It’s not fancy. It’s a spare space, practical and private. A blanket is folded at the foot of a generous cot, and a small lamp throws soft light across the walls. But when he lays me down as if I’m precious, it becomes a sanctuary.
He sits beside me, brushing my hair back from my face. “Tell me if you want to stop.”
“I won’t.” My voice trembles with the truth. “I want you. All of you.”
He exhales as if that permission undoes him completely.
“I don’t carry protection on me,” he admits, cheeks flushing. “It’s been… a long time.”
I reach for his hand, intertwining our fingers. “Well, it’s been never for me.” I smile. “We’ll muddle through together.”
“We don’t have to go all the way,” he says huskily. “I may be a bit rusty, but I can still give you pleasure without?—”
“Nolan,” I cut across him. “I’m on the pill. We’re definitely going all the way.”
His grin almost stops my heart. “Yes, ma’am.”
Chapter 10
Sally
Nolan’s hands hover as if he doesn’t quite trust himself to touch me.
So I do it for him.
I pull him to me and kiss him, not careful or shy, just honest. My palms flatten against his chest, right over his heart, and I feel it stutter under my touch. Our breath mingles. My fingers fist in the front of his shirt, and a soft sound escapes me.
His answering growl vibrates straight down my spine.
He breaks away, his thumb grazing my bottom lip. “Tell me if you want to stop. Anytime.”
“I won’t,” I whisper.
Suddenly his mouth is everywhere—along my jaw, the line of my throat, a kiss at the hollow of my collarbone. I tilt my head back, giving him every inch he silently asks for.
“Nolan,” I breathe.
“Yeah.” His voice is sandpaper and sin. “You okay?”
Okay? No, I’m burning alive in the best way. I’m aching in places I didn’t know could ache.
“I trust you.”
“Sally…” My name is a low, broken sound.
“I know,” I whisper. “I know you’re trying to be careful.”
My hands slide up his arms, feeling every solid inch of him. “But I don’t want careful. I wantus.”
His eyes are dark and stormy with desire.
“I’m not afraid of your past,” I say, my heart loud in my chest. “Not of what you think is broken. I see how you care. That’s who you are.”
He slides one hand into my hair, the other gripping my waist like he’s afraid I might vanish. “You’re perfect.”
I shake my head. “I’m not?—”
“Don’t argue.” He nips my lower lip. “Not tonight.”
