“Grabbing her hand, he pressed it gently to his chest. His skin was warm to the touch, and she could slightly feel his pulse pounding against her palm.“Do you feel that? I’m not going anywhere, Haven. This is yours.”

“He ran the back of his fingers along her flushed cheek. His touch was soft, and she leaned her head in his direction. “My beautiful girl,” he said.She took in his expression. “You think I’m beautiful?”“I don’t think you’re beautiful, Haven,” he said. “I know you are.”

“I’m gonna take a nap, Heaven,” he said, wanting away from her to clear his head. He didn’t like feeling uncomfortable in his house.“Haven,” she corrected him as he started to walk away.“I know,” he said. “I kinda like Heaven though.”She turned to him, and their eyes met for the first time since he’d walked into the room. “Me, too.”

“Every "I hate you" that echoed from her chest was followed by an "I love you" from his lips. Every time she begged him to let go, he told her he would be there forever.”

“His chest swelled with pride at her words. “Good, because no one touches my girl unless she wants to be touched. No woman should ever be violated. That’s something my mom made sure we understood. She said a woman’s body was a temple, and you should never enter it without an invitation. I was just a kid and didn’t understand at the time, but she stressed it so much that I remember.”

“Have you found the porn yet?”Her brow furrowed. “Porn?”“Yes, porn. You’ll know what it is when you see it.”…She aw the naked woman on the front of one of the DVD cases. She covered it up, but she wasn’t quick enough – Carmine had already spotted it. He laughed. “Told you you’d fine the porn.”She tried to shove the DVD back under his bed, but he grabbed the case and held it up in front of her. “Wanna watch it?”

“My mom always wanted a bunch of kids, but they stopped after me. I never understood why." His voice was wistful. Haven closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Maybe they realized they created perfection when they made you and didnt need anymore.”