Daegan’s hips stuttered as he bit back a swear. Groaning into her ear, the next move of his hips had his deep thrusts striking her g-spot. “Daegan,” she managed to whimper; each of his heavy thrusts had her nearly breathless.

One of Daegan’s hands found her clit. Rubbing his fingers back and forth over it, he continued to bury his cock deep within her. “Yes, baby?” His voice caressed her ears, made something in her chest grow tight.

Baby.

It was that gentle devotion that pushed her beyond the brink, launching her into a shattering climax that consumed her entirely. Fingers tangled in his hair, she held on tight asher orgasm left her shaking through wave after wave of pure, unadulterated bliss.

She could feel her inner walls clench and flutter around Daegan’s cock, which still had not stopped moving. He kept going, hitting that perfect place inside until the pleasure was so intense, so all-consuming, that it stole the very breath from her lungs.

She wanted to cry out, to tell Daegan how incredible he made her feel, how the force of her orgasm was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. But the words were lost, drowned in the maelstrom of sensation that swept her away, leaving her trembling and boneless in the aftermath of the most earth-shattering climax of her life.

All Kinsley could do was cling to Daegan, her nails scoring his back as she rode out the last, lingering tremors of her release. As she lay there, the warmth of his body grounding her, she let herself bask in the moment—in the pleasure. But in the quiet spaces between their breaths, doubt whispered to her. Morning would come, it reminded her, and with it all the uncertainties that Kinsley wasn’t ready to face. Could this really be more than a night? She hoped for it, even as she feared the answer.

Daegan had fantasized about her,about what she looked like under her cute dresses and skirts. But he never thought he would feel her tightening on his cock as she came for him. It took everything he had to keep going, to not stop until he heard her whimper, oversensitive and wrung out from her pleasure.

As the last tremors of Kinsley’s orgasm faded, his own release barreled toward him like a freight train. She was still clenching around his throbbing cock, and the feeling of her releasedripping between them pushed him past the point of no return. With a guttural groan, he pulled her body flush against his own to feel her completely, burying himself as deep as he could.

Daegan’s cock pulsed and jerked as he came. The head of his shaft pressed insistently against her cervix, as if he wasn’t wearing a condom, as if he could tie them together forever. The force of his orgasm seemed to go on forever, each spurt of his hot cum a testament to his pleasure. Wave after wave of mind-bending pleasure crashed over him until he thought he might drown. Every ounce of tension from seeing her every day at work was pouring out of him in a cathartic rush, leaving him spent in its wake.

Gripping Kinsley’s hips with bruising force, he held her in place, refusing to let even an inch come between them. The sweat-slicked slide of their bodies, the ragged cadence of their labored breathing, the erratic pounding of their hearts—all of it blended together in perfect harmony.

As the last shudders of his orgasm tapered off, Daegan let his hands glide reverently over the curves of her thighs. Reluctantly, he withdrew from the snug embrace of her body, a low sigh escaping his throat at the loss of her warmth around him. But even in the hazy aftermath of the most intense climax of his life, Daegan knew that this was only the beginning.

What he had experienced with Kinsley was a carnal rapture of her body and soul; he knew he could never let her go. He was ruined for all other women, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m going to go clean up,” he said through a satisfactory grin, allowing his fingers to stroke over her chest for just a moment before he went to the bathroom.

He returned to the bed to find Kinsley snuggled up in the blankets. As he climbed under the covers, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, hoping to get her attention.

“Goodnight, Daegan.” Her voice was barely audible above the hum of the engines.

That was it?

No after-sex closeness? No opportunity for Daegan to cradle her in his arms and give her tender kisses and touches?

The abruptness felt…cold. Was she upset? Or just feeling used?

Daegan eased back toward his own pillow, not wanting to press the issue. They could talk about it in the morning. “Goodnight, Kinsley,” he replied softly, though he wanted to reach out and pull her toward him. There were only inches separating them, but it felt as if their bodies were miles apart. The warmth of her skin lingered on him, but he couldn’t shake the coldness settling in between them.

The luxury of the suite was almost mocking now—too pristine, too indifferent to the raw emotions that churned beneath the surface.

Daegan was lucky if he slept half an hour on that flight. Every time he would doze off, he jerked awake in an instant. Each time his gaze fell on her, sleeping soundly beside him, guilt gripped him. Did Kinsley regret it? Had he pushed her too far? Should he have turned her down?

Every quiet moment only made him feel more like the villain in a story he couldn’t rewrite.

He had even called her “baby,” a nickname he had only used with his ex-fiancée. Had that been too much? Daegan didn’t mind. As a matter of fact, he could get used to it, so long as it stayed between them. It felt right. But if he let any of his emotions get involved? Then, he wasn’t so sure.

Maybe it was a mistake.He wished he had maintained more self-control. But he wasn’t sure he would want to go through life without experiencing last night either.

He brushed her hair back gently, his fingers lingering for just a moment before he kissed her forehead. The softness of her skin under his lips made him ache, made him wish he could somehow undo the distance between them. He whispered the only words that came to mind, “I’m sorry,” hoping she could hear it in her dreams. It wasn’t her fault that he was broken. It wasn’t her fault that he’d given into his desires with nothing more to back it up. She didn’t deserve that. She deserved better.

If he closed his eyes, he could still taste her, could still feel her warmth wrapped around his cock. He should have been exhausted, but he wanted her so badly, he could have gone again right then, if she asked. But the longer Daegan lay there, it felt more like a dream, one that was already slipping through his fingers.

He could pull her close again, wake her up for another round and make her moan his name. Would she like that, waking up with his mouth on her, already halfway to her orgasm before she’d even had her coffee? He wanted to taste her orgasm, to reach that bliss with her again.

But I can’t.

Once was enough. For now. Perhaps forever.