She chuckles, looking down at her hand over mine. “You gotta quit saying shit like that, cowboy. I’ll think you’re soft.”
“I’ve been soft for you all along, boss. You’ve just been too busy telling yourself no to see it.” We stare at each other, but I break our silence. “You ready to start saying yes?”
Darcy crawls to the middle of the bed and crooks her finger my way. “Come here.”
FORTY-ONE
DARCY
I kneelin the middle of the bed and Jake comes to join me.
His tan skin surrounds me, his neck smelling like both of us blended as I nuzzle under his stubbled jaw. I linger by his ear to say, “I’m saying yes.”
“Good,” he murmurs, the low rumble of his voice reverberating against me.
We’re kissing again, revealing another layer of Jake’s sexy moods. He can be voracious and punishing, and also needy and gentle. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap me up, and it feels so safe, so fulfilling, so . . . home. I’m cherished for who I am and not who he wants me to be.
Cherished. Adored. Safe.
His swollen cheek bears the proof that he’ll do anything to keep me safe, a thing he’s proven time and again this summer.
We’ve never done this together, but emotionally, we have. We’ve been sharing the deepest parts of ourselves all summer. Every pat on the back when I was puking, every brush of his thumb over my cheek when I was frustrated, every tear he hasn’t shrugged off, every hug and hand squeeze when one of us was having a hard time. I showed him my ugly and he didn’t turn away. He’s shown me the things that have hurt him and made him who he is. He’s shown me the ways he goes too far, and how he learns from his missteps.
Jake sees me, and I see him. The feeling is heady and disorienting.
I want to give him everything—and I will. But for now, I want to curl up in this: kneeling on the bed, one hand holding me steady between my shoulder blades, the other wrapped across my back to hold my hip, crushing our bodies together. His lips and tongue, savoring me like he’s parched and I’m the only thing that can quench his thirst. His length pressing against my stomach, wet where he’s so turned on by me.
Our lips part, and Jake kisses between my brows. I tilt my chin to gaze into his eyes, wanting to tell him so many things, none of which I can define.
He traces a finger down my cheek. “What is it?”
“I want you.”
Jake’s eyes flick over my face. “You have me. I’m not going anywhere.”
I reach for a condom and hold it up, lifting a brow. Jake nods and I dip to slide him in my mouth one last time. His hand rakes into my hair. “Spoilin’ me, darlin’. I’d rather spoil you.”
I smirk up at him as I finish licking up his length. “Trust me—this is what spoiled looks like.”
“Give me that thing,” he huffs and lowers my back to the mattress so slowly. He tears into the packet with his teeth, rolling the condom over his length. I sit back on my elbows with him between my spread legs. His gaze roves over my skin, studying every detail. “You are so gorgeous.”
Jake kisses up my body from my belly button to my lips, running his hand down my side before he pulls away and asks, “Ready?”
“Yes.”
Jake notches himself at my entrance, pushing the first few inches inside. I breathe out a cuss at the stretch, the way he fills me. He cradles the back of my head, looking deep into my eyes when he says, “You’re doing so good, baby.”
Normally, I’d consider a reassurance like that condescending, but it sends warmth through me, like sinking into a hot bath. I swallow and nod, hissing as he pushes deeper. Jake tucks my head to his chest and kisses my forehead. “So good, Darcy. You’re such a good girl for me.”
I’m gone. Ascended through the ceiling into the sky somewhere. I’d punch any other man who talked to me like this, but from Jake, it’s the most delicious praise.
I can’t get enough. He’s praising me for taking him. For giving myself to him. For beingme.
Tears heat my eyes and when he looks down into them again, he gets concerned. “You alright?”
My smile is incredulous. “You’re just so sweet.”
Jake dusts a kiss to my lips. “You deserve everything sweet. I’m going to make sure you get it.”
