Noah grinned mischievously at me as he lowered his face, but I grabbed a handful of hair and stopped him. “I need you,” I said. Begged.

He rose and pulled his shirt over his head while I scrambled with his belt. His chest was broad and muscular, a tan body with rippling abs and those wonderful pelvic lines narrowing as they disappeared under the waist of his pants. As soon as I had the button undone his jeans slid down, revealing that he wore no underwear.

I bit my lip, got a long look at his substantial cock, then gazed up at him.

He started bending down to remove his shoes, but I hissed, “no time,” at him and pulled his lips back down to mine, shoving my tongue back into his mouth to dance with his. I moaned as the tip of his cock pressed against my wet entrance, sliding up and down, takingtoo fucking long. I grabbed his tight little butt with both hands and pulled him into me, taking the tip and every inch of his shaft in a single long stroke.

A duet of moans filled the room.

God, it felt good to be filled like that. There was the slightest bit of pain but it was washed away by the overwhelming pleasure of having every part of my inner wall rubbed, that wonderful internal friction. I opened my mouth to cry out but it was drowned by his roar, a deep sound that rumbled from his chest and escaped loudly. I drank in the expression on his face: surprise, and even shock. I wrapped my legs around his waist and held him inside me, savoring the moment of first joining, wishing it could go on forever.

“Melissa,” he breathed into my hair.

But soon it wasn’t enough. I loosened my legs and rocked my hips, moving back and forth on him a few precious millimeters, then an inch. He took over then, his entire body roiling as he pulled back and then thrust inside, filling me to the brim again.

“Oh fuck,” he groaned as he found a good rhythm.

I tilted my head back and savored the mindless drive of our bodies. But as good as it was, it still wasn’t enough. Coming here to Colorado was a chance at becoming a new Melissa, one who threw herself into things with every fiber of her soul without fear.

“Fuck me,” I begged. “Faster.”

His crystal blue eyes flared, and then he kissed me like I was the air he’d been missing, like his life depended on it.

I ran my hands over his arms and chest, feeling howsolidhe was while he fucked me. Biceps and triceps taut with effort; a chest glistening in a sweaty sheen. Each thrust felt better than the last, and I wanted to kiss him again but his hand was squeezing my breast, holding me down with passion into the cool tabletop while I moaned and moaned.

Soon his love strokes grew faster and more instinctive; I could feel the animal within him taking over. I coaxed it out of him with my own cries of pleasure, rocking my hips and squeezing my fingers in his hair. Noah stood up straighter and grabbed my waist with both hands, holding me in a vice-like grip while fucking the ever-loving shit out of me. Each powerful thrust shook my entire body and sent jolts of pleasure into my clit, a jackhammering that quickly shut my eyes closed with intense ecstasy.

“Melissa!”

He screamed my name as he came, and I tried to scream his but I was too overwhelmed by my climax to hear my own voice as it went on, and on, andon.

15

Melissa

It all felt like a dream.

A sexy, surprising dream.

Yet when my eyes fluttered awake the next morning, I was greeted with such a beautiful sight: Noah was sleeping next to me, facing the other direction, his broad back rising and falling gently as he breathed.

I watched him for a while, remaining frozen in place because I was afraid any movement would disturb him. Moments like these were rare, waking up with a new partner for the first time. Noah was the fourth man I had slept with, and one of the others had been a one-night stand where I didn’t spend the night. So I’d only had two other moments like this one, the calm after the sexual storm where everything had yet to be ruined by thinking or talking.

I deserved to savor this.

It was nice to have a positive experience with a man. Everything with my ex sucked, obviously, but before that I’d been on a string of bad dates that left a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe that’s how I ended up in his arms in the first place, my guard down and my hopes high.

But Noah? Everything wasamazing. Meeting him, our date, and then obviously the way things ended in bed. I felt lighter than air, like I might just float out of bed and hover back to my cabin without any effort. It all felt new and pure. Free of baggage.

It had an expiration date, though. I was leaving as soon as my ankle was better. That made me sad, but maybe that’s why all of this felt perfect. The temporary nature.

I heard a noise outside, something I couldn’t place. Then I heard it again. That alarmed me, especially knowing that Noah’s property was large enough that we shouldn’t hear someone right outside. Taking care not to disturb Noah, I slipped from the bed and pawed my way to the window on bare feet.

His bedroom window had a view of the field that extended all the way to the river. At the edge of the field was a forest, and standing there was none other than Ash. He was unmistakable thanks to his size, and because he was covered in tattoos. He was wielding an ax against a small walnut tree, the ax head methodically biting into the wood with a steadyTHUNKsound.

What the hell was he doing?

I watched him work on the small tree. It was a chilly morning, and steam wafted off his shirtless form, highlighted by the intense morning sunlight. Soon the tree was felled, and he hefted it onto a shoulder like it weighed nothing at all. Then he turned and started walking toward the house.