I sigh in relief as soon as the door shuts behind our guests.

“I’ve never been so happy to have some peace and quiet.” The clock’s hands above the T.V point to midnight, meaning that I successfully kept Oakley away from Adam for a whopping six hours. It was a more difficult task than I thought it would be.

“I think I’m in a food coma.” I shift my eyes from the glimmering lights on the Christmas tree and to Oakley. He runs his fingers through my loose curls, and I let my heavy eyes fall shut.

“You wanna go to bed?” he asks gently.

“I almost forgot about your other present!” I mentally scold myself and jump up from the couch, almost tripping on the coffee table. I hurry into my room, Oakley trailing closely behind. “Where did I put it?”

Of course I would forget where I hid it.

“Are you looking for this?” Oakley asks, holding the box wrapped in Santa Claus wrapping paper. He sits on the edge of my bed and waves me over. “It was on your desk.”

His hands tear through the paper eagerly when I nod. The tissue paper crinkles as he pulls it away, revealing the Vancouver Warrior’s jersey under it.

“Flip it over,” I mumble, my voice quiet and unsteady. He carefully pulls out the jersey and turns it around. A solid two minutes pass in silence. I bite my lip and bounce my leg on the hardwood floor. “If you hate it, I can return it,” I blurt out nervously.

“Hate it? I’m trying not to cry.” Oakley’s voice cracks. “This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” He stares at the back of the jersey, his mouth agape. He runs his finger over the embroidery that reads, Jamie #11.

My heart flutters in my chest, and I blow out a massive sigh of relief. “You do? I didn’t want to upset you.”

I really didn’t. I just wanted him to have something to remind him of his dad that also reflects what he loves. My goal was to help him see that he can think of his dad’s passing in a way that isn’t all heartbreak. He can look at this jersey as a way to remember all of the good memories.

“I don’t think I could be any more in love with you even if I tried,” he says with so much conviction my heart swells, making me question whether or not it’s actually possible for one’s heart to literally burst through their chest.

“Wanna try?” I inch closer to him and wrap my leg up around his waist. I run my arms up his arms, paying extra attention to his overly large biceps.

His eyes darken and he leans in to whisper, “You’re playing a dangerous game here, Ava,” in my ear. His eyes travel up and down my torso until they come to a stop at my cleavage—then he bites his lip.

I brush my lips across his, making the pulled lip slip from his teeth. “Who doesn’t like a little danger every once in a while?”

He groans, holding me tighter. “I can’t promise I’ll be able to stop this time.”

“So don’t,” I breathe and tug his hair slightly.

He grabs my hips and puts his mouth on mine at last. I gasp, surprised by the ferocity of the kiss. His fingers dig into my hips as he nips at my bottom lip.

“Morgan’s not coming back home tonight, right?” “No. Now stop talking,” I command.

He flips us around and lays me down on my bed. Oakley positions himself over me, using his elbows to hold himself up. He grabs the hem of my shirt and pulls it over my head. My body aches for him to touch me where I need him most, but he continues to tease me.

He kisses my neck and murmurs filthy things in my ear, only irritating me more as I can feel the hardness in his jeans when he grinds against my thin panties. Growing far too annoyed by the lack of skin-on- skin contact, I grab the buckle of his belt and undo it with trembling fingers.

“You first,” he growls, swiftly pinning my wrists above my head.

He pulls my skirt down my legs and throws it somewhere on the floor. His breaths are ragged as he stares at my near-naked body, and I watch in awe as his eyes darken with clear desire.

He ducks his head to suck at the pulse point in my throat, no doubt leaving marks for me to deal with tomorrow. Amid the assault on my neck, I buck my hips as he rips my bra off. A moan escapes my lips when I feel a sudden hot, wet heat on my nipple.

He uses his other hand to finally give me what I need. I arch my back and moan again, unable to stop myself. He uses his thumb to rub small circles against my clit, and I bite my lip to stifle the moans. He slowly drags my underwear down my legs and drops them onto the floor.

With my body bared in front of him, nerves come over me in a fury. I haven’t been with anyone in a year and I can’t even imagine how many girls Oakley has been in that time.

What if I freak out? Or it’s not the same as it used to be? What if it

is? I’m not sure which thought is scarier.

Sensing my worry, he pulls himself back and cups my cheek gently. “We can stop. If not, don’t overthink it. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what you choose.” The sincerity in his tone strengthens my resolve.

