"Good." He kisses me, and I can taste myself on his lips. It should be weird, but it's not. It's intimate. Real. "That was just the warmup."
"Warmup?" I stare at him. "There's more?"
"So much more. If you want."
"I want everything," I whisper. "I want all of you."
He closes his eyes for a moment, like he's trying to compose himself. "You're killing me, Ivy Rose."
"Good." I reach for his shirt, tugging at it. "Take this off. It's not fair that I'm naked and you're not."
He pulls back and strips off his shirt. I've seen him shirtless before, summer days at the lake when we were kids, but he was skinny then.
Well, he’s not anymore.
He's lean, defined, and there's a trail of hair leading down from his navel, disappearing into his jeans, and I want to follow it with my tongue. The thought surprises me. I didn't know I could think things like that.
"Your turn to stare," Owen says, amused.
"I'm appreciating," I throw his words back at him.
He laughs, then stands to remove his jeans. I watch, mesmerized, as more of him is revealed. Strong thighs, boxer briefs that do nothing to hide his erection.
He's hard. Because of me.
"Are you—" I swallow hard. "Are you going to take those off too?"
"Do you want me to?"
"Yes."
He hooks his thumbs in the waistband, then pauses. "Last chance to change your mind, Ivy. We can stop right here. I can hold you, we can talk, we can—"
"Owen Harper, if you don't get naked right now, I'm going to lose my mind."
He grins. "Yes, ma'am."
The boxers come off, and—
Oh! I've seen diagrams. I've read books. But nothing prepared me for the reality of Owen, fully naked, fully aroused, standing before me. His cock is hard, really fucking hard.
"Is that—will that—" I can't even finish the sentence.
"We'll go slow," he promises, coming back to the couch. "I'll make sure you're ready. I'll make sure it's good for you."
He settles between my legs again, and I can feel him hard against my thigh. It's intimidating and thrilling all at once.
"Wait," Owen says suddenly, his face falling. "Fuck. I don't have a condom."
"We don’t need one. I want to feel you," I whisper. "Just you. No barriers. I want to know what it's like."
Owen closes his eyes, his jaw clenching. "You can't say shit like that to me."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm barely hanging on as it is. The thought of being inside you with nothing between us—" He groans. "Fuck, Ivy."
"Is that a yes?"
