of air and a moan at the same time. All the tension melted away from him.
She stroked his hair, combing through the strands. “So…that’s the big deal about sex.”
He laughed.
15
Hope woke up to the feeling of lips on her shoulder. Of insistent kissing. Of something hard and eager pressing against her bare backside. She hadn’t ever slept as well as she had the previous night, tangled in his arms. They had made love—or fucked—or however someone was supposed to describe it. It had changed her opinion on the act, whatever it was.
And now it seemed he wanted more.
He ground his hips into her, sliding himself between her thighs and along her core. Her body was already responding to him. She shivered. “Wh…”
“I’ve been at this for a while…watching you whimper and moan my name.” He reached around her and grabbed a breast in one hand. “You’re so responsive. So needy. You must be very frustrated, not ever having had real pleasure before. No wonder.”
He was right. Her body already felt like it was on fire. Whatever he had done while she was dreaming had triggered something in her body on an instinctual level. She couldn’t turn him away. She leaned her head back to get a kiss from him. He granted it, slipping that too-hot tongue into her mouth before going back to peppering her shoulder with kisses. “Get on your hands and knees, pretty girl. Show me how much you want it.”
She shuddered at his words. But it was useless to fight it. She knelt on the bed and, facing away from him, doubled over and rested onto her elbows. Her face felt like it was on fire with how hard she was blushing. This was so shameful. He knelt behind her, rubbing his hands up over the globes of her ass, stroking and squeezing until she moaned.
“Ask for it.”
She growled. He laughed. When his hand came down on her ass in a hard smack, she cried out and went to swing back at him. He caught her wrist in his hand and held it.
“Go on. Ask for it. Say you want me.”
“I want you.”
“Say, ‘Nero, I want you to use me like I used you last night.’”
He rubbed himself against her, and she bit her lip and lowered her head. He still held her other wrist in his hand.
“Nero,” she started. She couldn’t believe herself. But this was the truth. “I want you to use me like I used you last night.”
“Good girl.” He let go of her wrist, and she pressed her weight on both elbows, keeping her head down. She felt him position himself and press himself in. He moaned profanely behind her. He was so explicit in everything he did. It was wicked, it was sinful, and it made her want him even more.
The feeling of him and his unnatural temperature wasn’t as jarring as it was the first time. He slid into her until he couldn’t go any farther. He groaned again and squeezed her ass again. “You are so gods-damned good. I didn’t get a chance to really enjoy you last night. Now I’m going to change that.”
He began to move in her. Gradually. Gently. Somehow it felt…casual.
“What do you want to do today?”
“What?” she gasped, not believing what she was hearing.
“Well, I figure I’ll be at this for a while…then we should shower, and I’ll probably end up fucking you again. Then we’ll eat brunch with Hugo. Then I’ll probably fuck you again, but I figure we’ll have an hour or two in the day where we can do whatever you want. Go swimming? Pet a tiger, maybe?”
And still, he was rocking himself inside her. Filling her and relenting. Drawing out almost all the way before gradually working his way back in. And he was carrying on a thrice-damned conversation while he was at it! She could only groan.
“Oh, I know! We’ll take Brutus and Cassius to the park. Go for a nice walk before dinner. How’s that sound?” When she was silent, he slapped her ass again. “Speak up, sweet girl.”
“That sounds—ah—lovely—” she ground out between her teeth, unable to believe what he was doing.
“Y’know, I think I’m starting to enjoy this whole…being in love thing. I wasn’t so sure about it at first. It hurt. It was like a terrible burning sensation in my chest. But now, now that I can have you like this? It’s amazing.” He moaned. “Look at you. Trying to be so mad at me right