I cup the back of his neck, his silky hair tickling my fingertips.

“I love you,” I breathe, our eyes locked before I bring my lips to

his.

His hand travels down to the throbbing between my legs. He

swallows my gasps when he kisses me again, more urgent this time.

With nothing left between us, his fingers find my bare skin. Another moan slips past my lips as he explores my body—bringing forward a wave of unfamiliar feelings as he does so.

My back arches at the sudden contact, and my bare breasts brush against his chest. My lips part from muscle-quivering pleasure when his finger finally slides inside me. Using his thumb to put pressure on my clit, his finger slowly pumps in and out of me

“You’re so tight,” he chokes out. The burning sensation in my abdomen builds as he continues to bring me closer to the release I so desperately need.

“Let go, baby. Let go for me.”

His words bring me over the edge. My eyes roll to the back of my head, my pleasure reverberating through the room.

“That’s my girl.”

“It’s your turn,” I giggle, beaming at him with flushed cheeks. I reach down and unbutton his jeans.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to go further than this.” I shake my head. “I want this. I promise.”

He moves off of me and steps off the bed. He takes a deep breath and pulls down his jeans and boxers. My jaw drops in shock. I’m still not used to the sheer size of him. I wrench my eyes away and look up. A cocky grin plays on his swollen lips.

He laughs breathlessly at my evident shock and retrieves a condom from his wallet. He rolls it on and positions himself on top of me. I squeeze his shoulders, practically panting in anticipation.

“If you feel uncomfortable in any way, just tell me to stop, okay?” I nod, gnawing on my lip.

He stares down at me, moving between my thighs. The tip slips in quickly and once I’ve taken all of him, I grab his biceps and squeeze tightly to ease some of the discomfort. He slides out of me and thrusts back in.

Soon, the discomfort turns into an indescribable pleasure. He’s good at this—not like I had any doubts.

He takes my hand and laces our fingers together. I’m getting close and I know he is too. His eyes meet mine and he looks at me with a burning desire that sends bolts of electricity straight to my stomach. I feel myself starting to lose control as he keeps his eyes on me.

“That’s my girl. Let go,” he coaxes, his warm forehead pressed against mine, our sweat-soaked hair rubbing together. My body goes rigid and finally, release rips through me. My vision blurs and I almost don’t make out Oakley’s expression as his release rushes through him.

Afterwards, he climbs off of the bed and heads to the bathroom to throw away the condom. He returns with a damp cloth and a crooked grin.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, beautiful.” He uses the fabric to wipe away what’s left of my release and tosses it into the laundry bin. He pulls his boxers on and tosses me his shirt from earlier. I smile at him and throw the shirt over my naked body.

Crawling back into bed, he pulls me into his side. I rest my head on his chest and intertwine my leg with his.

“You know you’re the only girl I’ve ever made love to,” Oakley says a few minutes later, breaking the comfortable silence. I lift my head to look at him with wide eyes, unconvinced. “I wasn’t a virgin, but I might as well have been. I’m glad it was you.”

I flush. “I thought what I had with David was love but now I’m not sure. I think I loved him in a way, but not like this. I was a different person back then.”

I lie back down and trace circles on his peck. He tenses, arms tightening around me.

“How did you find out?”

My jaw clenches and I squeeze my eyes shut. The forever burned image of the naked girl stretched across our bed, David sprawled on top of her fogs my mind. I suppress a shiver of disgust and shake my head.

“I caught them in bed. Well, one of them, at least. The other two names fell out of his mouth before he realized what he was saying.”

“I’m sorry,” Oakley mumbles, venom clear in his tone.

“It’s okay. It’s been a while. I just wish I wasn’t so naive.”

I know I shouldn’t blame myself for what happened, but I can’t help but feel like if I had just paid more attention I wouldn’t have been so blindsided.

He played me like a fool and I let him.

He saw me as some poor foster kid who was abandoned and just wanted to be loved. God, it burns just as much now as it did a year ago.

“Trusting your boyfriend not to cheat on you isn’t naive,” he scoffs and kisses the top of my head. “He never deserved you.”

“Thank you,” I murmur and cuddle into him. My eyes suddenly become too heavy to keep open.

“You don’t ever have to worry about that again. I promise,” he says with even more conviction than before.

His promise is the last thing I hear before the world goes black.