the world, he turned down the covers and waited for me to crawl onto the bed. At some point, he’d removed his swim trunks, and I allowed my gaze to sweep over him, taking in every blessedly naked inch.
His body didn’t appear to have an ounce of fat on it, but there was plenty of lean muscle to spare. I took in the slight but unmistakable curves of his abdominals before fixating on the mouthwatering indentions along his hipbones. I was going to lick them. Or maybe bite them. Probably both.
Hayle didn’t seem to notice my perusal, because he was too busy soaking up the sight of me lying on the bed, more than ready for him. He pushed his hair off his forehead and sucked in a breath. “Will you think less of me if I admit that I’m nervous right now?”
“No, but why are you nervous?”
“Because this matters, and I’ve never been able to say that before.”
He moved onto the end of the bed and lifted one of my legs, trailing a line of kisses from my ankle to the top of my thigh. Looking at me with a solemn expression, he whispered, “You matter, Thea,” before pressing his mouth to my center, as though to punctuate his words.
As his mouth grazed over my stomach, chest, and neck, I finally twisted my fingers through his hair, relishing how soft and silky it felt against my skin. “You matter too, Hayle. I love you.”
The words had barely escaped my lips when his mouth captured mine, stealing my breath and any thought of speaking again. There was nothing left to say, except with our bodies. Our need was a living thing, and I couldn’t wait to feed it.
“Condom?” Hayle asked against my mouth, even as his cock slid against my folds, begging for entrance.
“Nightstand.”
He seemed to force himself to hold back as he withdrew just long enough to retrieve a foil packet and roll on the condom. Hovering over me, his expression held as much reverence as ever. He hadn’t merely been speaking pretty words. This moment—this joining of our bodies and souls—mattered to him, and that made me love him even more.
No more words were spoken between us as Hayle eased inside of me. We stared at each other, neither one of us willing to surrender the connection, while he thrust in and out of me with excruciating slowness.
The experience was beyond erotic, every sound our bodies made amplified by our silence and restrained movements. I’d never been this aware of another person or even myself. Time and place ceased to exist. It was just the two of us in this cycle of endless, unhurried pleasure.
Until I couldn’t take it anymore.
My entire body was coiled tight, begging to spring free. At some point, I’d fisted my hands in the sheets, and I loosened them to slide them up Hayle’s chest and onto his shoulders.
“Please, Hayle.” I lifted my lower body, hooking my legs around his ass and forcing him deeper inside of me. “Please.”
That last please must have done it, because he immediately dropped his head to my shoulder, and his hips surged forward. He began rocking into me, slowly at first and then faster. “So fucking good,” he murmured against my skin. “So fucking good.”
I gripped his shoulders and worked my hips, meeting him thrust for thrust. We moved together like we’d done this a thousand times.
When he reached between us to stroke a finger over my clit while gently sucking on my neck, I knew I was done for. “I’m going to come.”
“Come, sweetheart.”
But I wasn’t ready yet. I’d never cared about coming simultaneously with my partner before, but this time—with Hayle—it was somehow necessary. So, I clenched around him, and he groaned, pumping faster. Raking my fingers through his hair, I placed kisses over his chest and shoulder and arm. Anywhere I could reach.
When I felt his body stiffen, I finally let go, my back arching and head hitting the pillow as wave after wave of pleasure hurtled through me.
My eyes were closed when he withdrew and disappeared into the bathroom, and they were still closed when the bed dipped and he lay next to me, pulling my back to his front. With gentle fingers, he swept my hair away from my face and pressed a soft kiss to my temple.
“This is probably cliché, but everything about you blows my mind, Thea.”
I smiled to myself as my body began coming down from its blissful high. “I’m