“We have something in common then.” I kept my distance, although all I wanted to do was reassure her that she had nothing to worry about there.
“You got cheated on?” she asked, eyeing me with disbelief.
“Why is that so hard to believe?”
“Because look at you. You’re the ultimate package.” She shook her head like she couldn’t fathom what my ex had been thinking.
“So are you,” I told her, my hand twitching at my side with the urge to reach out and touch her, but she was still holding her hand between us, and there were still a lot of things left unsaid that needed to be spoken. I cleared my throat, looking over her shoulder because I dreaded her answer. “Speaking of the whole package…Sawyer.”
Gwen bit her lip as if considering her thoughts. She stepped toward me, her hand pressing lightly against my chest, and peered up at me. “I know she’s your first priority, and I get that. She’s a part of the ultimate package.”
I nodded, the pressure easing in my chest. I’d known Gwen long enough to see she was telling the truth; if she were bothered by the fact that I was a father, we wouldn’t be standing there talking it out.
“So how do we do this?” she whispered, her vulnerability unmasked.
“We take things slowly, do this right,” I suggested, stroking the side of her jaw with my thumb. “We’ll keep it between us a little while longer. Just until I figure out a way to handle my ex that doesn’t make her spiral out of control.”
“Okay,” she said, nodding slightly as she thought it over. “Okay.” Her lips turned up in a smile when I nodded, and she pressed them to mine, tasting me, her mouth moving ardently.
My hands dropped to her hips, and I pulled her against me. My cock throbbed, aching to push the hem of her dress up and take her on the nearest surface—my workbench.
Still kissing her, I lifted her legs until the skirt rode up her thighs as they locked around my waist. I pressed into her pelvis desperately. She nipped at my bottom lip as her hands tangled in my hair.
I walked forward, setting her on the edge of the workbench. Gwen’s low hiss as her hamstrings touched the cold metal morphed into a moan when I tugged her panties aside to slide my finger against her slick entrance, gliding it up and down before sinking slowly inside her.
Sucking on her bottom lip, I worked my fingers against her, pumping in and out until I felt her clench around them, her legs trembling with her release. I removed my fingers, gripping her panties and tugging them down her thighs before reaching into my back pocket. I’d long since learned that when it came to Gwen, it was better to be overly prepared. My need for her was insistent.
While I was busy grabbing the condom, Gwen unbuttoned my pants and pushed them over my hips with her black heels. I fisted my cock and rolled the condom on, watching as her tongue swept across her lips, moistening them.
Gwen
We were laying in his bed, the tangled sheets the only thing covering us. Sunlight streamed through his bedroom window, patches of light hitting the dark hardwood flooring.
I’d only left the warmth of his bed—and his arms—long enough to use the washroom and brush my teeth, owing a serious amount of gratitude to Renly for ensuring I had an emergency hygiene kit in my car.
It was a little disarming, how comfortable I felt. But Alaric had assured me with his touches and the way his eyes would linger on me. He wanted me here, and I wanted to be here.
“Tell me about him.”
“About who?” I asked.
“You haven’t said much about your ex, but from what you have said, I’ve gathered that he hurt you.” Alaric ran his hand along the side of my body.
My teeth sank into my lower lip, desire coiling in my core at the feel of his hands on me. But I couldn’t let myself get distracted by his magical cock again.
I took a deep breath, turning my face to him, my eyes searching his. “There’s not much to tell. We met in college, started building a life together, then he cheated. I found out and threw him out, and here we are.”
It was a challenge to hold his gaze, especially with my anxious mind puttering along in the over-analyzing lane.
“He sounds stupid,” he responded with his lips against the side of my neck. I tilted my head, giving him complete access, powerless to his touch. It eased everything, leaving desire and something else in its place—something fluttery and light.
“He was,” I shivered, goosebumps erupting in the wake of Alaric’s kisses. My hands ran greedily up his abs.
“Did you love him?”
I froze, my eyes focusing on his. “I thought I did,” I answered honestly.
“But now?”
