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I crush my lips against hers, kissing her like she’s the only thing tethering me to reality. My hands fly up, fingers tangling in her silky hair as I ravage her.

Desperate.

Needy.

Her soft lips move against mine, and it’s the salvation I need to calm my racing heart.

Minutes pass, or maybe hours, I don’t fucking know. All I know is I need her. Need to feel her, taste her, breathe her in.

She’s here. Real. No blood.

“Say you won’t leave me.” My chest heaves.

Her eyes dart between mine, and she nods, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I won’t. I promise.”

I bury my face in her hair, inhaling deeply. She smells like me—my shampoo, my soap, my fucking sheets and chocolate.

“I love you,” I murmur against her skin, kissing her temple.

“I love you, too.”

I pause, letting the moment linger before saying, “You know… we could just fucking leave all this bullshit behind.”

Her lips quirk up. “Right, like we could hop on a plane and jet off to some tropical paradise.”

“Where would you want to go, princess?”

She hums, tracing her finger along my chest. “Somewhere with a beach. White sand, crystal clear water…”

“Mmm, I like the sound of that. We could spend all day in the sun, sipping on those fruity drinks with the little umbrellas.”

She giggles, and the sound is like fucking music to my ears. “And at night, we could go skinny dipping under the stars.”

Her naked in the moonlight, water droplets clinging to her soft skin? I let out a low growl. “Princess.”

“We could make love on the beach,” she whispers, her breath hot against my ear. “With the waves crashing around us.”

My cock is getting painfully hard. “Jesus, Lil.”

“But we’d have to be careful not to get sand in certain places.”

I bark out a laugh, shaking my head. “Always the practical one, aren’t you?”

“Someone has to be.”

I’d go anywhere with her, do anything, as long as it means I see that smile on her face every day for the rest of my life.

I cup her face in my hands. “I meant what I said, you know. About running away.”

Lil’s quiet for a moment, her fingers playing with the hair at the nape of my neck. “It’s a nice dream. But we both know it’s not that simple.”

I sigh, burying my nose in her hair. “One day, princess.”

“Promise?” She snuggles into my chest, her breath tickling my skin.

“Promise.”

Lil’s presence, her touch, her scent. She’s a balm to my frayed nerves. I want to lose myself in her, bury my face between her thighs, and make her forget about everything but my name. My hand drifts lower, palming the perfect globe of her ass. She makes a little noise of protest, and I squeeze, relishing the softness of her flesh beneath my fingers.

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