He croons something. Praise or filth, I don’t know. The words are lost under the crashing of my heartbeat and the moans slipping from my throat. All that remains is the deep, soothing sound of his voice. It washes over me, cooling my burning skin and sliding through all the brittle cracks Chet left inside me, filling those barren, empty spaces with fields of colorful wildflowers and sparkling waterfalls that quench the dark desert of my heart and turn it into a verdant paradise.
My chest grows tight. My throat closes. Suddenly—shit—I’m fighting the urge to cry.
I don’t know how, but Cole senses it. He slows his thrusts, then stops altogether, leaning over to plant his forearm beside my head.
“Sweetheart,” he murmurs, nuzzling my ear. “You okay?”
I say yes, but it means no. And he must have a lot of experience with women, because he knows. Without withdrawing from my body, he carefully takes us down to the mattress, curves his strong body around mine, and gathers me into his arms.
His mouth against my neck, he says softly, “Tell me what you need.”
Chet was never this sensitive. This giving. This wonderful.
Eyes watering, I inhale a hitching breath. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to ruin this.”
“You’re not ruining anything.”
“I’m sure this isn’t what you imagined when I propositioned you.”
“Which part?”
“Me being all weepy.”
His tone turns conversational. “I know it’s due to my sexual prowess. I’ve been told it’s overwhelming.”
Despite the tightness in my chest, I manage a chuckle. “Your arrogance is overwhelming, that’s for sure.”
He gives me a squeeze and kisses my neck. His tone turns teasing. “Tell the truth. My dick is so glorious, you wanted to burst into tears of joy the moment you saw it.”
“What kind of man calls his dick glorious? I think you’re the one who’s been reading too many romance novels.”
He whispers, “Admit it. It’s beautiful. You want to build it a shrine.”
“For God’s sake.”
“And burn incense sticks in those little gold holders. And lay fruit and flowers all around the base as you chant it a reverent song.”
“Wow. Whatever you’ve been smoking, I want some.”
He peppers my neck with soft kisses, working his way down to my shoulder where he bites me gently. “I’m just high on you.”
The sweetness of that sentiment takes my breath away. After a moment, I clear my throat of the frog in it. “That’s a lyric from a song.”
“Probably. I mean it, though.”
I must be out of my mind, because I believe him. Heaving a big sigh, I close my eyes and turn my cheek to his shoulder. He strokes his hand down my arm, then squeezes my hip. There’s a moment of contemplative silence, then he says, “We can stop now if you want.”
My eyes fly open. “Are you kidding? No way! I’m not letting one stupid little weepy moment get in the way of the best dick of my life!”
His chest shakes with silent laughter. When he’s composed himself, he says seriously, “You should work for Hallmark. That would make an incredible greeting card.”
Then he flexes his hips, pushing deeper inside me.
Cole
She reaches around the back of my neck and pulls my head down for a kiss. It’s a long kiss, a lingering, soulful one, and by the time it ends, both of us are breathing hard and trembling.
Looking into her eyes, I say in a husky voice, “I only want to make you feel good. Whatever you need, ask for it. If I do something you don’t like, tell me. Let’s pretend we’ve loved each other all our lives and nothing we say or do could ever change that. Let’s pretend, just for tonight, just with each other, that we’re where we’ve always belonged.”
Her eyes well with water. Her voice strangled, she says, “If you keep talking like that, you’ll be having sex with a sobbing mess.”
I swipe a finger under her eye, capturing a lone tear. Then I kiss her nose and smile at her. “A sobbing mess with the most beautiful ass I’ve ever seen. Time to ride me, baby.”
She lets out a little scream when I roll onto my back and take her with me. I manhandle her into position and issue a warning. “Watching you bounce up and down on my dick is probably gonna put me over the edge pretty quick, so if there’s anything you need me to do to get you there with me, let me know.”
She laughs. I love the way her eyes light up when she laughs. Her whole body lights up from within.