His thumb hit me, my body jolted, my eyes shot open, and I saw he was still watching me.

“Inside,” I gasped.

“In a minute, baby.”

“Inside,” I pleaded.

“Daisy—”

I lifted my hands to wrap them around either side of his neck, moaned as his thumb put on more pressure, and then I demanded huskily, “I need you inside, honey.”

He was Marcus.

He didn’t make me ask again.

He rolled between my legs. I felt his hand leave me but right after something hard and silky started gliding, sliding.

And then…

Then…

Eyes locked to mine, slow, gentle, sweet, Marcus Sloan, my man, the man every step of my life had been leading me to, slid inside me.

“Now, this…” I breathed. “This is where I was always meant to be.”

Beauty scored through his expression before his head dropped, he shoved his face in my neck and he groaned, “Daisy.”

I turned so I had my mouth to his ear. “Take what’s yours, baby.”

He did.

Pulling his face out of my neck, taking my mouth, he moved inside me and he took what was his.

Giving himself to me.

And a whole lot more.

I cried the intensity of my orgasm down his throat, clutching him with everything I had, limbs wrapped around, fingers gripping his hair, body shuddering.

He returned the beauty when his head snapped back, he buried himself inside me, his body bucked into mine, and I received it gratefully (still shuddering).

When he was done, he dropped to me but only for a breath before he rolled us but kept us connected and held me tight on top of him.

My forehead pressed to the side of his neck, I didn’t bother trying to steady my breathing. I just let each breath rush out against his skin as I committed every second of the last twenty minutes to memory.

Every second.

It was only when I felt his fingertips drawing patterns on my hip that I realized both our breaths were steady.

His fingers clenched into my flesh suddenly and his voice was thick and astounding when he asked, “You’re falling in love with me?”

I drew in breath.

Then I lifted my head and looked down at him.

God, he wasn’t handsome.

He was everything.

“I was,” I answered.

His sated gaze went guarded.

“You were?”

“That ship has sailed, sugar. And I’m on it. It’s called,” I drawled out my last, “the Love Boat.”

And I grinned when, under me and all around, I heard, saw, and felt my man burst out laughing.

Chapter Ten

The Second

Marcus

When it was almost too late, Marcus pulled out of Daisy’s mouth and got to his knees in their bed.

Her torso shot up so she was on her knees, too.

Her eyes also narrowed and she snapped, “I wasn’t done!”

Marcus hooked her with his arm around her waist, felt her surprised, breathy cry carve through his throbbing cock as he lifted her up and swung her in front of him.

He turned them so her back was to the headboard.

One arm around her, his other hand guiding the way, he slid her down on him.

Her head fell back, her hair brushing his arm.

He fell forward, on top of her. Her platinum hair all over his pillows, he lifted an arm to brace his hand against the headboard and he started moving.

She focused with effort on him.

“You’re done,” he growled.

She gave him a dazed grin.

He kissed her.

Five minutes later, he made her come.

A minute after that, she gave him the same.

* * * *

It had been three days since they’d consummated their relationship.

Three days Marcus gave Daisy to get used to this change. Three days Marcus gave himself to watch over her and make sure she was good with the change.

And three days for him to get over being pissed she’d tried to leave him.

She was good with the change if the amount, variety, and magnificence of the sex was anything to go by.

He wasn’t complaining. Weeks with her in his life and the last of those with her sweet little body, beautiful face, and all that gorgeous damned hair sleeping beside him in his bed had been torture. He was fucking thrilled it was over.

Obviously because the torture was over.

But mostly because Daisy was good with it.

However, to be certain, he’d called Bex and discussed the change with her.

“It’s a process,” she’d explained. “Some people adjust. Some people it takes longer. Some people let it haunt them. If you perceive this is going well, just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Be watchful. Encourage her to communicate. And be patient. She’ll never be over this, Mr. Sloan. I think you understand this isn’t a bruise that fades away. It’s coming to the understanding that what happened, happened. It was no fault of hers. Then learning how to cope with the fact it happened and giving herself permission to move on. That’s the key. But if you can show her you’re a man who’ll handle her with care, that you’ll be there in those times she needs to cope, then I have every faith you two will be good.”

One thing Marcus knew, Daisy could cope with anything.

The thing he didn’t know was if she knew he would always be there to help.

So right then, after they’d shared what they’d shared on a night when she didn’t have to work so they had all night to get through what he needed them to get through, he was going to make certain she knew that.