“Then take me to your bed, Axel, and make me yours.”
Chapter 20
Axel
I was intoxicated by the feel of Luca’s skin on mine. Enamored beyond words, it was difficult to speak without taking what I wanted. “Are you sure about this? About me?”
It was the emotion in his eyes that almost took me to my knees. I wanted to beg him to look at me like that for the rest of our lives. Like he could love the real me.
“Yes, Axel. I’ve never felt safe with anyone, until you. I want you to know what you mean to me.”
“Your trust means everything to me.” Kissing his forehead, I cupped his face. We stood chest to chest, vulnerable and open to one another. “There’s something I need to say to you. Sex, I know. But I’ve never made love with anyone. You might be the only person I’ve ever allowed to see the real me. It’s a big responsibility to be someone’s first.”
Luca tried to step back, but I tightened my hold on him. “Don’t shut me out.”
“I’m not,” he replied. “I’m not asking you for a commitment. I know we don’t do relationships.”
I burst out laughing. How could he not see it? Luca was fooling himself, and I was pleased to point out the flaw in his thinking.
“What’s so funny?”
“You are adorable,” I said, looking into his eyes. “We’re already there, love. You and I have ever,”kiss to right cheek,“so,”kiss to his left cheek,“slowly,”kiss to the tip of his chin,“accidentally fallen into the best kind of relationship.”
Luca’s eyes had fluttered closed between kisses. “What kind is that?”
Something new and wonderful filled my chest as I held him in my arms. “The kind that changes a man so slowly that you don’t realize it’s happening. The kind that leaves you yearning to be with your person every waking moment. The kind that seeped into my bones so deeply that you’re the first thing I think about every morning, and the last thing I think about at night. The kind that makes me want to give you the world, even though you do your best to deny me the privilege. When we do this, you’re mine for as long as you’ll have me.”
Luca’s eyes slowly opened, full of tears he tried to blink away. “How can you feel that way about me?”
My heart felt as if it might leap out of my chest, into his. “It’s simple. You are the best thing to have ever happened to me since the moment we met, love. It seems I’ve been waiting for you as well. Don’t expect me to let you go now that I’ve found you.” I wiped away the tear that slid down his face, then kissed his cheek. “I want to take care of you and make this the best night of your life.”
“I don’t want to have to think. I want to feel.”
“I can do that.” Releasing him to take his hand, I laced our fingers together and led him to my bedroom. Padding onto the soft carpet, I stopped in the middle of the room to check in with him. “Be patient with me. I’m used to being in control, but tonight, I’m giving that to you. You alone determine what happens and how far we go. I can read the sounds you make andthe way your body moves. Your sighs and whimpers, but I need your words.”
“Okay.” Luca ran his hands through my hair, then pulled me in for a kiss. The rasp of his facial hair against mine caused explosions along the synapses of my nerve endings. I loved him, and there was not a damn thing I could do other than surrender to it.
When he pulled back, he appeared confident in his decision. “I’d like to shower off the day if that’s okay.”
“Of course. Whatever you want.”
“I might be a while. I’ve, um… researched what I need to do if I’m going to…you know.” He laughed at himself. “Why am I so nervous?”
“We’re following your lead. Tell me what you need.” Stripping my shirt over my head, I tossed it to the floor. Luca’s eyes roamed over my chest, admiring my ink. “I’m all yours, love. Do as you please.”
Those seemed to be the words he’d been waiting for. “I want to watch you undress.”
I wasted no time. “Have you ever seen a naked man before?”
He shook his head. “Only myself.”
Another first that would be mine. “I’m going to ruin your eyes for anyone else,” I said smugly, hoping to ease his nerves.
“Do your worst.”
I tucked a finger into his waistband. Pulling him to me, his hands fell on my chest. Luca shivered as his hands slid down to my unbuttoned jeans. He kissed down my neck as he slipped one hand inside the back of my jeans to squeeze my cheek. I groaned at the contact as he continued to kiss my chest while tugging at the zipper. The back of his hand skimmed over the trail of hair that led inside my jeans. I fed off his confidence, and when he hesitated, I urged him on. “Touch me. I’m dying here.”
He bit his lip and speared me with his eyes as I fought the urge to close my eyes to savor the first time he wrapped my shaft in his hand. Moaning uncontrollably, I breathed deeply. “It’s been so long,” I murmured as he squeezed my girth.
