The Day He Came Back

“Nothing that’s worth it ever is,” he said. “If you want to take this slow, that’s okay with me. But I’m going to go on the record saying it’s not necessary for me to test the waters with you.”

I didn’t want to take it slow. I wanted to jump in head first and give him everything I’d been holding all these years.

But had he given this decision the thought it deserved? Maybe the real problem was me, my ingrained fear that I was somehow undeserving of him. Whatever it was, my worried mind could not be tamed.

He held out his hand. “Come here. I want to show you something.”

Gavin led me into his bedroom. The wall behind his bed had the same exposed brick as the rest of the place. Another wall had a large, built-in bookshelf. This room was saturated in his masculine scent.

I sat on the bed and watched as he opened a wooden cigar humidor on his bureau. He took out something small. My heart pounded.

He walked over to me and held out his palm, revealing a tiny sticker. “Do you recognize this?”

I took it. Upon closer inspection, I realized it said Chiquita.

Oh my God. It was the sticker that had fallen off the bananas the day we first met. I distinctly remembered him taking it off me and placing it on the top of his hand. He’d walked away with it, but never in a million years would I have imagined he’d kept it all this time.

“I can’t believe you still have that.”

“The moment we met, you knocked me on my ass. I knew there was something there. I could never bear to part with any piece of you, even this little sticker. And that marked the beginning of never really being able to let you go. You’re not just some girl. You’re the girl. And if I was with anyone else, it was only because I believed I couldn’t have you. I will give you as much time as you need. But I want you. Only you. Not tomorrow—right fucking now, Raven. I don’t need time. I need you back.”

Deep in his eyes, I saw the truth. Did love really need justification? It had nothing to do with stability or distance. It was nonsensical. He’d kept the sticker. He’d named the robot after me. Through the years, Gavin’s love for me had been unwavering, unchanged by life’s circumstances. It was unconditional, just like my love for him. This was all I needed. I wasn’t going to look back anymore.CHAPTER THIRTY* * *GAVINThe last month had been hell, but getting to this point made it all worthwhile. I’d really tried hard not to overwhelm Raven with the intense need I was feeling. But I was going to explode if I couldn’t be inside of her tonight.

I knelt at the foot of my bed where she sat and stared into her eyes. I couldn’t believe she was here in London. A decade was gone, but she was still my dream girl. That beautiful long, black hair that framed her porcelain skin. That button nose. Those big, green eyes. That beautiful soul. The girl who always saw me for me. My Raven. Ten years ago, I’d been willing to give up everything. That still held true today. I had given up my life as I knew it for her. And I’d do it again.

She reached for me and ran her fingers through my hair. I always loved when she did that. It made everything right in the world.

Closing my eyes, I relished her touch. I could feel the stress of the past few weeks melting away. As much as I wanted to control this, I had to let her take the lead, because I couldn’t trust myself not to move too fast. Over the years we’d been apart, I’d fantasized about her more than what would be considered normal for an ex. Between this excitement and the fact that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had sex, my body was way too eager.

She pulled me toward her, and I collapsed against her chest. My dick was so hard it hurt, my need for her painfully obvious.

Pressing my erection against her, I said, “You still want to take it slow?”

“No. Please, I need you.”

Thank fuck.

I inhaled the sweet scent of her skin and kissed along her neck. Her body tensed as I lowered my mouth to her breasts. I hoped she wasn’t feeling self-conscious about her implants. If she only knew how damn much I wanted her right now. It took everything in me not to come just being pressed against her body.

“Can I take your shirt off?”

She hesitated, then whispered, “Yes.”

I lifted it off and unclasped her bra. Her breasts were like two perfectly round globes. While rounder and firmer and different than the way her natural, pear-shaped breasts had hung, they were gorgeous. She was gorgeous. I would have loved every inch of her without breasts at all. I could tell she was uncomfortable from the way her body stiffened again.