Page 69 of My Secret to Protect

‘Arlo,’ I whisper his name as he steps closer and tips my chin up with his hand, then dips to cover my mouth with his, and I melt into him.

His hands roam down over my ass and thighs, and he picks me up effortlessly, wrapping my legs around his waist and moving us, kissing me the whole time until I feel the impossibly luxurious mattress under my back and Arlo lifts away from me to pull off his shirt.

My hungry gaze eats him up, roaming over his huge chest and his abs, his biceps, and, good lord, his tanned, strong forearms. I thank the lord that we made up in the middle of the day so that I can see every tattooed inch of this man in the light.

‘You just going to lay there objectifying me, pix?’

His words make me smile, and I sit up, reaching out for the waistband of his sweatpants to start pushing them down.

‘I mean, I might.’ My fingers tease the trail of hair leading down from his belly button until he grips my wrists and pulls me up onto my knees so we’re chest to chest and almost eye level, with him standing and me kneeling on the bed.

‘Not a chance.’

Arlo reaches for the hem of my tank, and as he lifts it. It hits me, we never did this. We never had sex. His hands have explored my body the way mine have his, but he’s never seen my body completely naked. This is new, this is a first, and suddenly, I’m a little nervous. I glance down to see the massive outline of his hardening cock under the soft fabric of his sweatpants, and Zoe’s playful prayer comes back to me. I’ve seen it. I’ve had my hands and mouth on it, and I know it’s big, but now, considering the reality of him being inside me has me wondering.

‘Bree, what are you overthinking?’ His words have me raising my attention to meet his playful eyes, and he smiles. Good lord, that smile.

‘I’m being stupid.’

‘Care to share?’

‘I’m a little nervous.’

‘Me too.’ He laughs, slow and deep, and I smile at the sound.

‘No, I mean, I’m kind of small, and you’re, well, not small.’

‘No, I’m not.’

‘Well…’

‘It’ll fit,’ he says confidently, reaching out to pop the button on my shorts. ‘We’ll take it slow, but I was made for you, pix, so it’ll fit.’

I swallow hard but can’t help my grin at the mischief in his eyes.

‘These fuckin’ shorts have been torturing me.’ He tugs them down over my hips, and I sit back, reaching out my legs so he can pull them off. Then he just stands and stares down at me for a moment. I watch him swallow, the column of his throat bobbing beneath his beard as he looks me over. My underwear is not sexy. I reached for the comfiest cotton bralette and panties after my shower, but he eats me up as though I’m the best thing he’s ever seen, and my skin heats under his attention.

‘Goddam, pix.’ His voice is gravelly and so low I feel it in my bones, and I shiver with anticipation.

‘Arlo,’ I reach out for him, ‘I need you.’

He pushes down his sweatpants. He’s not wearing boxers, and I flop back on the bed dramatically as the fucking monster between his legs bobs free. Arlo laughs and leans over me, his fists pressing into the mattress on either side of my head.

‘You going to be trouble, pix?’ he asks with a smirk, and I nod, smiling.

‘Always.’

With a low chuckle, Arlo hooks his fingers into my panties and yanks them down my thighs, calves, and off, then pulls me up to sitting and raises the bralette up and off, and just like that, for the first time, we’re naked together.

‘You’re fuckin’…’ He seems to lose his train of thought as he takes me in, but I don’t mind because I’m stuck in the same situation.

‘No, you are.’ I sigh. He really is. Swallowing hard, I reach my hands out for his. ‘I need you inside me, baby.’

Arlo seems to growl at the sound of me calling him that again after so long, and he moves, climbing onto the bed, forcing me to lay back as he settles between my thighs, his huge body covering mine.

‘I want to be inside you, more than fuckin’ anything, pix, but you said it yourself, you’re little, I’m not. I don’t want to hurt you, so I need to make sure you’re ready, okay?’

Nodding, I try not to give away how excited his words make me. It’s like Christmas morning, and I’m about to get everything I asked Santa for. This absolute mountain of a man. The sexiest man I’ve ever seen in my life is about to worship my body with his, and I am so ready.

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