast. I just don’t want to get hurt again. We both promised to go slow when you asked me to marry you. Healing in reverse, remember?”

He cupped my face as he kissed me gently. “I’ll never hurt you again.”

“I love you, Drake, so much.”

“I love you, too. No matter what happens, you’ll always have me.”

I pulled him closer and kissed him deeply. I couldn’t help myself. No matter how many times I’d told myself to take things slow, it just wasn’t happening. We’d been apart for so long, and enough was enough. Besides, I could never deny Drake. Since day one, I couldn’t stay away from him. Even in the beginning, nothing had ever been slow with Drake and me. From the first time we met until everything came crashing down around us, our entire relationship had moved at warp speed. That was just how we were, and nothing would ever change that, no matter what we did.

I parted my lips, and his tongue slipped inside. I moaned as I felt his tongue ring against my tongue. That damn thing was so fucking erotic. His hand went back to rubbing my hip as I ran my nails down his back. He pulled away and started kissing my neck before he moved toward my ear.

“What are we doing?” he whispered.

“Kissing,” I replied.

“We’re moving in another direction here, and I need to know if it’s okay. I’ll stop if it’s not.”

“I don’t want to stop,” I said and I meant it.

“Thank God,” he said. He started kissing my lips again. “If you told me to stop, I was going to go crazy. I want you so fucking bad.”

There were no words for a while after that. After he pulled off my shirt and tossed it aside, his hands roamed across my body. I sucked in a deep breath when he flicked his tongue across my nipple. He took his time exploring my body with his mouth before he found my breast again. I dug my nails into his back as he started sucking and biting. He released my nipple and started kissing down my stomach.

“Hands above your head,” he said.

“I can’t,” I mumbled. I raised my arms and started running my fingers through his hair.

He looked up at me. “I told you a long time ago that I would tie you up if you didn’t listen to me.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

He laughed. “I would, but not yet. One of these days though, I will. That’s a promise.”

A shiver ran through my body at the thought. I wanted him to, badly, but I wasn’t ready for that just yet.

I nodded. I felt vulnerable and exposed when we were together like this, but then again, I always did when I was with Drake. He had every part of me—my heart, my soul, and my body. So yes, I was always vulnerable when it came to him. I tried to calm my racing heart as he started kissing me again.

He ran his tongue between my breasts and then slowly down my stomach to where my sleep shorts were sitting low on my hips. He used his teeth to slowly pull them down, and I lifted my hips to help him. When they were gone, he pulled off my underwear next. I felt the impulse to cover myself, but I didn’t. I loved him and I wouldn’t let my shyness get in the way of our healing. Or the awesome sex that was about to happen.

When he sat up and stared down at my naked body, I felt my body respond instantly to the lust in his eyes. My core was aching, and my nipples tightened almost painfully. It had been far too long since we’d been together.

“You’re so goddamn beautiful. You’re mine, Chloe, and if anyone ever touches you, I’ll kill them. I won’t lose you again.”

Before I could respond, he pushed apart my legs and lowered himself between them. When his tongue swiped against my clit, my entire body came up off the bed as I shouted his name. He ran his tongue back and forth before thrusting it into me. I couldn’t stop myself as my hips came up off the bed to meet him each time. As he tongue-fucked me, he started rubbing his thumb against my clit. The world exploded before my eyes as I came. I lowered my hands and grabbed his hair, holding him in place.

Before I could recover, he forced my hands to let go of his hair as he stood up. I couldn’t look away as he pulled off his boxers. I felt my cheeks turn red as I stared at him, all of him. He smirked at me as he climbed back into bed with me. He hovered over me long enough to kiss me before he slipped himself inside me.

“Oh my God!” I managed to gasp out as he entered.

It had been a long time, and it hurt as he thrust into me. Once he was fully inside me, he stopped, giving me time to get used to him again.

He moaned. “Jesus, you’re so fucking tight.”

“I’m sorry. I know it has to be hurting you, too. I haven’t been with anyone since you,” I whispered.

“It’s a good kind of pain. I love that you’ve not been with anyone else. This,” he said, pulling out and thrusting back in deeply, “is mine and mine alone.”