Something tender and sweet swells in my heart. I lay a hand on his cheek and kiss him softly. “Thank you.”
I don’t have to say more because I know from the way his eyes flare that he knows exactly what I mean.
Kissing me with desperation, he starts driving in and out, slowly and carefully at first, gauging my reaction, making sure I’m really okay, then his thrusts grow more powerful and faster as he realizes I’m loving what he’s doing to me. His cock hits the spot that his fingers did, and I feel streaks of pleasure all the way to the tips of my toes.
When the fourth orgasm rips through me, I’m left trembling uncontrollably. It’s like my veins are full of electric charge. I wrap my arms around Grant, holding on to him like my safe haven to ride out the incredible high.
He calls out my name like I’m a piece of his soul as he shudders in climax. And I realize something irrevocable and indelible has just been etched onto my heart.
Chapter Seventeen
Grant
The unfamiliar feel of somebody in the bed with me wakes me up. The faint spear of light coming between the curtains tells me it’s early—maybe a little before six.
I turn over and see Aspen curled into a ball. She’s so warm and soft. I have to stop myself from stroking her, lest I wake her up too.
Instead, I watch her sleep in the slowly strengthening light. Her long lashes make fan-shaped shadows on her cheeks, and her plump mouth is relaxed. There’s a vulnerable rosiness to her that I like. And she smells so good in the morning without the shampoo and body wash masking her scent. I inhale the heady perfume of her smooth skin, feel my cock respond.
She stirs a little, placing a hand on my chest, curling her fingers over my heart, like she’s staking a claim. For once, the notion doesn’t bring a surge of annoyance and oh-shit-time-to-end-it-now agitation. It actually might not be too bad to let her hold on to my heart, which beats a little faster at the idea.
She presses closer, like she wants that as well. I carefully lift a bit of her silky hair and thread it through my fingers, then kiss the smooth strands. Everything about her is feminine and beautiful. The artists of the old era missed out. If they’d seen this woman, they could’ve created hundreds of gorgeous masterpieces. On the other hand, the possessive part of me is happy they never got to see her. She’s too special to be replicated over and over again, displayed everywhere so just anyone can gaze at her.
She makes a soft sound deep in her throat, her eyebrows pinching. I hold my breath, waiting to see if she’ll slide back into slumber. Instead, her fingers over my heart clench and her nails dig into my chest. Her lips purse, like she’s unhappy about getting pulled out of her sleep.
Unable to help myself, I place a soft kiss on her mouth. Her face instantly takes on a surprised look, which is funny and adorable with her eyes still closed. Laughing quietly, I kiss her again.
She blinks slowly, her green eyes hazy with lingering sleep. Then they focus on me, and a tender smile breaks over her, unguarded and lovely.
It’s the coolest thing in the universe that I’m the first thing she sees—and that I bring a smile to her face.
“Hey,” she says, her voice husky.
“Morning.”
She glances down and realizes she’s half lying on me. “Uh. Have you been up for long?”
She starts to pull away, but I wrap an arm around her waist to keep her exactly where she is, pressing her plump breasts against me. “No.”
“Why am I getting a feeling you aren’t going to tell me the truth?”
“Because you want me to say yes?”
“You just seem really alert.”
“A cruel thing to say to a man who hasn’t had his coffee.”
She laughs softly.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“Oh. Uh. Not too bad.”
“Are you in pain?” I’m not sure how it works, but I’ve heard it can hurt.
“Um.” She picks her words with care. “A little sore, but nothing I can’t handle.”
I search her face to make sure she isn’t downplaying things to make me feel better. “I just can’t believe you’d never done it with anybody before.”
