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When she went limp in my arms, I let my cock slide out and turned her around to face me and, once again, trapped her between me and the wall. Mostly because I trembled so hard I nearly fell on my ass. And I hadn’t even come yet.

For a while, we stood there just trying to catch our breath. She slid her arms around my neck, hugging me. I kept my face buried in her shoulder, taking in her fresh, clean scent. I wanted every single detail of this moment burned into my mind, never to fade.

After a minute, she softened against me. She shifted against me and slid her hands to my chest before pushing away, trying to put distance between us I simply could not tolerate.

“Don’t,” I whispered. “We’re going to start everything between us right here. Right now.”

“I’m not sure --”

“Yes, you are, Brielle. You wouldn’t have let this happen if you weren’t sure.”

She blinked up at me, eyes wet, lips red from our kisses. For a half a second, she looked like she might deny me, but then she let out a half-laugh, half-sob, sharp and honest. Tears spilled down her cheeks, but the tension in her face drained away and she sagged against me.

“That’s my girl.” I sighed, more relieved she wasn’t fighting me than I cared to admit. “You good now?”

She nodded, eyes flicking to the door, then back to me. “Yeah. I --” She hesitated, the muscle in her jaw working, then shook her head. “Yeah. I’m good.”

“Not staying in the garage,” I said, matter-of-fact. “Just need a second.”

This time, she actually smiled up at me and I knew I was done. Never had I seen a more beautiful woman. Inside and out. How the fuck had I ever thought I hated this woman? And how had it taken me so fucking long to pull my head out of my ass, stop feeling sorry for myself for getting caught, and just fucking own my shit?

I slid out of her, pulled off the condom and tossed it and a tissue in the trash. She used the time to straighten her clothes. When we were both fully dressed, I took her hand and led her outside.

The night had gotten colder than before, and she shivered as we stepped into the open air. I shrugged out of my jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She stiffened, surprised, then hugged it to herself, closing her eyes as she brought the collar to her nose and sniffed. I’d be lying if I said my chest didn’t swell a little bit with pride.

My apartment was in the warehouse next to hers. Looking back, it wouldn’t surprise me if Hannah hadn’t done that on purpose. It kept me close to Brielle without making either of us uncomfortable. Or I could be reading more into Hannah’s actions than she meant.

At the door, I hesitated. “We good? Do you want to come in?”

She looked up at me with clear eyes. “Yeah,” she said, with a smile. “I do.”

I opened the door and followed her inside, closing the door behind us. Unlike most of the apartments in the compound, mine wasn’t finished. Sure, it had everything the others did, but this apartment took up a fourth of the floor space on the second floor. And had no walls or dividers for anything other than the bathroom. Some guys don’t feel safe sleeping in open spaces after spending a few years in gen pop. For me, it was the opposite. I hated small rooms. Likely from spending up to twenty hours a day in a six by eight cell with another person for most of my prison sentence.

She looked around, then looked at me, uncertain, hair falling across her face. The only light in the apartment came from small lamps around the large open space. I could see the trembling in her hands and how tense she seemed. So I took it slowly. I closed the door behind us and leaned against it for a second, just letting her breathe. I wasn’t going to attack her. If anything, I needed her to be the one to come to me, at least for the next few minutes.

“You want something to drink?” I said, already opening the fridge and seeing what was there. “I’ve got beer and…” I winced, looking up at her, “water?”

She let out a small giggle but shook her head. “I’m OK.” She kept her head low but watched me from beneath her lashes. I recognized that look. It was the one I wore myself after a fight, or after something went to shit so completely that all you could do was ride out the adrenaline and hope the world slowed down with you. “I don’t…” She gave me a helpless smile. “I don’t know what to do.”

I held out my hand, and she took it. I led her to my bedroom and flicked on the lamp by the bed before shutting the door. “You know nothing happens that you don’t want. Right?”

She gave me a confused look. “We came here to have more sex. Right?”

I barked out a laugh. “Yeah. That’s what I want. But if you want to crash, I’ll happily snuggle up and just hold you. But I do want that right. Just for tonight.”

Brielle visibly relaxed. “I don’t want to leave.”

“Then let’s do this the right way. Yeah?”

“I think that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard.” She didn’t wait for me to close the distance, but stepped close to me and slid her arms around my neck, pressing her body against mine.

She kissed me, tentatively at first, then with increasing hunger. I framed her face in my hands and kissed her until she moaned against my lips. Fuck, that sound. I loved how she seemed to love everything we did. Even kissing got those little sounds of helpless arousal. I wanted to hear more.

Brielle melted against me, continuing to kiss me but slowly surrendering to my lead. God, I loved the taste of her. Sweet, a little wild, and all fucking mine.

I broke away long enough to peel her shirt over her head, leaving her in a plain cotton sports bra. While I tossed her shirt aside, she removed her bra before putting her shoulders back and looking up at me. The vulnerability in her gaze told me she expected me to find her lacking. But none of that mattered when my gaze dropped. And, honestly, I had absolutely no hope of not looking at her breasts once she bared them.

Her tits were fucking perfect, soft handfuls I wanted to claim for myself. I had to get my mouth on her nipples until she gave me more of those whimpers and cries as she clung to me. When her hand went to her waist and she unbuttoned her jeans, I moved into action, quickly yanking my shirt over my head as she stepped out of her pants, leaving only her underwear. Brielle watched me, lips parted, waiting for my reaction.