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  “You certainly got your share and then some.” She ran her tongue slowly over her bottom lip, making him even harder.

  “The better to fill you with.” He chuckled.

  Shoes and socks were next for him, the high heels for her. They stood, naked, staring at each other, and their breathing in the room sounded like the rasp of leather on steel. Then he couldn’t stand it a moment longer. He swept her up in his arms, carried her to the bed, where he drew the covers back and settled her on the crisp cotton sheets he’d taken the time to change earlier in the day.

  He came down beside her, pulling her against him, feeling her naked body against his. He skimmed his hand down the line of her back and over the curve of her ass, squeezing each globe gently. When he ventured just the tips of his fingers in the hot crease between them, she gave an erotic little moan and pressed herself against him.

  Jesus!

  He wanted to fuck her there so badly his balls actually hurt. He had to remind himself again to go slow. Test the waters. He settled for just sliding his fingers up and down in the heated crevasse, dreaming of what it would feel like when his cock pressed for entrance to her tight opening.

  He started with her mouth, taking it in a devouring kiss and she welcomed his tongue, offering her own in a sensual dance of thrust and retreat. When he broke the kiss, he moved back to her neck again, pausing at the hollow of her throat to suck at the pulse pounding beneath the delicate skin.

  She squirmed against him, doing her own exploring with her warm hands and nimble fingers. She wriggled them between their bodies, tracing the line of his shoulders down over his chest, skimming her palms over the mat of chest hair. When she raked her nails over his nipples, he shuddered and his cock flexed.

  “Mmm,” she hummed against his shoulder.

  He was humming himself as he trailed his tongue down the valley between her breasts before swirling it around first one nipple, then the other. Was it possible they hardened even more at his touch? He nipped each one lightly, and pleased with the little erotic sounds she made, bit each one a little harder.

  Reminding himself to take things slow, he wrapped his fingers around her wrists and tugged her hands over her head, holding them there while he ravished her breasts. His cock tightened against the softness of her tummy, a tummy he took his time kissing and licking his way over, tasting every inch of skin. He drew a line with his tongue through the crease where hip and thigh joined. She shifted beneath his grip, arching herself up to him.

  God, she tasted so sweet. He couldn’t wait to get to the heart of her. To fill his mouth with her juices. It was torture to move slowly, but he wanted to build her desire slowly, ramp up her need to where she craved him as much as he did her.

  He urged her onto her back and positioned himself between her thighs, spreading them with his shoulders. He could smell her musk, the scent teasing at his nostrils. Inching himself down a little more, he pressed her labia open with his thumbs and sucked in his breath at the sight of her deliciously tempting pussy, all pink and wet.

  “Just like I said.” His voice was so gravelly with need he didn’t recognize it. “Slick. In a lot of ways.”

  With the tip of his tongue, he traced a line down one side and up the other, pausing briefly to rim the opening of her channel.

  “Ohh.” The soft whimper came out on a whisper of breath.

  Joe’s cock was hard and pulsing, demanding he pay attention to it. Not now. He wanted a lot more of delectable Shay Beckham before he was actually inside her.

  Closing his lips around her engorged clit, he sucked hard as he slid two fingers inside her. She clamped her legs around his neck, pulling him in tighter, making little sounds of pleasure. The harder he sucked, the more he slid his fingers in and out, the tighter her legs gripped him. She grabbed his hair with her slender fingers, pulling tightly on it as if she could just hold him in place that way.

  She tasted far better than the wine they’d shared at dinner, better than any drink he’d ever had, a delectable combination of sweet and tart he could feast on forever. The harder he sucked her little bundle of nerves, the more she arched into him. He added a third finger to the other two, her wet walls clasping him. Adjusting his fingers, he curved them slightly to hit the sweet spot tucked inside her channel. As he did, he bit down on her swollen nub of flesh and she rocketed into her climax.

  He sucked and thrust, fucking her with his mouth and his hand, and rode her through the spasms, not letting up until she lay limp and quivering. “Watch me,” he told her.

