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“I know, we went over it all.”

“Say it, Kayla.”

“I know nothing,” she says, narrowing her eyes at me.

“Good, it’s done. And if you must know, the grave is empty.”

She looks at me for a moment longer, saying nothing to fill the silence or reassure me that I said the right thing. I glance at her and know she still carries what happened to her, even if she won’t break. “You should eat something.”

“You should stop deflecting.”

“I’m not,” I say defensively.

“Yeah, you are. That isn’t something you should have to do. You’re drinking and it’s not even eight in the morning.”

“If you didn’t steal my drink, you wouldn’t have known.”

We glare at each other for a few seconds before I concede. “I’m fine,” I mutter.

“I know you are,” she says as she stands. Just when I think she is going to leave, she walks around the island to where I’m sitting and stops in front of me. Then she tilts her chin up to look me straight in the eyes. “But you don’t always have to be.”

I take her face in my hands and bring my mouth down to hers. Kayla deepens the kiss, and I back her up against the counter. Her hands press against my vest, so I rush to get it undone and pull it off before pressing my lips back to hers. Fisting her hair, I tug her head back, so her lips move from mine, and I kiss down her jaw to her neck.

Fuck, she smells so good, even first thing in the morning.

Placing my hands on her waist, I lift her onto the counter, and she wraps her legs around me. I take my time, kissing her skin, removing my shirt from her body, happy to see she is naked beneath. Lifting her legs from my waist, I step back slightly to appreciate the view of a gorgeous naked woman, one that is mine, sitting on the kitchen counter. A snack I am going to devour.

“Clay,” she whines under my scrutiny.

We haven’t fucked like this. It’s always heated, rough, and at full speed, but I want her to see a different side to me. I lean forward, and she watches me intently as I press kisses to her inner thigh, each one moving higher; her fingers slide into my hair, curling tighter the higher I go. With a smirk, I gaze up at her. I know where she wants me, and I am making it torturously slow. When I reach her sensitive flesh, she bucks up, and I suck her pussy lip into my mouth.

Kayla wiggles beneath me, so I flatten my hand on her stomach to hold her still, while I use the flat of my tongue and drag it in a slow movement from the bottom to the top. Her breath catches when my tongue hits her clit, so I repeat the motion a few times.

When I find a rhythm her body likes, I don’t deviate from it, as that is where men go wrong. They change up what they are doing, and all their hard work has to be started again—they don’t listen to the woman’s body. Instead, I seal my mouth around her pussy and keep my tongue moving in the same pattern, and when her thighs tighten, I focus more on that one area. If she moans my name, I hold my pace and let her savor every sensation until her body is strung tight, until she moans my name, and then I give her more until she comes apart around me.

She’s still coming down when I stand and pull her to the edge of the counter. Kayla reaches for my belt, yanking it open along with the button on my pants. They fall to the floor as she slides her hand beneath my boxer briefs and wraps her hand around my hard cock, releasing it from my boxers.

I take her wrist and move it away. “Not yet.”

She groans in protest, and I cut the sound off by tilting her chin up, stepping in closer, and kissing her. I keep one hand tight on her jaw and slide the other up her inner thigh until she forgets what she was protesting for. Her wetness tells me she is ready, so I pull back and look at her face as I slide two fingers inside her, watching her mouth fall open.

I work her body slowly, watching and learning what she likes as she rolls her hips into my hand, memorizing the angles that make her breath hitch a little.

“Fuck, your pussy feels good,” I whisper.

“Oh god, Clay, I’m going to come again,” she moans as I hook my fingers to rub gently over her G-spot.

As she unravels again, her pussy clamps down hard around my fingers, and her nails dig into my shoulders. When I remove my fingers, her eyes don’t stray from mine as I bring them to my mouth and suck them clean. No longer able to hold back, I grab my cock and rub it through her arousal, then she holds my gaze as I push inside with one long stroke. Her body trembles slightly as I stay fully seated, and Kayla’s legs lock around my waist, our bodies pressing chest to chest.

When she loosens her legs, I pull back and drive forward again, setting a pace that is deep and slow, drawing out as much pleasure as I can. She feels so fucking good, and while I prefer rough, I want to connect with her like this, to show her my softer side, especially after everything she has been through. I don’t know if she is ready for anything more at the moment, no matter how tough she thinks she is.

Rolling my hips, I find an angle that makes her squirm and keep hitting the same spot. Then I use my hand on her lower back to hold her in place, and she whispers my name and shifts her hips to meet mine.

I can’t hold back anymore.

I grip her hips hard, changing the pace to hit deeper, harder, and faster.

She matches me, pushing for more. One of her legs hooks higher around my waist, pulling me in as her head tilts back, and I lean forward and suck her neck. I leave my mark, needing everyone to see I claimed what is mine.