While I’m busy getting breakfast ready, I try to think of something Alex and I can do to ease the tension between us. She knows more about me than anyone, but being apart for so long, and the things that happened between us, caused an unnecessary distance. I have a sculpture that needs to be finished today, and I remember her mentioning that she wanted to watch me sometime. Maybe we can set a space up for her to paint while we’re there so it can be a place we go together when we need to escape reality.

I prepare every breakfast item I can with the ingredients I have in the apartment and place them on the table before she walks out of the bedroom. She looks beautiful in a black tank top and jeans as she walks towards me. When she’s about to sit in the chair, I pull her toward me and sit her on my lap, burying my nose in her hair to smell her apple-scented shampoo.

“Come on, I’m hungry,” she laughs, trying to wiggle out of my grasp.

I let her go. “I’m only letting you go because you need to eat,” I say, putting extra emphasis on the last few words.

She leans down to kiss me before taking her seat. “I appreciate that.”

For a few minutes we sit in silence, enjoying eggs, pancakes and bacon. I would be content just to sit and watch her for the rest of my life; even the way she eats is sexy. The last couple months I’ve spent most of my time alone. I quit going to most of my classes, I didn’t go out at night unless I had to work, and if I did go out, it was to sculpt in the studio. My best friend, Tyler, left for a project overseas and won’t be back until October, and besides a few calls from my mom, I’ve had little contact with the outside world.

Being alone gave me lots of time to think. I thought a lot about where I’d been, and where I wanted to go. I struggled for years, but eventually stopped with the excuses for why I should continue to live my life the way I was and turned everything around. I’m not going to lie and say I’ve been perfect since; I haven’t. Forgiveness and second chances are the two things that saved me. I had to give Alex the same. She deserved a second chance.

“It’s kind of weird not seeing Jade today,” she says, shoving her half empty plate forward.

“Where did you say she was going?”

I’m glad she has Jade. I don’t know where she’d be without her.

“The Hamptons. She needs to clear her head and thought a summer away from the city would do the trick.”

“Why would she need to clear her head?”

Alex looks at me like I’ve grown another head. I obviously haven’t hung out with Jade since Alex and I broke up, but she doesn’t seem like the type of girl to get too worked up over anything.

“Tyler left for six months,” she says, her eyes growing larger with every word. She isn’t telling me anything I don’t know. He’s my best friend, and I miss him, but guys aren’t quite as dependent as girls. We don’t talk every day and I’m fine with that.

“Yeah, he’s gone for work. So what?”

“Are you kidding me? Jade’s practically in love with him, even if she won’t admit it. He pretty much said, “See you later,” and left. He doesn’t call her. It’s like she’s going through a breakup, but it’s weird because they were never officially in a relationship. Sometimes I can’t believe that guy is your best friend,” she sighs. She’s tapping her fingers on the table, and I can tell she’s frustrated with me. I get it. I would be upset if Alex left me like that, but I would never date Tyler. The guy is a great friend, but that’s about where his relationship qualifications end.

“I’m sorry, but if it makes you feel better, this is the longest I’ve ever seen him hang around the same girl. Maybe the break will do them some good,” I say, reaching across the table to grab her hand and stop her tapping fingers. “Hey, do you want to do something fun today? I have a sculpture due to the hotel later this week, and I was wondering if you wanted to watch me finish it?”

Her face lights up instantly. “I thought you would never ask. Can we start now?”

“Let me get breakfast cleaned up, and then we can go to the studio.”

“Studio?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I rented some studio space so that I could work on my sculptures. It’s nothing much, but it gives me enough storage space for all my things,” I reply, carrying our dishes to the sink.

“Here, let me help you with that,” she says, trying to grab a plate out of my hand. I shake my head and continue to clean up. It’s suddenly quiet between us again as she sits on the counter watching me clean and put away dishes. I don’t know what happened, but I can’t wait to get her out of the apartment and work off some of this tension. Maybe she’s realizing that even though things between us feel the same, our lives have changed over the last two months. I feel like I’ve grown up, and I can tell she’s matured a lot too. We just need to grow into each other now.

“Ready to go?” I ask as I place the last dish in the cupboard.

“More than ready,” she replies, jumping off the counter. Maybe I should tell her how we’re going to get there, but then again, it might be more fun to surprise her.

