Past lives couldn't ever hold me down
Lost love is sweeter when it's finally found
I've got the strangest feeling
This isn't our first time around
— Past Lives by Borns

The gentle scent of vanilla filled my nose as I exited Gray's bathroom, calming the erratic pounding of my heart. The villa's housekeeper had prepared a fresh set of clothes for me on the bed — a pair of undergarments and an oversized shirt.

I slipped into the clothes and crawled under the sheets.

I wanted to wait until Gray arrived. Until I was sure that he was safe. I was physically and mentally exhausted — starving, too — but the concern kept my mind running with thoughts that only amplified my worries.

A gentle knock on the door pulled me back from my thoughts.

"Hey, it's me," said the person on the other side.

The voice was enough to jolt every life force in my body to attention, and I hurriedly rolled out of bed as Gray walked in. Before I could fully take in the exhaustion in his face, he rushed towards me and slammed his lips to mine, nearly knocking all wind from my lungs. I hardly had a moment to react when he pulled away.

"There's food ready downstairs," he muttered. "Go and eat something."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, baby. I'll join you for dinner after a shower."

He was out of my sight in a heartbeat, leaving me slightly bewildered as I struggled to register that he was finally here. He was here and safe. I followed him to the bathroom. He stood under the shower with his head down, and eyes closed, his chest rising and falling gently. My eyes dropped to the scar on his stomach as I stripped out of my clothes.

I stepped under the shower with him and wrapped my arms around him from the back. He kept silent as my hand traveled down his stomach and to his semi-hard dick. I stroked him slowly.

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

He spun around to face me, and I raised my head to look at him. Droplets of water traced his sculpted face. His eyes were gentle, but the firmness was as clear as day.

"When I say run, you run." He snaked his arms around me and drew me to his chest. I pressed my palms above his heart, surprised to find it pounding violently. "When I say hide, you hide," he continued. "When I say don't do anything reckless, you don't."

I cupped his face in my hands and stood on my toes to kiss him on the lips. His fingers threaded through my hair as he deepened the kiss, devouring me like he couldn't get enough. I couldn't get enough.

Gray was a part of me, deeply rooted in my soul.

He backed me up against the glass gently, and I let out a moan.

"You're on the pill?" he asked between breaths.

"Yes," I muttered, meeting his gaze. "I started taking it after the first time. Is there anything I need to know about you?"

"I'm clean."

"Good."

Our mouths crashed again. His warm tongue swirled around mine as his hands gripped my asscheeks, causing me to whimper.

He broke the kiss and gazed into my eyes. "Only you have the power to push me away, Summer. I'll leave when you say you don't want me anymore."

"I'll always want you," I promised, pressing my palm against his flushed cheek. "Only death will be our enemy."

"Death can go and fuck itself," he scoffed.

A bubble of laughter escaped my lips, which was quickly cut short when he pressed his mouth to mine. My breath hitched in my throat, and my hands pressed against his chest to push him away. The split second he pulled back, I caught my breath, then his lips were back to mine in an eager kiss. It lasted only for a few seconds, but unlike those other times when I pouted whenever he stopped, this time I gazed at him in adoration.

It seemed surreal that this broken yet beautiful man was mine. He entered my life at the right time and became the friend I needed. Then he worked his way to my heart and became the man I wanted to cherish and protect for the rest of my life.

He was broken and healing, and I loved him.

"Why do you keep staring at me like that?" he asked, his fingers brushing the side of my face lovingly.

"Am I not allowed to admire my boyfriend?" I snickered.

A satisfied grin played on his lips. "I'll never get used to you calling me that."

"Boyfriend?"

He nodded, sweeping my hair behind my shoulder. "It's getting harder not to want you when you smile at me without abandon."

"You take care of me, Gray." I traced my thumb across his bottom lip. "You do your best to protect me, and you respect my opinions. Sure, you sometimes prefer to keep to yourself, and you try not to show what you feel, especially when it's bothering you. But we can work it out. I trust you, and I trust us."

"You make this messed-up world look so much more beautiful." Gathering me in his arms, he pulled me close — his lips seeking mine hungrily.

I pressed a hand over his pounding heart, smiling at the effect I had on him. He smiled against my lips, too, as he pulled back and brought my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. He lingered for a moment, the stalling gesture causing my heart to do backflips. He lowered his head until our faces were inches apart, and then he smiled. It was so light and so gentle; it calmed the erratic thudding of my heart and my anxious thoughts.

"Stay with me?" he proposed.

I smiled. "Always."

With that final promise coming from my heart and soul, his lips found my own. It was gentle, careful, and soft as though he was taking his sweet time. This was where I belonged, wrapped in his arms. He gripped my waist, and I moaned into his mouth. The sound snapped whatever remaining restraint he had on himself, and he tore his lips from mine to my neck, where he dragged his tongue down my skin. His thumb slid gently up the curve of my breast, and I arched into his touch, a whine leaving my lips when he pulled away. His eyes trailed down my naked body in adoration.

"Perfect."

He carried me back to the bedroom, and I sucked in a breath when the cold air hit my skin. I clung desperately to his body to catch his warmth.

"Gray, we're wet," I hissed.

"And the sheets will dry. Problem solved."

"It's cold."

"Not for long."

