The tiny warning throb became a full-blown orgasm; her pussy tightened, her clit spasmed, and her nipples went diamond hard against Deacon’s chest.

Toward the end, when she bowed upward to prolong the mind-blowing sensations, Deacon opened his mouth over her throat and sank his teeth in before he sucked softly on her skin.

That set her off again.

By the time her sanity returned, Deacon had rested his full weight on her as he buried his face in her hair.

They stayed like that, catching their breath, Molly’s hands running over his head, neck, and back. Finally, she murmured, “Deacon, you have to move so I can get my pajamas on.”

“No.”

“No?”

“You’ll sleep naked with me.”

She bristled. “You’re a little bossy in my bed, aren’t you?”

“Warned ya, babe. I’m bossy in any bed.”

“But I don’t like to sleep in the nude.”

“If you get cold, I’ll warm you up.”

More like he’d get her so hot the mattress might combust.

He did move to ditch the condom. When he returned, his face immediately went to her chest. He nuzzled the swell of her left breast and tenderly caressed the same spot on her right breast. “You don’t wanna wake up to me doin’ this to you?” He followed the curve of her flesh to her nipple, softly brushing his warm lips over the puckered tip.

She sighed and arched into him.

The reverence in his attention thrilled her. She’d never had a boyfriend who constantly had to have his hands on her the way Deacon did.

Had it been like this for all the women he’d been with?

“Ask me.”

That startled her. “What?”

“Something’s on your mind. Ask me.”

Molly let her palm drift over the top of his perfect head. “I like how you’re always touching me.”

“But?”

“No buts.” She lazily swept her knuckles down the stubble on his jaw. “I just wondered if you’ve been touchy-feely with your other girlfriends.”

Deacon froze.

So did she, afraid he’d be angered by the question and revert to his what—and who—came before doesn’t matter answer.

“I’ll answer that if you tell me how many boyfriends you’ve had, including Tim, who was all too fucking happy to share that he’d popped your cherry.”

Tim, you jackass. “I didn’t date Tim. In fact, I had zero dates in high school. I dated a few guys in college. I didn’t have sex with all of them. None were ever serious. I hit a boyfriend dry spell after I moved to Denver. So fewer than six boyfriends total.” She paused. “Wait—am I supposed to include one-night hookups in that?”

“Jesus. No.” He propped himself up on one elbow and toyed with a section of her hair. “Two things. First, I wanted to ask you out for a long damn time before I actually did.”

“What stopped you?”

Deacon’s eyes searched hers. “At first? You.”

“Me? Yeah, sure. I was so freakin’ intimidating in all my timid, doughy, out-of-shape glory.”

“Molly, you started taking self-defense classes because you’d been attacked,” he said gently. “You’d cringe whenever one of the instructors you didn’t know got close to you. Including me.”

Embarrassment heated her face. “I don’t remember doing that.” Without downplaying the assault, she knew the random mugging had given her the wake-up call she’d needed to change all aspects of her life. But it made sense now when she’d dated Sandan Zach that he’d insisted on taking the physical side at a snail’s pace.

“The day I walked into my kickboxing classes and saw you in the back row? You might’ve been scared shitless, but you were there. After a few weeks, I’d stand outside the room before class and listen to you. Christ, woman. You had this genuine happy laugh that just . . . got to me. As the weeks went on, your determination told me a lot about the kind of person you are.”

“The jerky way you acted to me in class should’ve told you that I didn’t like the kind of person you are.”

Deacon grinned. “I know. Makes me a pervert, but when you started sassing back? That’s when I knew—”

“That you and me were gonna happen?” she teased.

“Smart-ass.”

“You knew what?”

“That you weren’t scared of me.” He continued to play with a long curl of hair. “A lot of women are.”

Oh, you sweet, tough man. She had to ignore his show of vulnerability and keep things light or he’d close right back up. “And yet you didn’t ask me out.”