Tough Love

His hand over hers kept her grip snug.

“Fuck,” he whispered, his eyes closed and his jaw clenching. Now that she understood how he wanted it, he flattened both palms on the wall at either side of her head.

She loved watching his face, the contraction of small muscles that signaled nearly painful pleasure. His posture gave her easy access to kiss his throat and jaw. She nibbled, licked, sucked on his hot skin—all the while working him firmly with her hand.

Cheekbones flushed, he turned his face against her, rubbing his nose over her hair, growling softly, trembling a little.

She brought her thumb up over the head—and his breath caught. “That’s enough.” Quickly he freed himself.

The sudden halt surprised her. “But—”

“Sorry, darlin’. I can’t take any more.”

She tried a pout, but that only made him smile with heated wickedness.

“Arms up,” he said, seconds before he whisked her shirt up and over her head. Now in a rush, he gathered her close and kissed her breasts, drew on her nipples. Wherever his mouth wasn’t, his hands were. She realized he’d opened her jeans when he easily slid both hands, fingers spread, into the back, covering her tush.

She automatically arched into him.

“Yeah,” he murmured in approval. “Damn, you have a sweet ass.”

She wiggled, loving the sensation of moving against his body.

“Nice.” He shoved the jeans and panties down to her knees, then scooped her up and took the two long strides necessary to reach her rumpled bed.

He laid her down, then whisked away her jeans and panties. Keeping his gaze on her body, he shed his own jeans before putting two condoms on the nightstand.

Vanity realized in that moment that she wanted this to be different. For her and for him. What better way to make it more memorable than to give him something she hadn’t given to anyone else?

He came down over her, kissing her hotly, all that bare flesh accessible to her hands, her thighs, her belly. She arched against him to feel more, lifted her thigh along his hip, and he pressed her legs open.

Knowing what he would do, she whimpered softly, and oh, God, when his fingers moved hotly over her, and then in her, it was even more electrifying than she remembered.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered against her cheek, “but I can’t go slow. Not this time.” He started to move away, to get a condom, she knew.

“Stack, wait.”

Breathing heavily, moving his hand to her breast, he admitted, “Not sure I can.”

She nodded to acknowledge that. “Do you trust me?” Please, say yes.

Instead he said, “Maybe.” Then kissed her again. “About what?”

An idea that felt so right in her mind, also felt very daring to say aloud. She moved a hand up his arm, over his thick shoulder. Mustering her courage, she met his gaze. “Going bareback.”

He stilled, groaned, squeezed his eyes shut. “Good as that sounds, darlin’, I never leave anything to chance.”

“You wouldn’t be,” she rushed to assure him. “Because neither do I. I know you’re healthy as a horse. And I promise I’m covered.”

“Covered?”

“I won’t get pregnant. I get the shot every three months like clockwork, I promise. I’m every bit as healthy as you are. And I sooo want to feel you and only you—I’ve been torturing myself about that since I first propositioned you.”

His thumb moved over her nipple. “Yeah.”

What he did, how absorbed he looked doing it, made it hard for her to focus. “You’ve been tortured, too?”

“You have no idea.” He lightly rolled her nipple. “But the reality of you is far better than anything I could have dreamed up.”

Now, see, how could she not love him?

“Stack.” Holding his gaze, she drew him back to her, opening her legs so he could naturally settle between them. Locking her arms around his neck, she whispered, “Please, Stack.”

He wanted to, she could tell, yet he fought it.

“Never, before right now with you, have I asked any man to skip the rubber. I swear it. You’d be the first—”

His mouth took the rest of her words, voracious and demanding. Without breaking the kiss he reached between their bodies. His fingers briefly explored her, petting, teasing, opening her...and she felt the head of his erection nudging against her.

She squeezed him tighter.

Lifting his head, his gaze fixed on her every small reaction, Stack eased in.

Moaning softly, she wrapped her legs around him, spurred him with her heels—and he broke, taking her in one powerful thrust.