Jess reached behind her back and undid the clasp of her bra, letting it slip down her arms and to the floor. Rick’s eyes darkened to almost black, and she held his gaze, the connection between them so strong it seemed as though they must already be touching.
“I don’t have protection,” he said hoarsely.
She hesitated for a minute and counted days in her head. “It’s the wrong time in my cycle,” she said, her voice shaking. “We’ll be okay.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure. I don’t want to wait.” She reached for his hand and placed it on her breast. “Don’t make me wait.”
He didn’t. They slid onto the bed and Rick wasted no time slipping her panties over her hips. The duvet was soft beneath her and she closed her eyes, luxuriating in the feel of his lips on her skin, touching her in sensitive spots until she thought she could barely stand it. She was on fire by the time he slipped off his underwear and settled himself above her.
“Open your eyes,” he commanded, and she did, to find his face close to hers. A shadow of stubble roughened his jaw and she thrilled all over again to see how his pupils widened as she gave her hips an experimental grind against him. He braced himself on his right hand and left elbow, and she reached down between them and guided him home.
“Mmmmm,” she hummed. Rick began moving slowly inside her before he groaned quietly into her neck, his control snapping as he began to push harder, faster. Oh God, she’d missed this. Missed the rush, missed the intimacy, missed the connection with another human being. This was better than she ever remembered—pure, uncomplicated. She closed her eyes and let herself feel, get swept away by the sensations washing over her. The feel of his body against hers, the sound of his breathing, the taste of salt on her tongue when she kissed his shoulder.
“Jess,” he murmured. “We need to reverse positions.”
Rick’s arm came around her and he rolled them over until she was sitting astride him, feeling rather exposed and slightly self-conscious about having to take the lead. But he put his hands on her hips and urged her just a little, and that was all the prompting she needed. Rocking against him felt so good that she quickly forgot any inhibitions and let her body take over until she was trembling all over.
When the orgasm hit she was unprepared for the force of it and she cried out, collapsing against his chest while her hips thrust against his, taking him over the edge with her until his head was thrown back against the pillows and he found the same fulfillment.
Their breathing slowed. The sweat began to dry, leaving Jess chilled. Reluctantly she slid off his body and disappeared to the bathroom.
She saw herself
in the mirror and wide eyes stared back. Her skin was flushed and her hair a tangle of curls, tiny damp ones spiraling from her temples. Her lips were slightly swollen and she was naked as the day she was born. She’d been well and truly loved. So much so that she felt like crying, but she wouldn’t, not in front of Rick. He’d think she was upset when she wasn’t—she was simply overwhelmed with emotion.
It had been utterly fantastic. Freeing and beautiful. More than she’d ever imagined.
She’d been staring long enough, so she went back to the bedroom.
He was still on the bed, also still naked, and she felt a blush crawl up her face.
He grinned, a hint of a dimple forming on his cheek. “Getting all modest on me now, Saint Jess?”
She smiled back, feeling ridiculously shy. “Considering we’re both naked, I don’t think the saint thing applies,” she answered. She nudged back the covers, crawled underneath, and rested on her elbow. “I’m a bit cold.”
He got beneath the blankets with her. “Doesn’t feel that way to me,” he said, putting his hands behind his head and looking particularly satisfied. He gave her a sideways glance. “You look good naked, Saint Jess. Better than I thought you would, and that was a pretty damn good fantasy.”
Her lips dropped open. “You thought about that?”
“Of course I did.”
They cuddled under the blankets for a few minutes, simply enjoying looking at each other, when Rick spoke again. “Next time I’ll be prepared.”
Her heart leapt. “You expect there’ll be a next time?”
“I don’t think we’ll be able to avoid it. Once isn’t going to be enough for me, Jess.”
So what were they starting here? A relationship? She doubted that was what Rick wanted. Friends with benefits? She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with that sort of arrangement either. And yet she wasn’t in any hurry to get out of the bed and she was already thinking about when the next time might be.
“Me either,” she said, her stomach fluttering nervously.
“There’s one more thing you should know,” he said, holding her gaze. “We probably should have talked about it before. I haven’t been with anyone since leaving the hospital, and nothing was flagged on my medical. I’m clean.”
Oh God, he was honorable. And honest and tender …
“Mike was my last.”