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“Alyssa.”

Her name floated above her as if she were in a drunken haze, and she focused her gaze on the piercing, blinding blue that claimed her just as possessively as his body.

“Look at me, sweetheart. I need to see you when you’re mine.”

The masculine demand caused another rush of wetness, her inner muscles squeezing around him. He groaned with satisfaction, pressing deeper, his mouth brushing hers with excruciating gentleness. The contradiction of his hard thrusts taking her body was an intoxicating combination. She lifted herself up, the delicious scrape against her clit pushing her toward orgasm, and hung on while he fucked her and cherished her and made love to her on the battered old table in the musty barn.

She cried out his name when the orgasm rushed over her, jolting her like a shock of electricity. His muscles tightened, and he took the kiss deep, moaning into her mouth as he joined her. They clung together, slick with sweat, her muscles deliciously achy. She didn’t notice her face was damp until his thumb brushed against her right cheek.

“Sweetheart, are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

She blinked, focusing on his worried face. “No.”

“You’re crying.”

She took his fingers and pressed them to her lips. He was still deep inside her, and Alyssa realized at this moment, she fell utterly and irrevocably in love with the mayor.

Her mayor.

She smiled. “When a person cries, the first drop of tears from the left eye is pain. If it’s from the right, it’s happiness.”

He smiled back, leaning his forehead against hers. His blue eyes lit with satisfaction and happiness filled her from the inside.

“Good to know. How about I take you back to my room?”

“No,” she whispered. “I want to stay right here with you tonight. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, I think we can work something out.”

They made a makeshift bed with a pile of bags, fresh hay, and a blanket. He wrapped his arms around her, and she closed her eyes and savored the last few hours of darkness.

They drifted to sleep for a bit, and when he woke, he studied her face in the shadows. Her lips held the touch of a secret smile, and her blond hair spilled around her like a frame enhancing a beautiful painting. Her fair skin was flushed and scratched red in some places where his five o’clock shadow had rubbed. Her full breasts lifted with each breath, and her nipples were still hard from the chill in the air. She slept with abandon, the same way she gave her body—wholly and deeply, surrendering in a way she sometimes struggled with in the light of day.

He’d always enjoyed sex but found he needed a deeper connection to truly let go. The few short affairs he’d had since Catherine’s death were pure physical itch and never scratched the surface. Now, as he stared down at Alyssa, he knew his entire being was cracked open. The orgasm had reached every inch of his body, dug into his soul, and allowed him to experience an ecstasy he’d only found with his wife.

Somehow, he’d been blessed with a second chance at love. He wanted to steep himself in it, to lock them in this barn for the next seven days so he could spend every minute learning every last secret.

She gave a tiny snort and shuddered as if knowing his thoughts. He couldn’t help his hand from reaching out and trailing his fingers down the valley of her breasts, caressing her stomach and the crease at her hip. Her skin grew warm, and her body softened under his touch, even in sleep. A satisfied grin curved his lips, and he lowered his head.

There were some other places he wanted to brand his five o’clock shadow on.

His tongue licked a path downward, exploring her damp inner thighs, the swollen nub of her clit, the hot wetness of her pussy. Pushing her legs apart, he settled his shoulders between her spread thighs and learned that sweet, secret part of her, hidden behind a small patch of tight curls.

When she woke up moaning his name, he began to suck and lick, parting her with his thumbs. Her hips rolled and jerked under his ministrations. Her hands grabbed at his shoulders, her heels dug in, and he ran the flat of his tongue over her hard nub, plunging his fingers deep into her channel.

She came against his mouth with a wild abandon that made him feel like Superman himself, and he eased up on the pressure, kissing her with gentle humbleness that poured through him in waves.

Slowly, he lifted his head and slid back up her body.

Her drunken gaze locked on his.

“Did you know that other than humans, wolves, bears, and bats also perform oral sex?”

He blinked then began to laugh, long and deep and hard. The final knowledge slammed through him, and he couldn’t hold back the confession he’d known for a long, long time.

“I love you, Alyssa Block.”

He kissed her, and she kissed him back, threading her fingers through his hair.