[ She watches him undress with rapt attention, not bothering to be subtle about the way her eyes travel down his chest and stomach when he finally bares them. When he is within reach again, she doesn't hesitate to touch, her warm palms sliding from the tops of his shoulders down his pectorals to his ribs, slowly, almost curiously, mapping his body with single-minded focus.

The warmth sinks into her fingers, shivering through her arms. It pools low in her stomach, and she lifts her outside leg to press her inner thigh against his, where he's propped his knee on the edge of the bed between hers. ]

I want--

[ She hesitates, but something pushes her despite the uncertainty. Her face is so hot now, heart pounding like hooves at a gallop in her head. But the truth comes out anyway, whether or not she stops to figure out how best to voice it. The desire crashes through her, impossible to ignore, and she bites her lip and stifles a moan when she squeezes his thigh between hers. ]

I want to feel your mouth on me. And your hands. I want your fingers in me. I want you to kiss me again. I want--

[ Breathlessly, the words tumble over one another, her voice shaking. She wants what Julie had described, how happy she'd seemed, the way she'd described losing yourself in someone else so they'd take care of you. She wants to feel that way completely, without second-guessing afterward, without fear and desperation, without grief. ]

I want you to make me feel safe.