Chapter Three

“I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” I say as he walks me over to his motorcycle. I asked about calling a cab as soon as we exited the building, but he waved my attention toward his bike. Suddenly I feel nauseous. I’m not a motorcycle type girl. There is no way I can get on that thing and live to tell about it.

I’m in full out panic mode when we stop next to it. Dane looks down at me, and I immediately close my eyes and take a deep breath. I want to be able to do this, but I don’t know that I can. “Do you trust me?” he asks, pulling me in close to his body.

I open my eyes, startled by the question. “Of course, I trust you.”

“Then put your helmet on and get on the bike.” Even when he’s bossy, he’s sexy. Things got a little awkward between us this morning, and I know we need this time together to begin to mend all the broken pieces together. I grab the helmet from him and try to fasten it below my chin when I hear him laughing in front of me.

“What?” I ask, not seeing the humor in me putting on a helmet.

“Baby, you’re putting that on backwards.” Seriously. I wonder if it is too late to talk him into a cab. “Here, let me help you.” He lifts the helmet up from my head and turns it around, quickly fastening the strap below my chin. “See, all better.” I can’t help the smile that plays on my lips as I take in his happy expression. I guess I can do this for him.

He jumps on the bike first and I sit right behind him, gripping him tightly around his waist. I feel my whole body shaking before he even starts the bike. I’m not used to taking risks, but I’m learning that with every one I take, I learn a little more about myself. I’ve already learned I’m stronger and more capable than anyone ever gave me credit for, but I know there is so much more to take away from life.

Dane starts the bike, and I grip him even tighter until he grabs my hand in an attempt to get some breathing room. I try to relax into him, but it’s hard at first. I feel the wind whipping through the hair that hangs from the back of my helmet, and I slowly start to relax.

I can feel the warm, humid air blowing on my face as we weave our way in and out of traffic. I half expected him to jump the curb and take a ride on the sidewalk, but he keeps a steady pace, calming my fears. By the time we pull along side the curb, my body is completely relaxed and I sort of understand the obsession with motorcycles. There’s something freeing about traveling down the city streets without a roof over your head. I’m not ready for a cross-country trip by any means, but I wouldn’t mind another ride on the bike in the very near future.

The building we stop in front of is an older brick warehouse in a rundown neighborhood. The area is a popular spot for art galleries and hosts a show almost every weekend. “You’re the first person I’ve let in my studio,” Dane says, pulling my helmet off my head. The wind carries the scent of him towards me and all of a sudden I want nothing more than to kiss him. Now that he’s back in my life, my lips want to take full advantage of his. I can’t take my eyes away from his mouth. “Alex.”

“Hmm.” I don’t look up; my eyes are still stuck on his lips like glue.

He steps toward me, wrapping his arms around my waist. “Is there something you want? All you’ve got to do is tell me, baby.”

I lean forward, close enough I can feel his breath on my lips. “Let’s go inside,” I whisper, finally locking my eyes with his.

I step back as he licks his lips, never breaking eye contact with me. He doesn’t say anything; he simply grabs my hand and buzzes us into the building. My heart is racing, and I feel a need so deep that only he can touch it. He is the only person who has ever been buried himself so deep in me that he’s seen everything.

I don’t remember going up the stairs to whatever floor we’re on, and I don’t remember him unlocking the door, but as soon as we’re in and the door is shut, my back is against it and his warm lips are all over me. My neck and lips tingle as he moves back and forth between them. I grip the front of his shirt to bring him as close to me as possible. The heat from his body mixed with the heat from mine magnifies the tension between us. “Wrap your legs around me,” he growls as his mouth moves back down my neck. I don’t question; I just do it.

He walks us to the corner of the room where a simple wooden desk sits, and it’s not long before I’m on my back, pressed against the cold wood and he’s hovering over me, lifting up my shirt and kissing down my stomach. Time stands still, and all I can think about is the feel of his skin on mine and the feel of his hair between my fingers. I don’t know how long it will take to make up for all the time we’ve lost…a part of me thinks I’ll never get enough.

Dane quickly removes his jeans before taking mine off to join his on the floor. For a few moments, he stands there drinking in my body. “You’re so f**king beautiful,” he says. He begins kissing the inside of my thigh, making my breathing speed up as his lips move higher. Right before he reaches the place where I want to feel his mouth the most, he stops. I want to beg him to keep going, but when I look up he’s looking down at me with a huge grin on his face. “Do you know how sexy you are when you want me? It’s written all over your face.”