  Her eyes opened slowly, as if the lids were weighted down. He slipped his hand from her wet flesh and carefully licked every finger. Then he captured the remaining drops on his lips.

  “Best I ever tasted,” he told her, his voice low and rough with need.

  Before changing position, he coated his fingers with her cream again and slid them down into the crease between her buttocks.

  “Keep this in mind, darlin’. One of these days I’m going to take you here and make you mine in more ways than you ever thought possible.”

  He reached into the nightstand to grab one of the condoms he’d stashed there ahead of time. He really wanted to slide his cock into her mouth, see those kiss-swollen lips wrapped around it. Come with her sucking him as hard as she could. Just the thought of it pushed him close to the edge. That was why he’d have to wait. Because if he didn’t get inside Shay right now, he’d be in big trouble.

  His hands shook as he rolled the latex on, the action made more difficult by how engorged his dick was. Then he was ready. He braced himself over her and put his face close to hers.

  “I can’t hold out any longer, Shay. I’m at the end of my tether here. I have to be inside you right now. Okay?”

  She nodded, excitement dancing in her eyes. “Yes. I want you. Now.”

  He lifted her legs and positioned them over his shoulders to give him better access to her slick cunt and nudged the head of his shaft at her opening, his eyes on her all the time. Even with her recent climax she was tight, so he took his time. Inch by inch he worked his way inside her hot sheath, pausing now and then to give her time to adjust. The pulse at her throat beat harder and her breath came in uneven gasps.

  Then he was in. Oh, sweet Jesus. He closed his eyes, determined to hold onto his control as long as he could, but the feel of her hot flesh around him nearly sent him right over the edge. Despite all the sex he’d enjoyed these past years, he’d never felt like this before. It was almost a religious experience. He didn’t want it to end, yet he wanted to fall off the cliff with her into an erotic whirlpool.

  Slowly he began an in and out glide, her tight inner grip on him making the friction almost unbearable.

  “Touch yourself,” he rasped. “Please. I’m so close. Help me get us both there together.”

  Her gaze locked with his, she slid her hand between their bodies until she found her clit and moved her hand in rhythm with his plunges.

  “Yeah, that’s it. Oh, God, you feel so fucking good. Yeah, yeah, like that.”

  He watched her carefully and when he saw the signs she was almost at her peak, he drove into her once, twice, three more times and they exploded together. His entire body shuddered with the force of his orgasm and his cock emptied in thick spurts into the latex sheath. The walls of her pussy milked him until he had nothing left and collapsed forward, catching himself on his forearms to keep from crushing her with his weight.

  He didn’t know if it was her heart pounding or his he felt, her seesaw breathing or his own. He only knew he’d never experienced a climax this intense and all consuming in his entire life. He rolled to the side, still firmly inside her, and pulled her to him with his arms wrapped around her. Sweat slicked their skin as they struggled to come down from the erotic high.

  Finally he inched himself from her body, padded to the bathroom to dispose of the condom, and made his way back to bed, lying down next to her.

  “I know we should shower,” he murmur
ed as he pulled her back against his body. “I just don’t have the strength tonight. Okay?”

  “’S okay,” she mumbled. “Can’t move anyway.”

  “Sleep, darlin’. More good stuff in the morning.”

  She hummed her satisfaction as she spooned herself to him.

  Joe just hoped to ever-loving Jesus Christ when she woke up she didn’t have a sudden change of heart, because he had no intention of letting her go. Now if he could just convince her this was real and she could trust him.

  For that he needed sleep and the energy it would give him.

  Chapter 6

  Shay came awake slowly, aware at first of a pleasant ache throughout her body, of soreness in interesting places. Maybe it was from the dream. She’d dreamt about hot, stupefying, incredible sex with Joe Reilly. She smiled as she shifted position. That’s when she realized there was a man in bed with her. She reached behind her and touched a muscular thigh. Yes, a man. No doubt about it. Curled next to her, a hand resting on her hip. Joe Reilly’s hand!

