“Fuck,” he hisses before making quick work of his boxers.

His cock springs free, and I lick my lips, stepping back to look my fill. It’s thick, steely, and throbbing in my hand.

I take us in, panting, tongue darting out to wet my lips. The air around us hums. I swear I can feel his muscular body go taut like he’s ready to pounce the longer I stare.

And then he does. He reaches up, fingers tangling in my hair and tugging gently to draw my mouth upward for his taking.

The blunt head of his length presses at my hip, but he ignores it as he studies my face. His hands trail down my back, tracing the curve of my spine, fingertips skimming over bare skin with a touch that sends shivers racing down my arms.

He’s gentle, careful, as if he’s learning my body with every brush of his palm. Memorizing every curve. Cataloging every reaction.

I press closer, feeling the hard heat of his chest against mine, the solid strength of him beneath my fingertips. His breath is warm and uneven, lips brushing my ear as he whispers, “Tell me if I’m moving too fast.”

But I don’t answer with words. Instead, I tilt my chin up and kiss him again. Deeper this time, hunger mixing with tenderness, a delicate dance between restraint and reckless abandon.

His hands roam lower, slipping around my waist and ridding me of my underwear until we both stand before each other without a single shield up.

His eyes race over me, drinking me in before pulling me flush against his body.

I can feel every muscle, every heartbeat. The ache between my legs coils tighter, a delicious tension that makes my breath hitch and my fingers clutch at his broad shoulders.

He slides his hand down my stomach and between my legs. I know I’m warm and slick already, but the sudden electric contact takes my breath away. The lamp’s dim glow slices across his face, highlighting the way his eyes darken with desire—the same desire, the same need that’s been simmering between us for weeks.

“I want you,” he confesses, voice raw and low. “All of you. Every last inch. Any little bit of attention you’ll give me. I want it all.”

He’s careful, never rushing, always asking with his eyes if I’m okay, if I want more. And I do. I want all of this, all of him.

I’m frantic with need, and I push him down onto my bed, so that he’s laid out in front of me.

He’s wide-eyed, following my lead for the moment. His throat bobs as I run my palms up over his chest, coming to straddle him.

There’s nothing between us, nothing holding us back. His rock-hard, impressive length presses against my pussy. It feels decadent.

I rotate my hips, sliding myself on him, soaking him. Sighing contentedly as I finally feel his skin, hot and throbbing against mine.

Emmett’s hands wrap around my waist in a feeble attempt to slow me down as he groans his pleasure into the quiet room. His gaze trails over my body, appreciation shimmering in the shades of blue.

There’s awe there too. Penetrating lust. Fervent hunger.

“I thought I wanted to take it slow,” I murmur down to him, teeth strumming over my bottom lip. “But we can do slow later. I don’t think I can wait.”

He stares at my pussy, my lips gliding up and down over his length as I grind myself on him. “I don’t have a condom.”

I push up on my knees, hovering over his lap, feeling the head of his cock bobbing against my inner thigh before I reach down and fit his thick, smooth head at my entrance. “Do I have anything to be worried about?” I ask, squeezing his cock hard enough to make him hiss.

“Haven’t been with anyone in months. And I’ve been tested since.”

“Good. I’m on birth control and I need to feel you.”

With that, I sink down one inch, feeling him stretch me as I do. My head tips back, and his fingers dig in at my waist.

“Jesus Christ, Jules.” He pulls me down another inch, and this time it’s my turn to hiss. He’s big. Thick enough that I need a moment to adjust.

“Can you handle it, doll?” he murmurs, hands moving over my hips to grip my ass.

“Yes.”

“Good, take more then.” There’s a commanding bite to his voice that has my body singing for him as he pushes me down incrementally.

He groans at the sight before him, eyes fixed on where we’re finally joined. “You’re going to take it all, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” I reply, rising to the challenge in his voice as I impale myself on his impressive length with a sharp cry. The sensation of being so full makes my entire body feel hot.

I sigh in relief, finally feeling as close to him as I’ve been craving. Like my mind and body have needed this.

Needed him.

“Goddamn, Jules. You are fucking spectacular, you know that?”

My heart turns to mush at the mere sound of his voice, raw and brimming with wonder. He’s pulling me apart in the best way possible. He makes me want to stay in scattered pieces at his feet if it means he keeps looking at me like he is right now.

I fall forward as he moves inside me. His grip finds my chin, and he kisses me roughly, laying claim to me with his body. Giving me exactly what I didn’t realize I needed.

We move together with a tenderness that takes my breath away, his body molding perfectly to mine. The world shrinks until there’s nothing but the heat between us, the steady pulse of connection that runs deeper than skin.

“Jules, you terrify me. Needing you like this… it terrifies me.”

My heart clenches. “I know it does,” I confess, voice thick. Because I do know. I’ve seen what he’s lived with. I know his story. I understand him, and I don’t begrudge him.

“I think…” His voice trails away, eyes fluttering in pleasure as my body goes tight around him. He peppers languid kisses across my chest before quietly confessing, “I want to face my fears for you. Will you let me try?”

I kiss his neck, realizing that, in a way, I’m facing my fears with him too. “Over and over again. Until we get it right.”

I swear his entire body sighs in relief. He melts into me farther than I thought possible. Like he finally feels safe—wanted.

“Thank you,” he whispers softly, pressing his lips to my temple, body moving gently against mine like waves lapping at the shoreline.

Wrapped up in him—in us—I close my eyes and let go. Every fear, every doubt melting away in the wake of how completely cherished I feel. When he whispers my name, it’s not just a sound; it’s a lifeline.

We give ourselves over to each other.

And in this quiet, delicate moment, with rain falling against the window, I know we’re both exactly where we’re supposed to be.

OceanofPDF.com

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 34

Julia

FROM WHERE I’M standing in my small kitchen, hip propped against the counter, cup of piping hot coffee pressed between my palms, I watch Emmett.

Emmett. Here. In my space. Wearing only a pair of boxers.

I feel like I’m a visitor at a zoo, watching a rare and exotic animal. But it’s just me, in my condo, watching the WBRF’s most notorious playboy looking downright domestic.

The muscles in his shoulders bulge as he lifts a long, flat leaf from one of my favorite plants and inspects it with an expression of wonder on his face. “So many plants,” he murmurs, moving on to admire the one above it with long vines draping down over the shelf.

“Yes, some people have dogs or children. I have plants. I’m a weird plant lady. That plant you’re fondling? That’s Keanu Leaves.”

The grin he tosses me over his shoulder would melt my panties if I were wearing any beneath my soft, white jersey housecoat.

“Keanu Leaves? Well, who could blame me for fondling him then? Have you seen that guy? Aging like fine wine.”