He laid me down on the bed gently, and I wrapped my legs around his back, hooking him closer to press myself against his erection. He barked out a curse, and I giggled. Grumbling, he buried his face at the crook of my neck as his fingers traced patterns on my arms. He began trailing kisses across my jawline, down to my neck and lower, my back arching when his mouth found my breast, his tongue flicking against my hardened nipple.

I gasped, my eyes fluttering close at the jolt of sparks traveling through my body. He let out a deep chuckle, the sound sending a chill down my spine. His other hand gently grabbed and squeezed my other breast, playing with it as he took turns sucking on both of them.

"These are perfect," he groaned, emphasizing his statement by taking both my breasts on each hand, rocketing more heat to my core.

My cheeks flushed, and his mouth crashed into mine again, his bare skin warm against my own. He ground his hips against me, teasing me so horribly that my nails dug into his back.

Gray left no area of skin untouched and unkissed as though he wanted to memorize the shape of me with his lips. He spread my legs apart, and I relished the feeling of his calloused hand moving closer to where I ached for him the most. He began trailing kisses up my thighs, and I collapsed into the bed, my sex throbbing with anticipation.

"So wet for me," he rasped, his fingers rubbing my folds.

The first lick of his tongue set my body on fire, but a hiss quickly flew out of my lips when he pulled back and blew a breath over my pussy. He took pleasure in teasing me, knowing it drove me crazy. I groaned in annoyance, rolling my hips in demand. The smoldering heat between my legs was becoming unbearable.

With a chuckle, Gray lowered his head once again and worked me in great strokes, his finger circling my swollen clit so torturously slow. When his tongue slid inside me, I gripped the sheets. He licked and kissed, just as his fingers replaced where his mouth had just been, pumping slowly inside me as he sucked my nub, his teeth grazing ever so slightly.

Now. I wanted him now.

A whine of protest bubbled in my throat as he kissed his way back to my mouth and flipped us over, so I was straddling his waist. He stroked himself as his eyes devoured my body, and I blushed furiously, smacking him on the arm.

Chuckling, he pulled me down for a kiss. "Do you want to do it?"

"I'd suck and stroke you anytime, but I need you inside me now."

"Then beg for it."

I scowled. "Please?"

"Nah. Try again."

"Maybe I'll just make myself come."

He smirked haughtily. "Do it."

I stared down at him with slitted eyes, then I leaned back slightly, displaying all of myself to him. I brought my hand down to my sex and pushed a finger inside, wetting it before stroking my clit in a slow circular motion. His eyes darkened with pure lust as he watched me. He was about to stroke himself again when I swatted his hand away.

"Don't," I sneered.

His eyebrow popped as he folded an arm under his head. I grabbed his other hand and pressed it to my sex, taunting him with my eyes. He pushed in two digits, and my head lolled back as I moaned.

"You're a greedy vixen," he groaned as I began grinding my hips while stroking my clit. He curled his fingers upward but remained still as I rode his fingers, chasing my orgasm. "That's right, baby. Use my fingers to make yourself come."

"Will you fuck me if I do?" I crooned, staring directly into his green eyes.

He smirked. "Say please."

"Please."

"You have to mean it, baby."

"Please," I cried under my breath. "Fuck me."

"Good girl."

A soft scream left my lips as my climax splintered my consciousness into a million pieces. He rode out my orgasm, making me shake with the aftershocks. Gray slipped his fingers out of me and turned us over, positioning his hips above mine. I roamed my hands across his toned chest and back, feeling every muscle, every inch of him. Then I grazed a finger across the scar on his stomach, tracing it slowly. He pulled away from my lips and kissed my forehead. I locked my legs around his back and brought him closer, my stomach knotting when he nudged at my entrance.

"Beautiful," he praised as he looked me over. "So damn beautiful."

I gasped when he slipped inside me, not missing the spark of passion in his eyes. He pulled out slightly, then slammed into me, causing a cry of pleasure to leave my lips. Gray didn't let up as his hips collided with mine. His thrusts were fast and deep, causing a slick layer of sweat to cover our bodies. He lifted my legs and draped them over his shoulders as he pressed his chest to mine, angling our bodies together as he drove inside me deeper. I was a gasping, moaning mess beneath him as I dragged my hands through his hair and down his back, my nails clawing desperately.

My friend who showed me a different view of life.

My lover who taught me that love was selfless and brave.

He was mine, and I was his.

His mouth found mine again in a sloppy, desperate kiss, and my toes curled, and my head sunk deeper into the pillow as the knot grew in my stomach, currents of fiery pleasure coursing through my veins. I moved my hips in time with his, each pounding stroke bringing me closer to the edge.

My eyes rolled into the back of my head.

"Keep your eyes on me, baby," he said in a low growl.

My eyes fluttered open in obedience. His green eyes were bright and focused, and filled with primal passion. His hands caressed my body, and every inch of me burned and tightened, my control slipping entirely as he whispered, "I love you."

My release shattered through me, and Gray pounded harder, drawing out my pleasure until I wasn't sure when one orgasm ended and another began. Then he moaned my name and buried his face at the crook of my neck as he reached his peak, the sound of his groans against my ear bringing me to a whole new plane of existence. He slipped out of me and dropped onto the bed, and I shifted to my side to look at him, giggling as he hauled me to his chest.

Silence filled the room, interrupted only by our panting breaths.

Gray pressed a wet kiss on my bare shoulder. "I'm not done with you."

I met his gaze. "I know."