  And there it was, exploding back to her. The previous night. The dinner. The sexual tension she’d felt building throughout the evening. The hot sex. Yes! She’d had mind-blowing sex with Joe Reilly. And not just once. As her brain began to function, she remembered he’d woken her during the night to take her twice more, each time unbelievably more intense and impossibly more amazing than the others.

  Oh. My. God. She’d actually done it.

  She knew about first morning-afters. They could go any way, and she had no idea what Joe’s reaction was going to be. Would he regret it? Be embarrassed? Worse yet, be flippant about it? The trick was to manage expectations. For a brief moment, panic surged through her, sudden and fierce, gripping her in its ugly fist.

  Stop this!

  She’d gone into this knowing exactly what might happen, and she didn’t regret one minute of it. If she never had anything else with Joe, last night would keep her dreams fed for a very long time. If she wondered how he’d polished all those skills, well, maybe she should be grateful to all those women who helped make him such an incredible lover.

  The question was, now what? How was she supposed to act with him? If he wanted cool and sophisticated, no clinging or endearments, she could definitely do that. She’d made up her mind, right?

  Holy shit, Shay. Time to get her freaking act together and stop behaving like a teenager. Last night had been great. Joe was great. She was great and she needed to enjoy the residual afterglow.

  She did her deep breathing thing and sent her brain a message to quit running around like a maniac. Even to herself she sounded like an idiot. She was an adult, in an adult situation. Joe had basically asked for a chance to show her he’d changed. How he felt. And she’d agreed to it, like the adult she was supposed to be. Which was exactly what she should do because this was Joe Reilly. If she had a real chance with him, she didn’t want to do something stupid and blow it. Fine. She’d shower, wash the cobwebs out of her mind as she soaped her body, and see where they went from here.

  Moving very carefully, she folded back the edge of the rumpled covers so she could ease out of bed. Suddenly the hand on her hip moved and Joe wrapped his strong arm around her to band her against the rest of his gorgeous naked male body. Naked! And obviously aroused.

  “I hope you don’t think you can sneak out of here and pretend like nothing happened between us, Slick.” Joe’s voice was gravelly with the edges of sleep. “Because that’s not happening.”

  Shay wondered if he intended to have sex again this morning before they got out of bed. Before they even had coffee? She wanted to kick-start her brain but his morning woody was poking into the crease of her ass and his thumb and forefinger were lightly pinching her nipple. She could feel her own body responding already.

  “Um, listen, Joe.”

  He slipped his hand up to cup a breast, sending prickles of sensation skittering through her.

  He shifted and put his mouth close to her ear. “Uh-uh. I think you need to listen.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, darlin’. I have some things to say, and I guess I have to get to them before we get out of bed. Not even a civilized cup of coffee. So you’re going to lie here and listen. You with me?”

  Slowly she nodded her head. What else could she do short of breaking his arm to get away from him? What if he decided last night was no big deal? Okay, she’d treat it the same. Protect herself. She’d enjoyed a night of stupendous sex, but it was time to get her shields ready.

  “Answer me.” His breath was a warm breeze on her ear. How was she supposed to think straight?

  “I’m with you,” she said at last.

  “Whatever is going on in that sharp brain of yours I can assure you is probably a long way from the truth of what happened.”

  “Okay, what did happen? Tell me, so I don’t make a mistake.” She closed her eyes, ready for whatever speech he intended to make.

  “Damn it, Shay.” He rolled her resisting body to face him and wrapped an arm around her to keep her in place. “Look at me. Open those gorgeous eyes and look at me. I have things to say to you.” Their faces were close enough their noses nearly touched and something dark and emotional swirled in his gorgeous eyes.

  She could hardly breathe this close to him, all their body parts touching, his cock now rigid against her mound, the soft hair on his chest tickling her breasts.

