Page 24 of Riding Dirty for Christmas

Pure instinct takes over as I lift her onto the bar, stepping between her parted thighs.

Her legs wrap around my waist, pulling me closer, and the friction draws a groan from us both. The sight of her - wanting me, needing me - fuels my desire.

I trail kisses down her neck, marking a path along her throat with teeth and tongue. Her nails dig into my back as I lift her higher on the bar, positioning her exactly where I want her.

Eden awakens a consuming need to possess, to protect. Eden's fingers tangle in my hair, holding me close as I continue down her neck.

When she tilts her head back, offering her throat, something primal in me roars in satisfaction. I place open-mouthed kisses along her collarbone, tasting her skin, memorizing every response.

“Jack,” she whimpers, arching into my touch, a soft moan escaping her lips that sounds like surrender.

She grips my shoulders, fingers digging into muscle, and I growl my approval.

“Need you,” I murmur against her neck, the words raw and honest. Every brush of her fingers chips away at my control.

Her fingers tug at my shirt and I help her pull it off. Her touch ignites something deeper than desire - a fierce need to shelter her, to make her understand she belongs with me.

Eden wraps her legs tighter around my waist, grinding against me. The friction tears a groan from my throat.

I capture her lips in a bruising kiss, pouring my desperation into it. My hands shake as I remove her shirt, but my touch remains gentle - she's mine to protect as much as to claim.

Each inch of exposed skin demands attention. I trail kisses down her chest, drawing gasps and whimpers that fuel the fire inside me.

Her body responds to my touch like she was made for me, like she's always been meant to be mine.

Eden wriggles out of her pants, and the sight of her - bare and ready - sends a surge of need through my blood. She's gorgeous like this, vulnerable and wanting, trusting me completely.

Her eyes meet mine, pupils wide with desire, lips swollen from my kisses. The word “mine” pulses through me with each heartbeat.

“Jack,” she gasps against my lips, her nails marking my shoulders. “Please.”

Her whimpers have my cock straining against my jeans, but I force myself to go slow, to savor every moment. I want to brand myself into her memory, make her body remember my touch long after this night ends.

When I finally free myself and reach for the condom, my hands shake with the effort of maintaining control.

The first brush of my cock against her slick heat nearly breaks my restraint. Her heels dig into my lower back, urging me closer.

I capture her mouth in a fierce kiss, swallowing her moans as I push in slowly, giving her time to adjust. Every instinct screams to claim her hard and fast, but I force myself to go slow, to protect even as I possess.

Her eyes flutter closed, head falling back as I fill her completely.

This is different from before. Slower.

This is different from before. Slower. Deeper. Every soft sound she makes feeds something possessive and fierce in my chest. Mine, my body insists with each heartbeat.

Mine to protect.

Mine to pleasure.

Mine to keep.

“Look at me,” I demand, my voice rough with need and something deeper. “Stay with me, Princess.”

Her eyes snap open, meeting mine. The trust I see there makes my chest tight. I hold her gaze as I start to move, each thrust a claim, each withdrawal a promise.

Her hips rise to meet mine.

This is more than desire. Eden has burrowed under my skin, past my defenses. She belongs here, with me, and I'll spend however long it takes proving it to her.

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