"Then come to the bedroom," he said, his breathing as out of control as I felt.

"No. I can't wait." I reached for my sundress and jerked it over my head. I started to push down my panties and Woods let out a growl and took over. His hands covered mine and he pulled them down, and then he ran his hands over my bottom and pressed kisses to the insides of my thighs. "Get inside me," I begged. I wanted all the sweet kisses and I wanted to taste him, too, but right now I needed to be full of Woods.

"Fuck," he groaned, and stood up, turning me around to face the wall. "You make me crazy, Della. I was gonna be romantic. You deserve romantic."

"I want you to f**k me hard. Fill me up and remind me that I'm yours," I begged.

Woods's body shuddered behind me just before he grabbed my hips and entered me with a yell.

"God, yes! So tight. So hot. This is mine," he said as he stopped and caressed my butt, then slapped it hard one time. "Mine. All this is mine."

"Yes, it's yours," I told him, and pressed back against him.

He let out another animalistic grunt and began moving in and out of me. With each thrust I climbed closer to the release I knew would fill me with completion.

"No one touches my pu**y. This is my pu**y, Della," he said in a growl before slipping his hand around me and running his fingers over my clit.

I went off like a rocket from his touch. "Yes! That's it, baby, come on my dick. That's my girl." His words made me wilder. I bucked against him and begged him to keep f**king me.

My words caused his body to pause, then jerk again as he began chanting my name over and over. Each tremor through his body made me tingle.

"My Della," he whispered as he rested his head on my back. I moved so that he came out of me, then I turned around and pulled him into my arms.

"Always your Della," I told him.

He held me tighter and we stood there as our bodies hummed our pleasure and our hearts healed.

Woods

My welcome-home for Della hadn't gone off in the way I had planned. I hadn't meant to take her in the foyer against the damn wall like a madman. But she'd been saying things that made me lose it. She wanted to be f**ked and my body wanted to give her what she was asking for.

That hadn't been the plan. But I'd needed it. I had needed to hear her say she was mine. The thought of Tripp riding that damn bike while sitting between her legs ate me alive. I hated it. I wanted to remind her who belonged between her legs. Only me.

The idea that she believed I could be with anyone else still blew my mind. If she didn't know how completely I loved her, then that was my fault. I had failed her. I would fix that.

After I dressed her I brought her into the dining room. Jimmy had brought the staff over and set up a table complete with a linen tablecloth, candlelight, and roses. He had also brought the meal. It was Della's favorite special that we offered at the club. I watched as she took in the room. I had an Erick Baker playlist playing low over the sound system. She shifted her gaze over to mine and smiled at me shyly.

"This is beautiful."

"You were coming home. I wanted it to be special." I didn't mean to f**k you against the wall before you could even completely get in the house. Although I didn't say it aloud, her blush made me think she knew what I was thinking.

She turned and then stopped. She had seen the picture. The one Bethy had taken of us at the beach one afternoon. We had been lost in each other and hadn't noticed that Bethy was taking our picture. I had been sitting on the sand and Della had been straddling me, facing me. Our gazes were locked, and even in the photograph you could see the way we felt. There was no question as to how much I adored her in that moment.

"You had it framed," Della said, staring at it. I walked over and turned the dimmer on the lights up so she could see it better.

"Yeah, I did."

"I love that picture," she said, glancing back at me.

"Me too."

She turned around and looked at me. "That girl in the photo was scared. Of her past and her future. She was scared to love you. That's not me. I'm not scared anymore. My past is what made me who I am. My future . . . as long as I get to spend it with you, then I can't wait to live it. I'm going to be okay, Woods. I'm not going to . . . snap. I have a lot to tell you."

I already knew but I wanted to hear her tell me. I wanted to know her thoughts. I knew she'd met with both her birth parents, and I wanted to hear all about that.

I walked over to her and reached out and took her hand. "I always knew you would be okay. I was with you. I would never leave you. I was here to be strong when you were weak."

"And I love you for that. But I want to be the strong one sometimes. I don't always want to be the weak one."

"I just want you. In whatever way I can have you. But I'm glad you're happy. I'm glad you feel strong. I want you to be happy with yourself. Because you make my life amazing."

She sniffled and then smiled. "We need to eat. I'm fighting the urge to force you to make love to me again or cry because that was so sweet."

I tugged her hand and brought her to my side. "Baby, if you want me inside you again you just crook your finger. This food can wait," I told her before pressing a kiss to her lips.

"I want you inside me again," she said.

I was at least getting her to my bedroom this time. I had plans in there.

I pulled her behind me to the bedroom and opened the door, then stood back and let her walk inside.