My boyfriend chuckled before leaning back. "My thing?"

"What?" My voice was a little breathless as I opened my eyes and lifted my head.

"You said you're going to miss my 'thing.'"

"I did not," I huffed.

"Yeah, you kinda did," my mom had chimed in with a laugh.

"Yes, and trust me, we both wish you hadn't." Mark grunted, once again showing me the fatherly affection I'd become accustomed to over the past few months.

The two of them started toward the outside baggage checkpoint, and I'd moved to follow when Damien gripped my hips and pulled me close, undoubtedly feeling his "thing" as he stared down into my eyes.

"I'll miss you, too," he said solemnly, no trace of humor in his voice. Nodding shakily, I rose up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips gently to his.

"Naomi, we gotta go!" my mom yelled. We broke apart and looked over to see they'd checked the bags, including mine. I turned back toward Damien as they said goodbye at the doors.

"Have a safe trip." He kissed me once more, parting my lips with his tongue before surging in and stealing my breath. I chuckled against his mouth.

"Well, I'm never gonna leave if you keep kissing me like that."

"In that case," he murmured right before he deepened the kiss once more. I moaned as he began exploring every crevice of my mouth. Hearing approaching footsteps, I laughed and pulled back. Mark was scowling at Damien as he made his way to the driver's side.

"I love you." Damien backed away, refusing to take his eyes off me.

"I love you, too, Day." I grinned as Damien's bright smile took over his face, as it always did whenever I used his nickname.

That was a week ago. Now, I looked back at my mom, who'd made the greatest change of all. It'd been four weeks since she ended her month-long rehab program, and she'd never looked better. Mark, Derek, and I were taking turns checking on her and making sure she felt good. But for the first time in a long while, I believed in her, and that seemed to make the biggest difference. She had sponsors, went to meetings, exercised regularly, and planned a healthy diet. Her only priority was feeling one hundred percent healthy again. And she was well on her way.

Our trip had been spontaneous, but much needed. We'd gone to a spa, laid on the beach, went shopping, and just relaxed as we let the last few months... the last few years, really, just float away.

"Naomi." I turned my head toward my mom's soft voice as we finished buckling up, preparing for our return flight to Carillo.

"Yeah?" I asked with a lazy, happy smile.

"I'm so proud of you."

"I'm proud of you, too." Her eyes shone like that was the greatest gift I could ever give her. "And we're gonna be okay," I said as I held her hand, her wrist proudly displaying the bracelet I gave her which she never took off. She squeezed my hand as we both tipped our heads against the headrest with smiles on our faces.

I was out like a light and before I knew it, I was being jostled awake. It was only seven o'clock, so I had no idea why I was so tired, but I was groggy as I stumbled off the plane. My mom was holding me up, and even as I woke up some, I still let her carry some of my weight. Something she was more than okay with as her arm squeezed around my waist and she kissed my temple. We walked leisurely through the airport and found Mark, Derek, and Alara waiting for us just outside the security area, getting as close as they could. My mom and I smiled as we picked up the pace.

Mark was holding flowers as he practically bounced on his toes, eager to get to my mother. It was almost surreal how much he loved her. And it was beautiful how he never cared who knew it. He didn't just wear his heart on his sleeve, he wore it on his entire d.a.m.n outfit.

"I don't think I'd recognize you if you weren't holding a bouquet of flowers," I joked as we crossed the threshold. Mark shrugged, unembarra.s.sed as usual, before scooping my mom up. She laughed as she dropped her carry-on and gripped his shoulders.

"Happy to see me?" she asked with another giggle.

"Always," he murmured before kissing her. I was smiling when I looked toward my brother and Alara, who were watching with similar looks of awe.

"Damien looks at you the same way," Alara said with a nudge. Giving her a hug, I smiled at my brother over her shoulder. At first I was b.u.mmed Damien couldn't pick me up because he had to work, but then I realized I would much rather welcome Damien home by being naked in his bed.

We all walked to the curb where Derek and Mark's cars were illegally idling. They picked us up separately because we lived in opposite directions, but I had a feeling Mark just wanted to get my mother alone as soon as possible. We said our goodbyes, promised to talk later, and quickly got in the cars when we noticed an employee glaring at us.

I took the front seat and began talking to Alara about my plan to surprise Damien naked, describing my choices and asking which new set of lingerie I should wear. Derek growled before shooting me a warning glare.

"Knock it the f.u.c.k off." He thought I'd been trying to provoke him. Truthfully, I'd gotten so caught up in my plan, it hadn't occurred to me. But now I knew it was making him uncomfortable, and he should have known what that would mean.

"So." I turned around in my seat fully, my back to the windshield. "I also picked up some new s.e.x toys." The car jerked as a strangled cough came from my right. Alara's cheeks turned a predictable pink, but I could see her barely contained smile.

"So my question is, which one should we use first? First there's the one with-"

"Dear G.o.d, I'll do anything-anything to make you stop." Glancing over, I could see his skin was pale and his hair slightly disheveled, like he had just run his hand through it and tugged.

