Page 74 of Strike Zone

“You’ve had me by the balls since our first kiss. What do you think? Can we make a go of this even though we drive each other nuts?”

“I’d rather be driven nuts by you than have some boring cookie-cutter life with anyone else.”

“I’m in love with you, Diana. The crazy, stupid kind that would leave me standing outside my apartment, naked with my cock in my hand. I left my heart in the hallway that night. I’m scared to love you because you have the capacity to break me, Diana Lexington, and from that, I’d never recover.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your trust, and hopefully, in time, it won’t be so scary. I’m scared too.” Tears trickle down my cheeks. “I don’t want to lose myself again, and that’s what I let him do to me.”

“Your ex?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll never let that happen. Why would I want you to lose yourself? I fell in love with you. You’re all I’ll ever want.” He seizes my mouth in a soul-shattering kiss, his tongue teasing at the seam of my lips, begging entrance, which I freely give. His hands slide into my hair, holding me in place as he makes love to my mouth with slow, sensual strokes, filled with a longing I recognize all too well.

“I’m going to take control now, Diana, just for tonight. Let me.”

“I…” I can’t concentrate, his proximity pulling me down into the depths of desire.

“I’m going to take great delight in stripping you naked and kissing every last inch of your body.”

“Mmm.” I’m an incoherent fool.

“Then, and only then, will I make love to you. You’ll take every hard inch of me until you’re groaning my name while you come, over… and over… and over… again. You own me, Diana. I’m yours. Let me love you.”

I push myself up onto my tiptoes, my lips capturing his as every fiber of my being cries out for him. For once in my life, I give over control, willingly and without reservation. “Take me to bed, Linc.”

Without another word, he scoops me up into his arms and heads for the bedroom, stopping every few steps to kiss me with a reverence that sends shivers throughout my body, my nipples tightly budding, arousal thick in the air between us.

Linc and I have always been about hot, rough, sex—fucking. As he lays me gently on the bed, I know this is different. This means so much more.

His eyes are dark with desire, transfixed on mine as he reaches for the waistband of my jeans. “What the fuck is this?” Expecting to find buttons or a zipper, he’s caught off guard by my new belly band, stretchy maternity leggings.

“Maternity clothes. Not sexy at all.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He slips his fingers under the waistband and pulls them off in one fluid motion. “Easy access is the best kind of sexy, especially on you.”

“You have to say that, you really want to get laid right now.”

“Diana…” He lifts one leg to his lips, kissing his way from my ankle to my knee. “I say it because it’s true. Now, take off your shirt.” He moves to the other leg, teasing me, blazing a trail of fire from ankle to knee, but no higher until I’m left in nothing but my bra.

“I want to see all of you, Linc.” He takes a step back, making sure I get a good view as he slowly unbuttons his shirt, shrugging it to the floor.

“Is this what you want?” His washboard abs are a glorious sight, the defined V dipping beneath his waistband.

“More.” My voice is unrecognizable, so thick with arousal.

He scrubs his hand over the stubble on his jaw, giving me a sly wink as he lets his hand travel down his torso, and it’s so damn hot. I’m wet for him without so much as a touch between my thighs.

I want to rip his pants off, but the show he’s putting on right now is addictive. An ache builds as he unzips his fly and reaches under the waistband of his boxers, taking himself in hand before letting the heavy weight of his erection spring free. “Are you sure about this, Diana?” he asks as his pants and boxers drop to the floor.

“Yes.” My breath is labored as I part my legs in invitation. “All… of… you.”

He steps out of the pool of clothes around him, emerging like a goddamn sculpture of masculine perfection. My eyes are transfixed on where his fist wraps around the base of his cock, anticipation setting my world ablaze.

“That bra needs to come off.”

“Then come and get it.” There’s nothing playful in my challenge tonight. I need him more than my next breath. The dark, dangerous yearning of his gaze transforms as a wicked grin tugs at the corner of his lip.

“There’s no going back after this.” He coils his hands around my ankles, slowly pushing them further apart before stalking the length of me. Bracing his arms on either side of my body, careful not to press down on my stomach, he begins to lick, kiss, and nip his way over the edge of my bra, sliding one finger inside, tugging it aside to expose my naked flesh.

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