  “Okay, go ahead.” She watched his face carefully, trying to read his expression. Whatever he said, she’d never regret last night. Ever.

  His mouth curved in a slow, sexy grin and suddenly her pussy was slick with need and the pulse in her womb set up a jungle tempo.

  Hunger flared suddenly in his eyes and she saw the effort he made to bank it. “This thing between us is something special. Very special. I hope you think so, too.” He stroked his fingers down the sheet. “I don’t want to jinx anything by giving it a name yet but I know you feel it, too. I want to pursue it. And,” he continued, when she opened her mouth to say something, “I want the chance to show you I’m not the same shallow horn dog you always thought I was.”

  “With damn good reason.” She couldn’t resist pointing that out, despite her good intentions.

  “Maybe. Sort of.” His face sobered. “I’ve changed, though. A lot. And I’m going to prove it to you, if you’ll give me a chance.” He brushed a few strands of hair back from her cheek. “I know we can have something solid. I feel it. I believe it. Let’s give it a real shot, okay?”

  I love you.

  What would he say if she just blurted it out? But of course she’d never do that. She still had too many reservations. But it played in her mind like the refrain of a song. She’d never know if they had it if she wasn’t all-in.

  “Okay, here are the ground rules,” she told him. “Don’t say things you don’t mean. Don’t lie to me or make promises you have no intention of keeping. That’s the only thing I’m asking of you. Either of those would be a deal breaker.”

  “All I want is a chance with you.” He brushed her hair away from her face. “No lies. No pretense. I want to make you fall in love with the new Joe Reilly.”

  “L-love?” Did he really say that? She searched his eyes for a clue to the truth.

  “Don’t overthink it. Like I said, just let it happen. Okay?”

  The slow smile he gave her curled her toes. Damn! How was she supposed to resist him? Stay sensible?

  “Okay.”

  “Like I said, we won’t rush this.” His face sobered. “I will never, ever lie to you. That’s a promise. All I ask is a chance. Baby steps. Agreed? Can we do that?”

  Shay inhaled and blew out the breath very slowly. This was what she wanted, right? And if it all went to hell, she’d survive. But she’d never know if she didn’t take the chance. She’d been ready for just really great sex, burying her own emotions. But this? Could she really have it all with him?

  You’ve got the guts. Just go for it.


  “Well?” he urged.

  Again she searched his face for clues, saw the smile that reached his eyes, the heat blazing in them. Heard the words he spoke. And she nodded.

  “Okay. Baby steps, one at a time.” She looked hard into his eyes. “And complete honesty.”

  “Nothing but,” he agreed.

  Before she realized what was happening he rolled her beneath him and spread her legs with his.

  “Do I get my morning reward for truthfulness and good behavior?”

  Despite the mental reservations about this whole thing clinging to her brain like barnacles, she was so wet she could smell her own musk. When Joe’s eyes widened she was aware he caught the scent, too. Holy crap. It didn’t take much for her to be ready for him.

  “I don’t know about morning quickies.”

  Joe moved his hips against her, his thick shaft branding itself against her body. His mouth curved in a lazy smile even as the desire in his eyes sent its own message.

  “I want you. Right now.” He slipped a hand between them, found her cunt, and slid one finger between the lips of her pussy. “And it seems you want me just as much.” His breath was a moist breeze against her cheek, his body hard and hot. “Quick and dirty is just as much fun as slow and sultry,” he murmured before taking her mouth in a toe-curling kiss. He slid his tongue across the seam of her lips until she opened for him, then thrust it deep inside and licked every available surface.

  She couldn’t help it. She moaned, and laced her fingers through the silky strands of his thick, inky-black hair, holding his head in place. He broke the kiss and dipped his head to trail his tongue down the length of her neck, stopping to flutter his tongue over the hollow of her throat where she was sure her pulse was beating triple time. Then down to her nipples, first one then the other. The heat of his tongue made her nipples harden like diamonds and her breasts ache with the need for his touch.