His smirk returned, teasing yet genuine. “Good.”
With that, he shifted his focus downward again, planting soft kisses along my collarbone before moving lower. Each kiss ignited a fire within me that spread like wildfire. He made his way down my body with intention—his mouth brushing over sensitive skin and leaving behind trails of heat.
I gasped when his lips hovered above where we were about to join; anticipation twisted in my gut as reality set in. There would be pain—but if anyone could navigate it with care and strength, it was Nick.
He paused for just a heartbeat longer before whispering against my skin, “You ready?”
Chapter 14
Nick
I looked down at her, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
She was sprawled beneath me, flushed and beautiful, her eyes wide and trusting. Vulnerable. Willing. Mine.
I’d never seen anything so perfect.
And for the first time in longer than I could remember, I didn’t want to rush. I didn’t want to take—I wanted to give. To draw out every second until time folded in on itself and there was nothing left but her and the way she made me feel like maybe—just maybe—I was more than what the world had made of me.
I positioned myself at her entrance, every nerve ending taut with restraint. Her warmth kissed the tip of me, and I had to clench my jaw to keep from sinking into her all at once. I didn’t. I wouldn’t.
I pushed in slowly—just a little. Her gasp nearly undid me.
Jesus.
I paused, every muscle locked, my forehead dropping to hers. “You okay?”
She nodded, her breath shaky against my skin.
Little by little, I eased deeper, feeling her body adjust around me. It was overwhelming. Too much and not enough all at once. She clung to me, her fingers gripping my shoulders like I was the only solid thing she could hold on to—and fuck if that didn’t undo me more than anything else.
I bottomed out with a shuddering breath, staying still while we adjusted to the new gravity of this moment. Her legs wrapped around me, drawing me closer, and that was when I moved.
Slow. Measured. Controlled.
She moved with me, like we were made to fit this way, and every roll of my hips, every subtle shift, felt like building something sacred from the wreckage of all the years I thought I didn’t deserve this.
She moaned softly, her body trembling beneath mine. I kissed her—deep and sure—swallowing every sound she gave me like it was meant only for me. Because it was.
I wanted to give her everything. Wanted her to fall apart in my arms knowing I’d never let her break alone.
And as her breath hitched and her nails dug in, I knew I was dangerously close to unraveling.
But I held on.
Because this wasn’t about me.
It was about her.
I moved slowly, every inch a test of my self-control. Her body welcomed me with a heat so intense it stole the breath from my lungs, and yet I held back, reigning in the urge to take more than she was ready to give. This wasn’t about satisfying need—it was about giving her something unforgettable. Something sacred. Her first time deserved more than urgency. It deserved reverence.
The tightness of her around me was almost unbearable. My muscles locked as I fought the instinct to thrust deeper, harder—to lose myself in the overwhelming pleasure. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I focused on her instead, the way her hands clung to my back, the soft gasp that escaped her lips, the way her eyes fluttered shut and then opened again, trying to stay grounded in the storm we’d created between us.
"Fuck, Kennedy," I growled. "You're so fucking tight."
She felt so good—so impossibly good—I could hardly think straight. The way she gripped me, warm and trembling, made every nerve in my body fire like a live wire. I could feel her heartbeat against mine, quick and uncertain, and it mirrored my own. This wasn’t just sex—it was something deeper, something consuming. And it terrified me how much I wanted to give her everything, to let her wreck me completely.
I whispered her name like a prayer, trying to stay anchored in the moment, trying to keep my pace slow, reverent. Every thrust was deliberate, dragging against her in a way that had her arching beneath me, her lips parting in a sound that made my vision blur. I wanted to remember every detail—how she felt, how she looked, the way her body moved with mine like we were made for this. For each other.
