She met his gaze. “I’m on birth control. I’m safe.”
A muscle flexed in his jaw. “I’m clean,” he said, his voice a rough rasp that curled around her like smoke. In one fluid motion, he pulled his flannel over her shoulders again, lifted her off his lap and into his arms, stood effortlessly with her, and strode the few steps over to the bed while she held on.
With one arm behind her head and the other around her back, Rush guided her down, her body bouncing slightly against the mattress as she hit the bed. His gaze dropped to her breasts, peeking through the unbuttoned shirt, and the heat in his eyes scorched her.
“You’re sure?” he asked. One last check.
She smiled, shy but certain of this one thing, and held out her arms. “I’m sure.”
She did want this.
Really, really wanted it in every throbbing, aching, pulsing part of her body. Every inch of her ached for him, every nerve pulsing with need, but the second her head hit the pillow, the weight of what they were about to do hit her.
Lord help her, she was way out of her league.
Lily inhaled slowly, steadying herself and concentrating on controlled breaths the way she taught her students.Breathe in. Breathe out. Stay present.
But it wasn’t working.
Rush Callahan was foreign to her, and she was sure to the marrow of her bones she was going to embarrass herself. She had already come from simple foreplay, for heaven’s sake. What must he think of her?
And yet, she didn’t want it to end.
Everything about Rush overwhelmed her. From his sheer size to the quiet authority in his voice and the way his dark eyes pinned her in place without even touching her, he was dangerous in a way that made her feel like she was strapped into the seat of a roller coaster just before the drop.
Lily hated roller coasters. Roller coasters were not still lakes. They were wild and unpredictable. Kind of like the man on top of her right now.Oh God.
Her whole life, she’d played it safe. Followed the rules. Chosen stability over passion and certainty over risk. She’d convinced herself that love was something you built, notsomething that swept you off your feet, and that what she and Tucker had was fine. It was good, even if not earth-shattering.
But now, with Rush above her, his solid weight pressing deliciously into the curves of her body, she finally understood how much she’d been missing. His hips settled into hers, his erection an insistent, steely ache against her hip.
She’d been teasing him and feeling bold in the dark, but now, with him above her, she felt that confidence fizzle out like the hiss of a balloon losing air.
Her fingers twitched. Instinctively, she reached up, searching for the comfort of the rose quartz. She looked up to find Rush watching her, studying her carefully in that unnerving way of his.
“What’s wrong, Lily?” he asked in that low tone that sent a shiver down her spine.
She forced herself to meet those dark eyes. “Why do you think something’s wrong?”
Rush leaned back, putting space between their bodies. “Because of this.” He traced her cheekbones, where she could feel the bloom of heat giving her away.
She covered her cheeks, blushing harder. “I hate being a redhead sometimes.”
Rush leaned down and nipped at her jaw. The bristles of his cheek brushed against the tender underside of her throat, and she gasped at the sensation of soft lips and rough beard. “It’s one of my favorite things about you,” he murmured.
“The thing is…” she said, wincing at the shakiness in her voice.Get it together, Lily. You have a gorgeous man between your legs, and you’re acting like you don’t know what to do with him.
But she kind of didn’t, a small voice whispered. The memory of that disastrous attempt at seduction with Tuckerflashed in her mind, reminding her of her inexperience. “I’m not very good at this,” she confessed.
Rush’s gaze flickered over her face. “Angel, if you were any better, I’d be dead.”
Her stomach swooped hard. She looked around him at the flickering lights on the ceiling and tried not to look as naïve as she felt. Long fingers cupped her chin, gently lifting her gaze to meet his.
“Talk to me,” he murmured, searching her face.
“I just…” She swallowed hard. “I don’t really know what I’m doing,” she admitted softly, hating the way uncertainty crept into her voice. So much for playing the temptress. “I’ve only ever been with…” She trailed off, not wanting to bring Tucker’s name into this moment. “And I don’t think I’m all that good at it.”
Rush’s expression softened. “You don’t have to know,” he murmured, sliding a hand up to cradle her jaw, his thumb brushing the sensitive skin just beneath her ear. “There are no rules here. No right or wrong.”
