He eased her back until she was lying against the pillows, and she waited for him to stop, to tell her that they’d gone far enough for tonight. But she didn’t want him to. She wanted him to keep going. She wanted him to touch her, to kiss her, to explore her. Her body ached for it. She reached for him, clinging so tightly that her fingers hurt. Everything inside of her hurt.

Jay settled over her, covering her with his body, reacting to her. Violet wrapped her legs around him, pulling his hips closer, telling him with her every movement that she wanted him, that she wanted this. Now.

“Are you sure?” Jay asked into the warm breath between them, barely lifting his mouth from hers.

She nodded, but when she tried to speak, her voice trembled. She hoped he didn’t read it wrong. “Of course I am.” She was nervous and terrified and thrilled all at the same time.

He smiled against her mouth, still kissing her, and she melted into him, unable to stop her heart from thundering.

He reached around for his wallet. “I have a condom.” His voice was rough.

Violet smiled. She’d been waiting for this moment for far too long not to be prepared, but she was happy to hear that he’d been considering it seriously also. “Me too,” she told him, reaching into her nightstand drawer and pulling out a handful of them. “I knew you’d give in.”

He groaned, his lips moving to her neck as he tugged at his shirt and pulled it over his head.

Violet thought he was beautiful. He was right for her; he always had been.

And as he slowly slid her shirt up, his fingertips stroking her bare skin and making goose bumps prickle in the wake of his touch, she wondered why it had taken them so long to get to this place.

Nothing had changed in that moment when Violet and Jay had finally decided to have sex. Nothing—and everything.

Violet was amazed by what they’d done. Amazed that they’d shared themselves with each other, like that. It was wonderful, and beautiful, and not anything that Violet had expected it to be.

The pain had been more intense than she could have imagined, and she’d done her best not to cry out. But, of course, Jay had noticed as her body tensed, and then she shuddered. Tears dampened her lashes, yet she’d refused to let them fall.

Jay had insisted that they stop, but Violet wouldn’t let him. Instead they’d waited, with Jay holding her, stroking her hair, her shoulders, her face, until the pain subsided, becoming something . . . less.

Later, when she was lying in his arms, she shuddered again.

Jay hugged her tight. “What’s wrong? You’re not sorry, are you?” The tenderness of his words made her heart twist.

“Of course not. How could I be sorry for that?”

He kissed her eyes, gently. “Then why are you shivering? I didn’t mean to hurt you, Vi.”

She shook her head, clumsily bumping his chin. “I don’t know why.” She ran her fingertips over his arm, memorizing the feel of his coarse hairs, his skin, the muscles beneath it all. “It’s just . . . it’s a lot. You know?”

Jay smiled. It was a satisfied smile. “Yeah.” He leaned back and pulled her to him, tucking her against his shoulder. “It was a lot. A really good lot.”

She wanted to shove him, to banter, to play, but she was too exhausted.

When Jay finally got up to leave, Violet leaned up on her elbow and watched as he buttoned his jeans. She wished they could stay like that—together—for longer. Forever.

She already missed the feel of him beside her, and the scent of him around her. She sat up to give him back the T-shirt she was wearing.

His lazy smile was far too beautiful to be real. “Keep it,” he insisted. “I like it better on you anyway.” The way he stared at her made her stomach flip. It was a look brimming with tenderness. They were a part of something more now; they belonged to each other.

He tugged his hoodie over his bare chest, and then he leaned down to kiss her one last time, his lips lingering.

His thumb traced the line of her cheek. “I love you, Violet Marie. I’ll always love you.”

And then he left.

And, once again, Violet slept deeply, soundly, wrapped in Jay’s shirt.

He was the perfect remedy to all her worries.

Jay had to work the next day, but he called frequently. Checking in to make sure Violet was feeling all right, that she hadn’t changed her mind about their decision, and that she missed him. Violet called him just to hear the sound of his voice. And to make unfairly suggestive comments, taunting him across the phone lines.

Violet loved this new game. Jay would groan uncomfortably from the other end, but he never cut her off.

Violet continued to ignore all of the calls that weren’t from Jay. Not just the ones from the anonymous caller but also those from Sara Priest.

Sara had left another voice mail for Violet, and even though she was no longer calling from the FBI field offices, Violet felt no less threatened by the subject matter. She just wasn’t ready to deal with that part of her life, especially while she was still getting used to this new twist in her relationship with Jay.

But by afternoon, Violet was lonely and bored. She sat in her bedroom, trying to concentrate on her homework, as memories of their night together continued to distract her. She could practically feel Jay’s skin against hers, his lips glancing over her body in previously undiscovered locations. Even thinking about it made her feel flushed and dizzy.

She couldn’t stop herself from stealing a look out her bedroom window. The wind was blowing, harder than before, and the tall trees around her house rocked, thrashed about by the strong gusts.