Good? Hell no, I’m not good. I’m fucking fantastic.
“Oh yeah.” Slade cleared his throat and nodded. “I’m perfect.”
With that all cleared up, he began moving his hips backward and forward in slow, gentle slides. He groaned aloud at the exquisite feel of her core as her inner muscles clenched and worked his body as if she’d been made solely for him.
Home.
The word entered his mind of its own volition, and he couldn’t bring himself to fight it. He’d never had a home, not in any real sense of the word. But now…
I never want to leave.
“God, sweetheart,” he moaned loudly when her hips rolled upward against his. “You feel so fucking good.”
Shadow closed her eyes and let her head fall back, giving herself over to him like an offering he couldn’t refuse. And as their bodies worked together in search of the ultimate pleasure, Slade found himself equally excited and terrified, all at the same time.
He was excited because he felt like he’d finally found the one thing he hadn’t known he’d been missing. But with that came the unrelenting fear that he’d eventually lose her.
Because that’s what life had shown him. Pain. Loss. Disappointment. Those were the lessons life had taught him up to this point. And Slade knew with all he had that if anything ever happened to this woman, every last part of him would be destroyed beyond any hope of repair.
A little fear never hurt anyone.
His former Naval drill sergeant’s words floated past his ears. The guy wasn’t wrong back then, and he wasn’t wrong now.
He wasn’t supposed to fall for the boss’s daughter. Slade wasn’t supposed to fall for anyone at all. But he had, and now…it was too late.
What was happening between him and the woman in his arms far surpassed physical pleasure. It ran deeper. Truer. And truth be told, even if he could, Slade wasn’t about to stop it.
“Oh, God, Slade.” Shadow panted his name again. “I’m…close.”
A wide smile lifted his lips as he thrust a bit harder and picked up the pace. He pushed himself in and out of her molten heat as she rolled her hips against his.
Time stood still as they both became lost in a sea of sensual, sexual joy. And when he angled his hips just so, Slade’s name echoed off the wall with Shadow’s next cry.
She arched her back high as a low, keening sound escaped from the back of her throat. He held her close as she came even harder and longer than the time before. Slade grunted and huffed out several harsh breaths as her inner muscles clamped down on him like a vise.
“Ah, fuck.” He ground the words out as his own climax grew nearer.
His lower body moved faster and harder, his thrusts becoming uneven in their delivery. As Shadow’s muscles began to relax with the final tendrils of her release, Slade’s orgasm struck him down with a vengeance.
A deep, guttural, masculine growl flew from his chest as he came. His cock pulsed as he became depleted of his essence, and by the time his climax had passed, he wasn’t sure his heart was still beating.
He huffed out a breath before sucking in more much-needed air. Slade repeated the move a half-dozen times before blowing out a breath.
“Holy shit.”
“Told ya, it was wow.” Shadow teased, her voice slightly strained from being trapped beneath him.
With a below-the-breath curse, Slade pushed himself up to prevent his weight from crushing her completely. Growing serious, he brushed some wayward strands from her face before gently tucking them behind her ear.
“You okay?” he asked, praying he’d done nothing to cause her pain.
She nodded as a genuine smile slowly spread across her face. “Oh yeah. I’m definitely okay.”
Slade stole another precious moment, letting himself hold her close without saying a single word. He simply looked at her, taking in the beauty that was Shadow.
And suddenly, for the first time ever, he felt like the luckiest bastard in the world.
CHAPTER12
