the while the need for him was running fast and liquid in the back of her mind like frenetic music she couldn’t silence.
Until she stopped trying and a force greater than she was drove her forward.
Coming into full contact with his body caused an explosion of sensation—the taste of his mouth, his hard muscles sliding against hers, his heat, his scent, my God, those big hands roaming over her with such shaking greed.
Tearing her mouth away, she rubbed her face against the crisp hair of his chest and gasped, “I’m still leaving.”
Aggressively, he walked her back until her shoulders hit the wall. “You’re still leaving,” he agreed roughly. “I’m not. We both know what this is.”
Do we? What is it?
She was glad at least one of them was clear about where things stood. The only thing she knew for sure was that she couldn’t stand to have a single piece of clothing between them, and she yanked the T-shirt off again. While she struggled to get free of the soft cotton material, he put his arms around her to search for her bra clasp.
He found it, her bra fell away, and he stopped, chest heaving as he stared down at her. When his gaze came back up, his expression had turned molten.
It stabbed her, that look, somewhere deep where she had been bruised and hurt. She had needed somebody to look at her as if she were the only thing he had ever wanted—even if it was just for this moment.
“You can change your mind and walk away,” she whispered, testing the threads of desire that tied them to each other.
“Like hell I can,” he growled, pressing her against the wall with his bigger, harder body. But then he paused as he sank a fist into the hair at the nape of her neck. He muttered, with difficulty, “I understand if you’re not ready for this, but you’d better say something now.”
That was… thoughtful. Winding her arms around his neck, she whispered against his lips, “I’m so ready for this.”
Grabbing her hips, he ground against her and hissed, “Birth control.”
“On the pill.” She brushed his hands aside and yanked open the fastening of her jeans.
He pulled out his wallet and withdrew a foil-wrapped package. “Condom.”
“Safe sex and protection. We’re good.” Coping with wall sex and a condom seemed like more than what she could handle. She slid away and walked into the bedroom, then wiggled out of her jeans.
When she turned, she wore only her lacy panties. He had opened the fastening of his slacks. Underneath, his large erection strained against the confinement of sleek, black shorts. The unruly wave of dark hair had fallen on his forehead, and his Power radiated like a furnace.
She felt like she was going crazy. The surface of her skin needed his like her lungs needed air. She snatched the condom out of his hand and ripped the packet open. He put the flat of his hand against her collarbone and shoved her so she fell back on the bed.
Then, swooping like a hawk, he dove on top of her. A sound broke out of her as their bodies collided. She curled one leg around his waist while he pushed his cock against the bowl of her pelvis.
He angled his dark head so that he could bite and suckle at her nipples, quickly teasing them into reddened peaks. Stabs of pleasure rocked through her body. The need to have him turned painful.
Pushing his shoulder, she muttered, “Let me get this on you.”
Growling, he lifted his head. A flush had darkened his cheekbones. Bracing his weight on both hands, he held still while she yanked his slacks open farther and reached into the black shorts to pull out his erection.
They both looked at her hand gripping his cock. He muttered, “I’m close to spilling all over you.”
“Don’t you dare,” she told him breathlessly. “I want you inside me when you come.”
A small, sensual smile tugged at his strongly molded lips as he looked at her with approval and heat. “You know what you want. I like that.”
So did she. Austin had always tried to exert control in the bedroom, and while she didn’t mind giving up control sometimes, she also wanted to take control too. With shaking fingers, she smoothed the condom over the broad head of his erection and rolled the edges down. He was beautiful everywhere, and large enough the condom didn’t reach to the root. While she worked it on, he jerked