His body hurt from the force of his release, as though he'd been wound so tight he'd finally snapped instead of relaxing. Of course he'd taken himself in hand over the past months, but only often enough to keep from exploding.

He drew them both over to their sides, rubbed the back of his wrist against his forehead to wipe away the sweat. "Fuck, baby, I needed you," he said, trying to be normal for her sake.

But no sooner had he looked at her again, thrown his leg over her to pull her close, than he shattered into a thousand pieces. "Needed you so much, for so long Z. Missed you so much. Everything was wrong without you."

He'd told Vax he just wanted to cry in her skirts, but he'd thought he'd been exaggerating. Fuck. "Sorry," he muttered, and buried his face in her hair.