He’s hard for me, dripping for me. I want to lick him so badly, to taste the desperation beading at the tip of his cock. But he made me wait, so I think I’ll do the same.

“Looks like the chase isn’t over yet,” I say, and I flee into the maze again.

The air has cooled, but it’s still soft and warm from the heat of the day, like cloudy fingers brushing my bare skin. Part of me can’t believe I’m racing naked through a garden. I never do things like this—I never get any kinkier than doggy-style and spankings. I was always afraid that if I went any further with Tom, if we tried any of the other things he wanted to do, he’d take me deeper than I wanted to go. Some secret part of me never trusted him enough for that.

So why am I so trusting with Jay, who is an actual vampire with claws and fangs? Running naked from him through a hedge maze is the most reckless, erotic act I’ve ever indulged in—and yet I feel completely safe. He showed incredible control when he tackled me a few minutes ago—retracting the claws and fangs at precisely the right moments. I know he won’t hurt me.

And if he does, I think I might like it.

Maybe that’s the difference—the trust. Even when I loved Tom, some deeper instinct of mine kept me from yielding completely. The pain that came from his hands stemmed from rage or selfishness; but any pain Jay delivered would be laced with tenderness, sweetly synchronized with his love for me.

As I pelt past the opening of another corridor, Jay rockets from the adjoining path and slams into me, his bare skin hot against mine. We tumble into the soft, short grass with him heavy against my back.

“Got you.” He bites my earlobe lightly.

I shift under him, lifting my bottom, trying to position myself so he can slip inside.

“No.” His hands close around my body, turning me over. “I want to see your eyes when I make you come.”

He pauses, one hand spread warm across my thigh. “Do we need a condom?”

“No, I’m protected,” I say. “And I got tested for STDs after Tom. I’m fine.” But I don’t feel fine, not with Tom’s name souring my tongue. I turn my head aside, staring into the hedge, biting my lower lip.

Why did I give Tom so much of myself? Why does he have to be here, ruining this moment for me? Tears pool hot in the corners of my eyes as I lie limp and splayed open to Jay.

He leans over me, brown eyes searching mine. “What are you thinking?”

Many things. That I don’t regret my years without him, or what I chose for myself during that time—and yet I still have longings. Wishes. Things I would change now, as I’m looking back on it, knowing what I know about Tom. I feel like I’m coming alive again, returning to the best part of myself, and it’s because of me, but it’s also because of Jay.

“I wish things had been different,” I whisper. “I wish I’d done everything with you.”

Something breaks in his eyes, a tender pain that mirrors my own. “I know, baby,” he says softly. “But it’s all right now. Everything can be like it was supposed to be.”

His mouth cradles mine, warm and sweet, flooding my sore heart with relief. I hum against his lips, latch my arms around his neck.

And I make the choice to banish Tom. To only feel what is happening right here, right now, with the beautiful man who made himself a monster for my sake.

I press the kiss deeper, probe between his soft lips, claim Jay with my tongue. My hands move from his neck to caress his shoulders, his arms, his back. “You’re mine,” I say fiercely, quietly, against his mouth—but not in that voice—not ever. This tone isn’t some inherited gift from a mythic past; it’s a special one, just for him. “Mine,” I repeat, while my arms tighten around his body.

“I always have been,” he breathes. “Helplessly, wickedly, wretchedly yours. Yours when I was alone, and yours when I was surrounded by dazzling crowds. Yours in every choice I made, and the ones I will make.”

He kisses me, inhaling as he does it, like he’s breathing me in. And then he shifts back, cups my ass, and lifts me slightly, easing his cock into me.

Finally, finally, oh god…

The rushing fullness of him is glorious. My head lolls back, my eyes fall shut, and I relax, every muscle loosening, every part of me hazy and hot and liquid.

Yes, yes.

Jay kisses my throat, teases the delicate skin with his teeth. Then his breath shudders, like he’s on the brink of losing control, and he starts to move, gliding in and out of me.

“Faster, Jay, deeper,” I whisper. “Please, please…”

With a groan he doubles his pace, and it’s blessed friction, mind-melting wholeness. How does he feel this right inside me? Like he and I grew to fit each other exactly. Or maybe this sense of perfection isn’t because of anything physical. It’s because this is my Jay, my curious scientist, my playmate, my best friend, the biggest loss of my life, and my greatest rediscovered treasure.

With every name I devise for him I’m coiling tighter inside, heat building and rising and god this is incredible—

Jay is on his knees, one hand bracing my leg as he surges into me. His wavy brown hair is tossed and tousled, his cheeks are flushed, his lips parted. There’s a glazed glory in his eyes and a tension to his toned body that I instinctively understand. He’s close, and so am I, but I need something. I need to be anchored.

I reach for him, and he leans forward to grab my hand, a convulsive grip. He pulls it to his mouth, kisses my knuckles, then pins my hand to his chest while he fucks me harder.

I close my eyes, straining for this, desperate for both of us to get there together, because we deserve it, after everything. I’m concentrating so hard I barely notice when his other hand moves from my ass.

Then his thumb skates across my clit, stroking it with a quick, rough rhythm that sends white-hot fire through my veins.

He knew I needed more.

“Yes!” It’s a squeal, a breathless scream. “Yes, Jay—”

“Daisy.” His voice is deeper than usual, anguished and enraptured all at once. He leans into the rhythm, driving me closer to the peak.

My eyes fly open.

“Gatsby,” I breathe, and then the avalanche comes, cascading along my nerves, glittering white. It rips me apart and heals me again, and I let myself shriek aloud with the joy of it, the utter relief of being finally his—all his, in all the ways. My pussy throbs around Jay’s cock, and he gives a harsh, deep groan as he follows me in a pulsing release.

He collapses forward, arms braced on either side of me, and I have the delight of watching his knitted brows loosen, his taut features relax as his orgasm fades. His lashes blink apart, and he looks at me, perfect joy in his eyes.

We belong to each other. There is no truth more foundational than that for us.

We stay like that for a long moment, bodies locked tight, our gazes threaded together. Breathing. Blissful.

And then a mosquito dodges between our faces with a strident whine.

Jay bats it away. “Damn bloodsucker.”

I giggle, cupping my fingers over my mouth. “God, Jay. Did we just have sex in your garden, like a couple of your horny party guests?”

“I guess we did.” He chuckles and eases himself out of me. I lie there, limp and sated, savoring the warmth he leaves behind. Admiring the lean lines of his body as he stands up. Grinning when he sways a little, almost losing his balance.

“Damn.” He glances down at me, wonder and joy in his gaze. “That was unbelievably good.”

“No kidding.” I release a satisfied sigh—which is interrupted by the whine of another mosquito. “We really should put some clothes on and get away from these bugs.”

“Hang tight, I’ll get our things.”

I stand up, brushing bits of grass from my backside. When Jay returns, I slip on the maxi dress, which thankfully is tight enough to stay up without the straps, as long as I don’t move around too much.

“Damn, I need my own clothes.” I hitch the dress higher. “Much as I’d love to stay… I think I need to go home. I’ve spent one night away already, and texts can only hold my mother off for so long before she worries enough to hop in the car and drive over here.”