She nodded, knowing he wasn’t talking about himself anymore.
He caught the single tear that spilled over her cheek before it could drip from her chin.
“I’m gonna take off my pants now,” he told her quietly.
She blinked, startled by the sudden change in topic.
“We need to make sure you’re comfortable with me bein’ naked. I know the last time ya saw a man’s…” He left the sentence unfinished. “I should be the vulnerable one. If ya want me to stop, say the word.”
He made fast work of his boots and the buttons on his fly. After stepping out of his tactical cargos and boxer briefs, he straightened and let her see exactly what she’d signed on for.
Hair spread in a mat across his chest, arrowed down the centerline of his stomach, and spread out again at his groin. He was tall and muscular and…male. His erection was long and thick, standing proudly from his body.
She’d been hurt by someone who was all of that. Abused and assaulted. Had had her autonomy stripped from her.
He was fully prepared for the sight of his naked body, particularly the sight of his aroused naked body, to be triggering.
She stepped back slightly, fixing her gaze on the part of him that would either make or break this experiment. The part of him that promised pleasure but might remind her of too much pain.
“Holy shit.” Her voice was husky. “Do you get lightheaded when you get hard?”
He blinked. Then he laughed as relief rushed through him.
Laughing caused his cock to bounce. She reached for him, her face filled with fascination, and he immediately sobered.
“No.” He caught her wrist before her fingers wrapped around him. “Not yet.”
“When?” She pouted.
“When you’re ready.”
“I’m ready.”
“Well, I’m not.”
She gave him the side-eye. “You look pretty ready to me.”
“Sabrina.” His tone was beseeching.
“Hew.” Her tone was seductive.
“You’re goin’ to kill me, woman.”
Her eyes bounced around to his various scars. “I won’t be the first to try. I think you can handle it.”
He dropped his head back and groaned.
Jesus. He’d known it would be like this. Sweet, sensual… damn seductive. But somehow it was even better than the fantasies that had tormented him. Because she was still her. Still his friend. Still teasing and taunting, making him laugh between throbs of unspeakable lust.
When he looked at her again, she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. He wanted to do those honors.
But first…
“Can I undress ya?”
Her eyes took another trip down his length, stopping at his dick. It flexed as if she’d touched it, and her grin was positively feline.
“Seems only fair,” she purred.
