I ran a hand through his hair. “They’d just never seen a girl eat pizza and tacos before,” I teased.

He chuckled. “Valid point.”

Then he put his hands on my hips and pushed my hips down. The moment I pressed against his erection, pleasure shot through me. I moaned and it took all my willpower not to rock against him.

I leaned into him until our lips met, and instantly his hands were in my hair as he kissed me. Our mouths locked and the taste of him drew me in, closer. The darkness, flickering light, and being completely alone made it feel as if there was no one else on earth. Just us. Just this place where we could stay wrapped up in each other.

My heart pounded inside my chest so hard I was sure he could hear it. As his hands slipped under my shirt, he wrapped it in his fists and pulled it over my head. He broke our kiss only to dispose of the shirt. He wasted no time capturing my mouth again. I held onto his shoulders as he made quick work of my bra and then pulled it off my body. When he broke the kiss this time it was to lean back and stare at me. His hands were on my ribs. His thumbs barely caressing my stomach now bared to him.

I was breathing so hard my breasts moved in front of him, and his eyes heated as he watched. Both nipples ached for him to do something. I was ready to beg when he brought his mouth to the first nipple and pulled it in with his teeth, barely scrapping the tender area.

“Ah!” I breathed out the word, and my hands went to his head. I wanted to hold him there. To keep doing whatever he was doing with his mouth. I could feel it all the way to the area I was now pressing harder against his lap.

His mouth moved from one breast, leaving it with a kissing, then he took the other. I watched in fascination. I couldn’t keep from making noises. Especially, when he bit down on my nipple lightly. Just enough to heighten the sensation.

When he finally looked back up at me, I was barely able to sit still. My body was craving more. “Lie down,” he told me.

I was at his mercy. I’d do whatever he said at this point, if he didn’t stop what he was doing.

I reclined on the couch, and as soon as my back hit the cushions, he was over me taking off his shirt. His shorts followed. All that remained on his perfect body were his black boxer briefs. I’d often wondered what he looked like in them when I did the laundry. Now I knew and my imagination hadn’t done him justice. Not by a long shot.

He bent and pulled off my shorts. Then he paused, and his gaze met mine. He held my gaze while his fingers grasped my panties and he slowly pulled them down, baring me completely to him.

I’d never been naked like this in front of a guy. When I’d lost my virginity, I’d still had on my dress. It had just been pushed up. I thought being this vulnerable would scare me. But it didn’t. I wanted this. Him.

His eyes trailed down my body. The heat from his eyes made me feel hot and flushed. Then he kneeled between my legs moving them apart. I didn’t realize what was happening until he rested one of my legs over his shoulder.

I started to protest but his kiss on my inner thigh felt so darkly beautiful I couldn’t say anything. He flicked at my skin with his tongue, and then his mouth was there. Where I had never been kissed before. The first swipe of his tongue sent a sensation through me, causing me to cry out as my head pressed into the sofa cushions under me.

“God, you taste as good as you smell,” he said lifting his head barely to look at me. Then he watched me as his tongue came out and he licked me again. This seemed forbidden, and although I knew people did it, I never imagined I would. It was incredible and lifted any barriers I had. Any that may have remained were gone as I trusted him to be intimate with me in such an erotic way.

My thoughts scattered when he pulled my clit into his mouth and sucked. I clawed at his shoulders. I cried out his name. I pleaded with him. I no longer cared about how I acted or looked. I just needed more.

He inhaled me as if I were delicious, and that made me even crazier.

When the wave washed over me taking me to my release, I began to shake and my thighs pressed against his head. I didn’t want to come down from this high. I wasn’t sure I could look at him after I had lost all control.

None of that was an issue because by the time I caught my breath, his body covered mine and I felt him pressing into me. “I can’t slow down. Not after that. I’ve never been this fucking excited in my life,” his voice was tense.

I couldn’t speak yet. But I lifted my hips and opened my knees wider so he would sink inside me. He was larger than I was prepared for and the tight pain from his entrance while I was still coming off my orgasm brought me almost immediately back to climax—as if it was still happening.

“Fuck,” he said against my neck. “Fuck, that feels amazing.” He was breathing hard now. His body moving over mine as he began to move harder, faster. I was exploding again lost in my own world of ecstasy.

When he jerked his hips back and left my body, I started to reach for him. I wanted more. I wanted to go there over and over. But his own release shot all over my stomach as he let out a loud groan similar to a roar.

“Gaaah!” His hand worked as he pumped his seed onto me, panting as he watched it cover my skin.

“Shit, that was . . . I’ve never been that worked up,” he said lifting his eyes from my stomach to meet mine.

I had no energy left. I was weak. But I smiled.

“I made a mess,” he said once he could take a steady breath.

“I enjoyed making the mess,” I managed to say.

He laughed softly then leaned over to grab his discarded shirt to clean me up.

When he was finished, he pulled me into his arms. I cuddled against him. His skin was warm and felt wonderful.

“I love you forever,” he said.

And I believed him.

Jasper

I’D SENT BEULAH TO SPEND some time with Heidi before coming into work. I wanted to make sure she saw her several times a week. Not just on Sunday’s. The one thing I could get Beulah to do for herself was see her sister. When I told her to visit, she didn’t argue. She went with a smile on her face that made the entire world seem brighter.

In life, I hadn’t been taught to trust. It started with my parents. They lost my trust at an early age. Then there were friends, and eventually girls.

The only friend I trusted without question had been Stone. Simply because he was honest, even if it hurt. He didn’t hold back punches. Neither had his father. Figuratively and literally. It was part of the reason Stone was so dark and hard to get close to.

Beulah was the first female I had ever trusted. She made it so damn easy to trust her. Watching her walk away, I never wondered if it was her sister she was going to see. I knew without a doubt that was where she’d be. It was a relief, knowing I could trust someone. Like a heavy burden had been taken away. Just another reason to make me love her more.

Coming home had sounded like living in the pits of hell. But I’d done it to see if I could even take the place my father had left for me. It had been time to try. He had left me more work than he knew. I came back for him, for the corporation he’d left me, and I’d found her. I would be forever thankful I did.

The door to my office opened without a knock. I knew before Stone stepped inside who it was. He was the only one who did that—came in unannounced. Even the woman I loved more than life would knock. I couldn’t get her not to. She was determined it was the polite thing to do. Which made me smile more.

Stone would never be someone she liked or understood. I was okay with that.

He was wearing a white button down today which was rare. He still wore jeans though. He hated dressing like his father—the shoes he’d fill one day. If my father had beaten me until I was old enough to stop him, I’d feel the same.

“It’s official then. You’re in a relationship with her.”

I nodded. “Yes. You knew it was headed that direction.”

He looked annoyed. “I thought you’d be smarter. But it’s your life. I can’t live it.”

“No, you can’t.”

He walked over and sat down on one of the leather chairs across from my desk. “Got any coffee?”

“I can have some sent up.”

“Where’s your secretary?”