Page 95 of Wicked Heat

He wanted to make the pleasure last forever for both of them, but he couldn’t. She meant too much, and he couldn’t hold back.

He exploded inside her, the climax so powerful it felt like he’d snuffed out the world. This was more than lust. More than their deal.

“You’re mine,” he whispered. Easing up so that he was holding himself over her. “It’s not about the money. It’s not about sex. It’s not about the fact that I might die if I don’t fuck you again soon. It’s about us. You’re mine, Bree.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “I’m yours.” She reached up and slid her fingers into his hair. “I think I have been for a very long time.”

For a moment, their eyes locked, then he fumbled out of his pants before entering her again, taking it as slowly as he could stand. Their locked gaze never wavered.

“Mine,” he whispered. And again and again, until they exploded together, their atoms mingled, and the words were made real.

I curl up as close to Ash as humanly possible, reveling in the way his body feels against mine. Awed by how safe I feel in his embrace. “I can’t decide if you wore me out or revved me up,” I say, making him laugh.

“Both, I think,” he says. “Only you’re the one who wore me out.”

“Let’s share that trophy.” I roll over so that I’m facing him, my leg thrown over his body so that I can soak in his warmth.

I rest my head on his chest, then sigh as he strokes my hair. It’s not something I usually like, but for some reason when Ash plays with my hair, I want to close my eyes and just revel in the feel of it.

Sappy. I’m definitely sliding into the land of sappy.

And the truly crazy thing? I don’t mind at all.

“Tomorrow we’re getting you a new dress from one of the boutiques downstairs,” he says.

“But Nikki’s dress is just getting broken in.”

“Don’t tease, or you’ll be stuck with it. I’m rather fond of the way you look in that thing.”

I consider tossing out one more sarcastic comment but hold it back. The dress truly has seen better days. “Fair enough,” I say. “And speaking of dresses, I need to text the girls at the Ripped Bodice to see if they have a security camera installed inside.”

That’s the bookstore you were signing at, right? I thought you already had.”

“Meant to. Got sidetracked.” Our evening in the stands wasn’t what had erased that errand from my mind, but that’s what pops into my head. I snuggle closer, and sigh. “Is it crazy that I feel so good right now?”

He shifts so that he’s propped up on an elbow, his fingertips idly stroking my skin. “What do you mean?”

“Just that someone’s blackmailing me, and there’s a very good chance that no matter whether we pay or not those horrible pictures of me will end up all over social media.”

“Baby, no⁠—”

I press my finger to his lips, cutting him off. “I know you’re going to do everything you can to make sure that doesn’t happen. But it’s still possible. But that’s not even my point. I’m just saying that my life could flip completely upside down five minutes from now, but in this moment, I feel good.”

I trace my fingertip down over his bare chest. “I feel good because of you.” I hesitate, gathering courage. “Am I crazy?”

“Probably,” he says, then brushes a kiss over my lips. “But at least we’ll be crazy together, because I feel the exact same way.”

“Yeah?” I’m smiling like a fifteen-year-old girl just asked to the prom by the senior jock.

“Yeah,” he says, then nods at my phone. “Send that text in the morning. Right now, let’s get some sleep.”

I start to roll over, then pause. “Can I ask you one more thing?”

“Anything.”

“That woman. The one in the video who jumped. Why did it hurt you to see that?”

I’m hurting him now, I realize, just by asking the question. “Never mind,” I say. “You don’t have to talk about it.”