Her lips hit mine hard, and she digs her fingers into the muscles of my back, pushing them lower into my sides, begging me to thrust into her. It doesn’t take long for me to find her entrance, and when I feel the tip against her soft, warm folds, I can no longer control myself. I push into her fast and hard, and she lets out a small gasp when I do. I look at her, wanting to make sure she’s all right, and she grabs my head and pulls me to her once again, kissing me hard.

“Again,” she says against my ear. So I thrust into her again, this time a little slower, but much deeper. With my next movement, Avery’s legs are wrapped around my body and her hands are clutching at the top edge of the mattress.

“Oh my god, Avery. You feel so f**king good,” I whisper roughly in her ear. I’m trying my best to be quiet, but I want to shout her name to the entire f**king world every time I feel her take me in. I know I don’t have long left, but I do my best to hold on as long as I can. I grip her leg and bring her thigh up high against me so I can move in and out with even more force.

Avery’s eyes open to mine, and the look of want and need on her face is so goddamned sexy. When she starts to nod yes and bites down on the back of her fist to keep herself from screaming, I completely lose control, hoping like hell I can move hard enough to take her with me. When I feel her shudder against me, I let go of everything and release it all inside of her, collapsing against her with exhaustion.

“Unbelievable. That was…I don’t even have a word for that,” I say, wishing like hell I wasn’t so wiped out so I could lift her up and do it all again. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

When I look at her, there’s a tiny tear forming in the corner of her eye, and my heart literally sinks. I reach up immediately and wipe it away with my thumb gently, kissing her forehead and moving her to my side so I can hold her close. “Oh my god, Ave, did I hurt you? I’m so sorry,” I say, suddenly angry with myself for not being in control.

“No, I’m fine. Please, Mason, you didn’t hurt me at all. It was amazing,” she says, her voice cracking a little.

“You don’t sound fine,” I say, pulling her face away just enough so I can look into her eyes, trying to read her thoughts. She smiles softly when I do, her hand coming up slowly and caressing my cheek.

“I think the intensity just struck me…I…oh god, I’m embarrassed to say this,” she says, covering her face with her hand. I grab it to pull it away and kiss her nose.

“Don’t be embarrassed. What is it?” I ask, needing to know she’s okay, that I didn’t just blow the best thing in my life.

“It’s sort of like when you imagine something for so long—when you actually dream about it—and then you get to live your dream? I guess…uhhhh, this sounds so stupid, I know, but Mason, I used to dream about being with you like this. I just, I’m afraid it’s not real,” she says, her eyes starting to tear again.

I pull the blanket up to cover her, then I pull her in closely, wrapping her completely in my arms so she has nowhere to go. “Avery, I’m in over my head here. This whole feelings thing, well…it’s foreign territory for me. But I can promise you one thing—this? This is real. It’s the realest f**king thing I’ve ever known. And I’m a persistent, stubborn bastard, so you better get used to me,” I stop short of telling her I love her, but the thought actually runs through my mind. If I weren’t such a chicken shit, I would.

She just stares into my eyes for several long minutes, her hand against my face the entire time, like she’s trying to memorize me, and I let her. To be honest, I like looking at her eyes. The green against the paleness of her face, and the hint of red to her hair is perfection. If I could paint a portrait of a beautiful woman, this would be it.

“So, we’re sort of doing this backward, but…I’d like to take you out tomorrow. You know, on a real date,” I say, laughing at my earlier thoughts of how I was going to seduce her during our night out. “I already sorted things out with Claire. Oh…and I got your dad’s permission.”

That last part actually makes her laugh. “You…asked my dad? You asked Ray Abbot if you could take me out?” she says, her giggle making my lungs fill with air.

“Sure did,” I say, kind of proud of myself.

She shakes her head and shuts her eyes for a second. When she opens them again, her smile is the brightest I’ve ever seen. She moves forward and kisses me softly but long. “Thank you,” she whispers against my lips.