I looked back toward my best friend and raised my brows, silently asking, Should I give him a break?

She nodded enthusiastically. I smiled wider and turned around.

But really, what was I going to wear?

"Hey, Day." That was all I said before his lips met mine and he stole every thought from my brain. Damien quickly moved me backward until the back of my legs. .h.i.t the bed and I went tumbling down. I laughed as he fell with me, crushing me for a couple seconds, before he righted himself and leaned on his forearms on either side of my head.

"Hi," I whispered again. He still said nothing and his face remained impa.s.sive, but I knew how much he wanted me and I could feel all his love flowing between us. Our love was so magnificent and transcendent we didn't need words or smiles or... okay, fine... what I felt wasn't so much his love as it was his c.o.c.k, swelling further against my belly every time I smiled or laughed. But, still, I knew how he felt about me, physical anatomy aside.

Damien said nothing as he tore my carefully picked out lingerie off me and removed his own clothing. His mouth dove down to suck my c.l.i.t and I let out a surprised gasp.

We liked having s.e.x at all different speeds, but he was really greedy right now. Not that I, or my c.l.i.t, were complaining. In fact, it was marvelous...

"AHH!" I screamed out as I reached my peak so much faster than I was expecting, shuddering against his mouth. Everything was moving quicker than I could keep up with as he moved up my body. My body was still shaking when he kissed me and positioned himself at my entrance.

"Where's Ellie?" I mumbled as his lips latched onto my throat. I sighed in pleasure and stroked his hair.

Damien made a pained noise, shifting back and looking down at me. "One, please don't discuss my sister as I'm about to thrust into you. And two, she's with Grayson."

"Really?" I squealed. "That's so exciting! I knew it. You were such a bossy son of a b.i.t.c.h, but I just knew-" He grabbed my panties that were lying on the bed next to him and shoved them in my mouth.

Dammit. That shouldn't have been as hot as it was. I should be p.i.s.sed. I tried glaring. It failed miserably as he slammed into me and I moaned loudly around my underwear.

"I think you like when I'm a bossy son of a-" He cut himself off and made the same gasp I had. "I think you like it a lot." Nibbling on my ear, he continued a steady rhythm that had my eyes rolling into the back of my head. I tried to respond, ready to surrender, to give him a resounding "yes," but my thong was still in my mouth.

"Do you wish to say something?" He slowly slid out before filling me up once more. My breath hitched in surprise as he changed the angle. My head was thrashing on the pillow as he sped up, and my mouth stayed full right until the end.

I mumbled out something unintelligible as my o.r.g.a.s.m built and Damien moved even faster. Staring down at me with love and l.u.s.t in his eyes as he focused on our pleasure. At the first sign, I gripped his biceps, digging my fingers into his soft, tattooed skin. I could feel Damien about to come undone, and, like he didn't want to go without me, he reached down and pinched my c.l.i.t, sending us both over the edge. And then we were free falling.

My mouth was suddenly free of the lace, only to be quickly filled with his tongue. I wasn't sure how we kept on kissing as we continued to ride out our release, convulsing against each other and grabbing each other everywhere.

Suddenly he ripped his mouth away and panted into my shoulder. "G.o.dd.a.m.n," he said with reverence.

"Yeah," I replied softly. I couldn't even be fake angry over his bossiness. That was incredible.

A few minutes later, after we both caught our breath, he pulled himself up and looked down at me. "I missed you terribly," he whispered against my lips before giving me a fast, close-lipped kiss. He pulled back after only a second and I tried to follow, opening my mouth for more, but I couldn't do it and neither could he, we were both exhausted.

Laughing, I fell back against the pillow. "For a week?"

His gaze grew serious as it roamed over my face. "No, for my entire life. I just didn't know it was you I was missing." Damien smiled softly before gently placing his lips on mine.

Impossibly, I felt myself fall even more.

How could I fall even more in love with this wonderful man?

I smiled as the answer came to me. There was always more room to fall when the person you loved was your soulmate.

"Wake up," I murmured against her ear. There was a slight sting as her palm made contact with my face, batting me away.

I laughed. "Someone's crabby this morning."

Stretching, she rolled over and smiled, her eyes still closed. "I'm sure I'd be much more agreeable after an o.r.g.a.s.m and some coffee."

It was early. We'd only gone to bed three hours ago, and while I wished I could let her sleep after giving her another o.r.g.a.s.m, we had to get going.

"Coffee I can do. Unfortunately, we don't have time for the other." I kissed her cheek before lifting her up and setting her on her feet, holding her upper arms until she wasn't swaying. She yawned before asking, well whining actually, why. "It's a surprise. Now hurry up." I smacked her a.s.s and smiled when she tried to glare but another yawn broke through instead.

Apparently she took my hurry up seriously, because she was talking out of the bedroom five minutes later. She was in the same sweats she slept in and one of my plain black T-shirts.

"Hmm..." Naomi mused as she stood in front of me. "What's wrong with your face? It's missing something..." She scrunched up her brows in thought and slowly looked me over.

