ButIcan.
“It’s almost a biological rule,” I go on. “Men who get off on hurting women usually have microscopic or inoperativeequipment. My theory is it’s nature’s way of labeling them defective.”
She lets out a choked laugh. It’s short, almost startled. But it’s there.
“Better?” I stroke her gently.
She exhales, and I can feel her body relax a bit more.
“Better,” she says.
“Good. Because I’m not him, Eva. And I never will be.”
I slide my hand along her hip, tracing its curve, exploring rather than demanding. Her skin is silky under my touch. Her gaze softens. Those beautiful eyes grow heavy lidded as her lips part, inviting me again, and her breath hitches as I lean closer.
I kiss her hard, unable to hold back.
The moment her tongue meets mine, I can taste the shift in her, the way she’s letting herself come back to me. Her fingers find the back of my neck, pulling me closer. Soon, any lingering tension is gone. There’s only heat.
I line myself up with her. “Still on the pill?”
“Stopped last week,” she says, then shrugs. “I’m not the fertile type, and I’m thirty-five… But if you’d rather grab a condom?—”
“Not a chance.” I hold her gaze. “I want to feel you. Last time was—” I stop, shake my head. “I want that again.”
Her eyes blaze. “Me too.”
I push into her. She gasps—a sound of joy, relief, and raw need, all tangled together. It goes straight to my head. She’s hot and tight. She’s fucking perfect. And when she moans like that, I can barely hold myself together.
But I do my best. I start moving inside her. She clings to me, her legs wrapping around my hips like she’s trying to pull me even closer, like she’s trying to keep me there forever. Her arousal matches mine. Much more active than last time, she meets me stroke for stroke.
I’m lost in her, in the way she reacts, the way she sounds. Every shiver, every squeeze, every moan—it’s all I care about. I find a rhythm that makes her unravel, her breath catching in her throat, her nails raking down my back.
She gasps again, like she did before. I find myself dizzy with it, high on her pleasure. Addicted to it.
She’s trembling now. Her body tightens around me, and I know she’s close. I’m close, too, but I’m not ready for this to end.Not yet.I slow down until she’s begging me to go harder, her voice broken and desperate.
And then I give her exactly what she asked for. I fuck her harder, deeper, faster. I watch her come apart, her body convulsing around me, her cries muffled against my shoulder. I let myself go. My pent-up release hits me like a freight train. I’m pretty sure I black out for a second, because everything goes white-hot.
When it’s over, I stay on her, panting, my skin slick with sweat.
She’s still trembling, her fingers tangled in my hair. My body must feel heavy to her, I remind myself. I should roll over. But as long as she doesn’t push me away, I can’t.
19
ALEX
Eva’s breathing changes. It’s a soft, lazy shift from sleep to waking.
I lie still, watching her.
She’s here, stretched out in my bed, not bolting at dawn like last time. I woke up in the middle of the night and saw her tiptoe across the room. I thought she was sneaking out. But she just used the en suite bathroom and slipped right back beside me.
Early morning light leaks through the ancient windowpanes, slicing the room in soft gold and shadow. I never closed the shutters last night. The distraction was too great.
It can’t be later than seven-thirty. It’s Saturday, and breakfast isn’t until ten so Millie can sleep in.
We have plenty of time.
