long time for her, too, and no one had ever felt like Ethan. Wide and beyond hard, pressing deep, spreading her thighs wide as he stroked his way all . . . the . . . way . . . home.
“Fuck,” she said on an exhale.
That was . . .
“Incredible,” he murmured, dropping to his elbows, his mouth finding hers for a scorching kiss as he pumped deep and slow and steady. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he said when their lips fell apart, when she arched back, her neck straining, pleasure coiling, her hips rising to meet his in a rhythm that was set to send her straight into her first-ever double orgasm.
“Ethan,” she whispered when he hit something, some place really, really good. “Baby, I—”
His eyes locked onto hers, staring deeply, seeming to read into the urgency in her tone because he kept moving in that inexorable way, with firm, sure strokes, only they grew faster and harder, and she felt sweat bead on her skin, her lips tingle, her muscles grow tight as the ache inside her grew and expanded. Her breathing sped, that edge was right there, and then . . . he slipped a hand between them, lightly caressed that bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs.
And . . .
She exploded.
Fuck, that was good.
But good grew as Ethan sped up, hips pistoning, thrusting deeper, a growl bubbling up in his throat, every time he bottomed out, her orgasm flared anew, fresh sparks of pleasure scattering through her, shooting stars of sensation until he groaned her name, thrust once, twice more, and—
Collapsed on top of her.
He was heavy, making it hard for her to breathe, but she didn’t mind, actually liked the feel of him surrounding her, pressing her into the mattress. She loved the fact that he’d lost it so much that he was unaware, especially when he’d been careful the whole time with his strength. There was something so incredibly sexy in him not being in control.
“Sorry,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her and rolling them so she was sprawled across his chest.
She was feeling too relaxed to summon any words. Instead, she just nuzzled into his embrace, smiling when he tugged the blanket up and over them.
“You okay?” he murmured sometime later.
Her eyes were sliding closed, sleep threatening to take her under, and she must have managed some sort of reply because he chuckled as the blankets crept higher. Distantly, she was aware of the bed shifting, of Ethan walking to the bathroom to deal with the condom.
Then he was back, tugging her into his arms.
She stirred, feeling like she should summon the energy to say something.
“Sleep,” he ordered, smoothing his hand up and down her spine.
“We should get up,” she murmured.
“Sleep,” he ordered again. “Just for a little while.” His hand continued moving, and with that slow and steady rhythm, with his warm, hard body surrounding hers, that was an order she didn’t mind obeying in the least.
Her eyes slid closed.
Chapter Twenty
Ethan
It was ten days later, they were in Baltimore for their twice-yearly matchup, and he was kissing Dani in the hall.
Where anyone might see.
But it was before the game, and she’d just agreed to go to a late dinner with his parents after the game.
From first date to casually dating to meeting his parents.
All in the span of less than two weeks.
So yeah, Ethan was feeling high on life.
Of course, it had taken him years to work up the courage to make that first move, years he was kicking himself doubly for, considering how good these couple of weeks had been.
From the library to this hall.
He loved spending time with Dani.
He just . . . plain loved Dani.
That wasn’t a surprise. He’d been half in love with her from the moment he’d made her laugh at Max’s expense all those months before. Now, he was firmly entranced, falling in deeper and deeper with every minute that passed, whether in her presence or not.
He loved making her laugh and smile. He fucking loved . . . fucking her. He’d gone out and invested in a giant box of condoms, and they managed to find themselves in one another’s room most nights.
The sex was great.
But the rest of it was fantastic. How she forgot to be shy with him. How he could coax her to step out of her comfort zone if he kissed her just right. How she found the strength in herself to do the stepping without him. They