"You don’t play fair," she breathed, her voice a husky whisper.
A wicked smirk touched his lips as he swiped his thumb across his mouth. "There’d be no fun if I did."
He unhooked her trembling legs from his shoulders and effortlessly scooped her into his arms, cradling her against his chest.
Johanna wrapped her arms around him, feathering soft,exhausted kisses along his jawline as he carried her down the hall with long, purposeful strides. "Where are you taking me?"
Blaze shot her a grin that made her stomach flutter despite everything they had already done. "You’ll see."
He kicked open the bedroom door, stepped into the moonlit room, and let her slide down his body until her bare feet hit the floor.
Blaze set her gently on her feet beside the bed.
He didn't immediately reach for her. Instead, he stood there looking at her, and the simple act of being seen made her breath catch.
When they were teenagers, everything between them had been fueled by urgency. They'd stolen moments whenever they could, always aware that a parent might walk in or a curfew was ticking down. Back then, every touch had felt rushed, as though time was working against them.
Tonight felt different.
Blaze wasn't hurrying her. He simply stood there, his gaze moving over her face with quiet appreciation, as though she was the most fascinating thing he'd seen all night.
His hand lifted and he brushed a loose curl behind her ear. The tenderness of the gesture squeezed unexpectedly at her heart. For the first time, Johanna realized the biggest difference between the boy she'd loved and the man standing in front of her now.
The boy had wanted her.
This man cherished her.
He captured her mouth with his. Lips locked in a bruising, desperate kiss, they stripped away the remaining barriers of their clothes, leaving them in a tangled pile on the rug.
Falling back onto the mattress together, they laughed and continued kissing until Blaze rolled on protection and trapped her beneath him. Johanna sucked in a sharp breath. His eyeslocked onto hers, burning with raw need, as he pushed inside with one long, heavy thrust.
He groaned, a harsh curse slipping past his lips as his eyes fluttered shut. "Let’s take it slow," he commanded. His jaw clenched as though every ounce of control was costing him.
He leaned down, capturing her mouth in a deep, consuming kiss to distract her as her body adjusted. Slowly, the tension melted from her muscles, replaced by a desperate ache. Sensing her surrender, Blaze began to rock his hips, pulling back almost entirely before sinking deep once more.
Within seconds, the bedroom echoed with the slap of their bodies and the heavy chorus of their moans. Johanna’s hands skated over his sweat-slicked skin, tracing the contours of his back. It was a sensual dance, and Blaze moved with the confidence of a man who knew exactly how to worship a woman.
"Blaze..." she whimpered, tossing her head against the pillows.
It was glorious. Every deep, gliding thrust left her feeling delirious. Having her legs wrapped tightly around his waist felt so incredibly right. This was worlds away from their rushed, clumsy first time in high school. This was elevated, perfected by time and longing. Even the harsh rhythm of their breathing synced in the dark.
"More," she pleaded, her nails biting into his shoulders.
Taking her demand, he shifted his angle, driving in with long, delicious strokes that rubbed directly against her G-spot. Johanna tilted her pelvis, chasing the friction, desperate to meet him thrust for thrust. Her legs were quivering against his flanks. The tension was coiling tight in her belly again, building toward an impossible peak.
"That’s it, baby," he rasped, his voice a feral growl right against her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He rolled his hips, burying himself to the hilt.
"Blaze...please!" she begged, thrashing beneath him.
" Let go for me, Jo." He rose up on his forearms, staring down at her flushed face as he increased the tempo, driving into her with unwavering, piston-like power.
Johanna soared, crying out his name as a second, violent orgasm tore through her body, clenching around him like a velvet fist.
Above her, Blaze stiffened. With a harsh, guttural roar, he drove in one final time, pouring his release into her before collapsing. He lay heavy and weak against her, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
Trembling with the lingering aftershocks, Johanna wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. She loved the heavy, comforting weight of him pressing her into the mattress, the warmth of his ragged breaths against her collarbone, and the frantic pounding of his heart syncing with her own.
Blaze held her fiercely, his arms a protective cage around her exhausted body. As Johanna’s eyes grew heavy and the edges of sleep began to pull at her consciousness, a sobering reality settled over her heart: one night with Blaze Braxton was never,evergoing to be enough.
