mouth and coaxing her to open for him.
When she acquiesced, he took her mouth by storm, and Sera offered no resistance. What she had not been ready for before, she was eager for now. All of the problems and questions fell before this new, undeniable desire. Never in her whole life had she felt this way about a man. Her heart thudded, her breasts rubbing against his chest, legs restlessly entwining with his.
Harry’s breath was ragged, but his tongue was hot and soft as he licked a path across her lips. He kissed her everywhere—her lips, her eyes, cheeks, and chin. She reveled in the rasp of his whiskers against her soft skin. It was something she’d learned about him. Harry started the day with his face baby smooth, but by the middle of the afternoon a sexy scruff would make an appearance. He nipped at her earlobe, and she was surprised to find out exactly how amazing that felt.
“Are you sure about this? I don’t have to have this tonight,” he whispered against her ear before running his tongue along the shell and making her shiver with desire. She’d never considered her ear to be an erogenous zone, but Harry was making her rethink that. Pretty much everywhere he touched seemed to flare to life, every inch of skin where they connected alive and aware of him.
“I do,” she protested. She let her fingers find his hair, running through the soft gold and brown silk. “I do need this. It’s been so long since I felt like this. Maybe never, Harry.”
Because she’d never been with a man like him. Because she’d viewed sex as something she needed to get through to get to the part where her boyfriend would hold her. She’d gotten pleasure from sex before, but somehow she knew it would be different with him. It would be more, and now that she’d made the decision, she didn’t want to wait, didn’t want to take her time. She wanted to jump right over the edge with him and enjoy every moment they might have together because she knew damn well it could all come to an end.
One strong hand reached out to cup her cheek tenderly. “I want you, too. I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you. When you tossed that blond hair and warned me not to listen when your momma inevitably tried to set us up, all I could think was how did I get you to change your mind about me.”
He was staring down at her like she was something precious he needed to protect. He made her feel that way. “It wasn’t that I thought you weren’t attractive. But you’re . . .”
“Not a Beaumont,” he said, laying a kiss on her nose and proving he was pretty good at reading her mind. “Put that out of your head right now. I’m my own man and I want very, very much to be your man. My aunt does not make choices for me, and I don’t want you to take this choice out of my hands. I want you. Trust me to know what I’m doing, and I will give you the same courtesy.”
All in all, it was a deal she would be a fool to turn down. “Yes.”
The sexiest smile tugged his lips up. “I like the way you say ‘yes’ to me.” He turned serious. “But there’s no going back after this. We’re together. I’ll take care of you.”
“And I’ll take care of you.” She liked the idea of Harry needing her.
His kiss was light, and he stroked her body gently. The feel of his work-roughened hands on her skin was electric, and she found herself not only welcoming his touch but also seeking it. His tongue reached out to caress her lips. He whispered erotic words that sent a spark through her body. Gradually, relaxation gave way to excitement and the strongest ache in the center of her body. She began moving to the music he made with every touch.
“As gorgeous as you look in this, it has to come off,” he whispered, tugging at the hem of her shirt.
It all had to come off because she didn’t want anything between them. She wanted to be skin to skin with him, all her scars and imperfections exposed to his eyes. It was all right because Harry understood nothing perfect was real. She didn’t have to pretend with him.
The way she’d loved taking care of his leg. There was