Sure enough, Gracie headed straight up the stairs, not pausing to turn on a light in the darkening house, and led me into her bedroom. She paused by the bed, dropping my hand so her arm could come up to cover her chest.
“So, um.” She shook her head a few times, gathering herself. “This is my room.”
My eyes scanned the space. I wanted to explore it more, wanted to investigate every detail and corner. Wanted to immerse myself in this woman’s house, in her life, find out every little thing about her. What pictures did she have on her nightstand? What books were on her shelf? When had she picked out that sky blue bedspread? What did she dream about when she snuggled up here in the white wrought-iron bed at night?
But a look over at Gracie told me now wasn’t the time to demand she open up her brain for my perusal. For all her boldness in leading me here, it was obvious my girl was now letting the nerves trickle back in. And the last thing I wanted Gracie to feel was nervous, or uncertain.
I was all in with her, had been from the very beginning. And I wanted her all in with me.
“Come here.”
She didn’t meet my eyes when she took a few hesitant steps in my direction. But when I took her into my arms, her body melted into mine as if it was the only place on earth she wanted to be.
“We don’t have to do anything,” I told her, running my fingers through the loose strands of hair, messing it up evenfurther but not giving a damn. Gracie looked good all mussed and disheveled.
“I want to,” she whispered against my chest, and those simple words had my already aching dick hardening even more.
“But you’re nervous,” I made myself say, not wanting to push her. Needing her to be sure.
She nodded, exhaling a shaky breath.
“How can I help you to not feel so nervous?” I asked, running my fingers along the back of her neck. “What do you need?”
“I just need you.” She looked up at me then and the emotion swimming in her eyes took my breath away. Mixed in with the desire and the nervousness I could make out a plea.Don’t hurt me. Take care of me.
Gracie needed me to take the lead here, needed me to guide her, to show her how it could be between us. And that was something I could definitely do.
I brought my lips down to hers, marveling once again at how perfect it felt to be kissing her. I kept one hand in her hair while the other trailed over to cup her breast. I couldn’t have held in my groan if I tried, and Gracie’s answering whimper had me squeezing her soft flesh tighter, desperate to get as close to this woman as I possibly could.
I eased her down onto the bed, whispering that I had her, that she didn’t need to worry. She held me to her, the feel of her hot skin against mine almost too much. Almost too good. I fought back the urge to rip her skirt off. I had to try to keep a handle on my raging desire, she needed me to be slow, to be gentle, and?—
“Liam,” she whispered against my mouth. I looked down at her, surprised and pleased to see the anxiety had left her features, replaced by a look of impatience. “What in the hell are you waiting for?”
Well, okay then. Apparently slow and gentle were off the table.
I had her skirt off in five seconds flat—in fact, I’m pretty sure I ripped it in my haste to get her naked and under me. Then I froze all over again because she was laying there on the bed, her creamy skin practically luminescent in the golden light of the setting sun outside her window. Wearing only a pair of light green cotton panties—nothing too fancy or over the top—she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
She lifted a hand to my face and our gazes caught, something passing between us as we stared at each other. Some awareness that this was really happening, after all this time. That it was going to be every bit as amazing as we’d ever imagined.
Gracie broke the moment first, reaching for my zipper with eager hands. I had never been so happy to not be wearing a belt. I didn’t think I’d be able to stand the extra seconds it would have taken to remove it. Gracie helped me push my shorts down, along with my boxer briefs, and then her soft little hand was gripping my shaft and I was dangerously close to blowing my load before I even got inside of her, like an inexperienced teenager.
A chuckle burst from my lips and Gracie looked up at me. “What’s funny?” she asked, the corners of her lips tugging up. I had always loved that about her—if someone was smiling or laughing, she was always ready to join in, even before she knew what the joke was.
“Just thinking about how embarrassing it would be to come all over your hand right now,” I told her. “And realizing that’s probably exactly what would have happened if I’d ever been lucky enough to be in this position as a teenager.”
Gracie grinned wickedly, giving my dick a little squeeze that made me grunt loudly. “I guess I’m fortunate I have the man version then, huh?”
“I’ll show you the man version,” I muttered, making her giggle as I reached for her panties. She helped me to pull them down, shimmying her hips against the bed. She was so fucking cute and so unbelievably sexy, all at the same time. I couldn’t believe I was actually here with her.
With nothing between us, I dragged the head of my cock against her center, eyes rolling back at the sensation of all that wet heat. Gracie whimpered and I wanted nothing more than to plunge right into her.
“Condom,” I muttered, somehow managing to hang onto the last shred of my control. Shit, I had kicked my shorts—and my wallet—to the floor. I moved to get off the bed but Gracie stopped me with a hand wrapped around my bicep. She leaned over to the nightstand, pulling a condom from the drawer.
My vision momentarily went red around the edges, thinking about the men who had been in this bed before me. I was rational enough to realize that the hot stab of jealousy made me a ridiculous caveman, but not nearly rational enough to banish the feeling.
And that was probably why I gripped her wrists as soon as the condom was on, pinning them over her head while I lowered myself over her, loving the way her soft, delicate body felt under me. I was going to stake my claim with this woman, the way I should have done at eighteen. There may have been men in this bed before me, but I was going to make damn sure every last memory of them was wiped from her mind.
I held her gaze as I pushed inside, the widening of her eyes urging me on. “You okay?” I managed to rasp out. I was only about an inch deep and it took everything in me not to slam all the way home. Gracie’s eager nod had me groaning, and I pushed in further, lowering my forehead to her shoulder, overwhelmed.
