his lips twitched, almost into a smug grin.
I hoped he was trusting I really hadn’t been turned off by learning he’d done sex work. There was no shame in it, as far as I was concerned.
He smoothed down the blankets beside him. “I…like being told what to do. Given orders. It helps me to switch off my brain, gets me out of my anxiety and means I can relax for a minute. I like pleasing. I like being taken care of, told what to eat, what to wear, what to do… Um. In bed.”
My body was reacting while I was trying to stay present and calm. My dick hardened and my heart thundered in my chest. He really was too good to be true.
“I don’t like violence, it triggers me. Really bad.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “And I don’t like humiliation, either… I’m not into it. I can’t handle it. I guess it means I’m not a great sub—”
“Perfect.”
Everything he’d said was a tick in a box that had remained empty through my entire romantic life. I’d never met a man who’d wanted exactly what I wanted, without extra violence or cruelty.
“What?” Brax half-laughed in disbelief and searched my face with his gaze.
I looked at him in complete seriousness. “I said, you’re perfect.”
I cupped his cheek and felt him flush. He wet his lips, his eyes wide, awestruck, and beautiful. So fucking beautiful. I leaned forward toward his mouth, driven by my desire to claim him, but I pulled back just as his eyelids fluttered shut. He inhaled sharply and frowned at me, but I ran my thumb along his cheek to let him know I wasn’t going far.
“We just haven’t talked about what our first kiss meant… What we want it to mean,” I explained.
“I don’t want to talk,” he said in a rush. “I want to feel.”
He pressed his face against my hand and grabbed my naked thigh with his cool hands. I could feel his desire pulsing through his touch, and it burst through me.
I wanted to be responsible.
But fuck, he looked so beautifully needy.
“I can’t talk anymore, Ry.” His voice had a soft whine to it and my cock surged. “I promise we can talk about it all in the morning. Just…”
I inhaled sharply as he straddled my hips and clambered into my lap, certain he could feel my hard dick straining in my underwear.
“Let’s not talk right now,” he purred.
I groaned in defeat and captured his lips with my own.
13
Braxton
Sparks behind my eyelids, butterflies in my belly—a cascade of cliches hit me during the best fucking kiss of my life. Ryland slid his tongue between my lips and I grabbed his shoulders tighter to stop myself from falling over as my head rushed. I moaned, but it came out as more of a whimper. It drove Ryland deeper, his tongue dancing with mine, and his hands grabbed at my hips.
He pulled me into a tight embrace, which was lucky because I was feeling so light and twittery inside I needed something to ground me. Revealing the headlines about my past had been deeply embarrassing, but the real head spin came from how Ry had reacted. He’d seen the strength in what I’d done as a teen. Deep down, I really was proud of how resilient I’d been, too—the smart way I’d adapted to life on the streets, and how I’d gotten through it. Yeah, I had some scars on the inside and a lot to work through, but I was still here. In the arms of a man who seemed to appreciate the strength it had taken.
I’m in awe. His words echoed through me as I pushed my tongue deep into his mouth. I wanted him to know how good it had made me feel to hear him say such sweet things. He’d reminded of what I already knew— I was a fucking badass for making it through everything alive.
I loved how he made me feel. Strong. Seen. Beautiful. Adored. I wasn’t ready to jump into another relationship, nothing committed, but I wanted him. I dragged my fingernails through short hair and kissed him deeper. My cool-blooded body was getting hot under his touch. I wanted to burn.
I wriggled on his lap, and a sudden rush shot through my belly. His cock pressed against the cleft of my ass. Thick. Very fucking thick. I realized I was holding my breath as excited tingles burst through me and my own dick hardened in