"What?" I narrowed my eyes at her as I brought my hands up to pat my face. Her eyes twinkled and her smile brightened right before she leaned forward and kissed me. Over and over again, she kissed me until I forgot my name. I pulled back and repeated, "What's missing?"

"This," she whispered before kissing my cheek, my nose, my lips. G.o.d, how she kissed my lips.

I smiled down at my girlfriend. "d.a.m.n. How embarra.s.sing. How does it look now?"

She grinned back. "Perfect."

Hand in hand, we walked out the door.

"Good thing I didn't get dressed up." My mouth stayed shut as I unlocked the door to Inked 101. "What the h.e.l.l are we doing here? Why would someone make an appointment this early?"

"Because I want to be the one who tattoos my girlfriend." She shuffled to a stop as I closed and relocked the door behind us.

"Today? Really?" With my nod, she squealed. "You've been holding out on me. When'd you finish the design?"

"While you were gone with your mom a few weeks ago. I wanted it to be a surprise." I went to remove it from my pocket, but Naomi started waving her hands.

"No, no. I don't want to see it."

My brows furrowed before raising to my hairline. "You want me to tattoo you before you even see it?" She nodded. "Well, normally, I'd advise against something as stupid as letting your boyfriend design your tattoo and you not even look. But... I'll be honest, I'm more than a little turned on right now."

Grabbing my girlfriend's hand, I led her to my station. She flopped down into a nearby tattoo chair and spun around, waiting for me to get everything set up. I triple checked I had everything before I turned toward her.

"You ready?"

"No. Yes. No. Yes. Maybe?" she answered with a teasing grin.

"You're ready." I took her hand and gave it a squeeze as I pulled her from the chair. She sat on the edge, dangling her feet like a carefree child. "Okay, where do you want it?"

She spread her arms wide, an invitation.

"You can't be serious?"

"As a heart attack." She stood up and moved between my legs. "I trust you. This... this is a big deal for me, but I'm not scared. I trust you. Explicitly."

Nodding, I cupped her cheeks before giving her a featherlight kiss. "Thank you. I love you."

"I love you, too." And in true Naomi fashion, the serious moment was over quickly as she sent me a flirtatious smile. "You're my first, babe. Be gentle."

Ten minutes later she was laid out on my tattoo bench, her shirt bunched up by her collarbone and the stencil neatly placed along her ribcage. Leaning forward, I hovered above her mouth for a moment before giving her a gentle kiss. Simply moving my lips across hers, our movements soft, unhurried, and innocent. No tongues. No roaming hands. Just soft pa.s.ses, subtle kisses. I could taste her smile right before her tongue peeked out, asking for entrance that I eagerly gave her. But the kiss still felt chaste, and pretty soon I was the one smiling. We only broke apart when our smiles made it impossible to keep kissing.

As I steadied the tattoo gun, I prayed it would be that way forever.

Getting a call from the hospital saying your baby sister, the one who's been addicted to alcohol since she was fifteen, was being admitted was never a good thing.

I strode through the front doors and marched to the front desk with Naomi hot on my heels.

"Eleanor Harrington," I said before the volunteer could even form a smile. My fingers were drumming against the countertop when Naomi gently placed one of her hands over them, stilling the beat and entwining our fingers. I immediately let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding as I squeezed her fingers. Her other hand was resting against her four-leaf clover necklace, gently moving it back and forth on the chain. The volunteer was staring at the screen, punching the keys slowly with one hand while the other reached for a soda.

"Do you mind moving a little faster?" I snapped. She was a young girl, with wide brown eyes that flickered to mine before abandoning her soda and focusing intently on the screen.

"He's sorry," Naomi offered. "He's nervous." Naomi gave the girl a comforting smile, something the teen clearly appreciated as she let out a breath and loosened her posture. d.a.m.n it.

"Yes, I'm sorry." I tried to soften it with a smile, but I Naomi was right, I was nervous.

"It's okay," she said quietly before looking up and pointing to her screen. "Room 204. It's-"

"We're smart. We'll find it," I hollered, already halfway down the hall, when I stopped and turned. "Thank you." The girl finally looked relaxed as she smiled and nodded. I quickly turned around, my hand still firmly holding my girlfriend's when we reached the elevator. Stabbing my finger against the two several times, I muttered, "C'mon, c'mon."

"Relax, babe." Naomi stood on her tiptoes to give my cheek a kiss. I looked down into her smiling face as she rea.s.sured me, "Everything is going to be fine."

I shook my head, because this was one of those rare occurrences when I was truly terrified. "You don't know that. Anything could happen. She-"

"Is strong." Nodding my head, I pulled her tight against my side as we settled in the elevator. She was right, Ellie was strong. She'd be fine.

We exited the lift, immediately looking for signs when my gaze caught on a tall, rigid, and familiar man at the end of the hall on my right. Grayson was standing outside what must be her door, his eyes on the ground and a nervous expression on his face. "Officer." I nodded as I walked by and into what I really hoped was Ellie's room.