Page 39 of A Billionaire Gentleman

I turned from closing the door to find him close enough to touch. “It is?”

“I don’t want to make an assumption here, Sofi.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I know what I want, but I need to know what you want.”

Too many possible answers ran through my mind, and I didn’t want to settle for any of them. Deflection seemed to be the best course of action.

“Tell me what you want. I need you to say it.” I moved closer to him, itching to touch him despite knowing that this wasn’t real.

“You.” He put his hand on my cheek, eyes searching my face for something I wasn’t certain I could fake. “Is that enough?”

“It is,” I whispered as I closed the last of the distance to bring our lips together.

I had no alcohol to cloud or dull my senses this time, and the intensity of his kiss hit me with force enough to steal my breath. I’d changed into a t-shirt and leggings, wanting to be comfortable, and the thin cotton did little to keep his hands from searing me with their touch. They roamed as our tongues danced, all exploring everything within reach.

When a hand slid under my shirt to run up the length of my spine, I shuddered, breaking the kiss to gasp for air. I closed my eyes, resting my forehead against his chest as he pulled me tight against his body, every hard inch of him pressed to every soft inch of me.

“Too fast?” he asked.

I shook my head even as a part of my mind wanted to sayyes. I’d started us down this road when I’d invited him inside that night, maybe even when I’d given him that first chaste kiss. It hardly seemed like only a few days ago.

I felt like we’d known each other much longer than that. I knew him well enough to know that if I asked him to go, he would. If I said this was all I could give him right now, he’d understand. He wouldn’t end everything simply because I wanted to wait a little longer. I could draw this out, be the tease Mead had sometimes accused me of being.

But I didn’t want to.

Deklin made me feel good, and I made him feel good. Sex hadn’t been part of the bargain. If I made this decision, it would be for me and for him. No one else. No other motivation.

I’d gone too long without feeling good about anything other than Dallas.

I took a step back and watched him accept what he thought I was going to say. When I reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it up, his eyes went dark, and the electricity between us sparked to life. He removed my shirt then, cursing under his breath when he saw I wasn’t wearing a bra. Our pants went next, underwear with them so that when we faced each other again, we had nothing hidden.

My heart thudded against my ribcage as I took in all six feet, two inches of lean muscle and tanned skin, saving his cock for last. I’d had him hot and heavy in my hand, but I hadn’t seen it then. He wrapped his fingers around it now, stroking himself until he went from half-hard to it bobbing in front of him.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I don’t know how much patience I’m going to have,” he teased.

“You’re beautiful.” I flushed but didn’t take the words back. They were true. He was a work of art.

He shook his head and held out his free hand. I took it, letting him lead me to the bed. I had a fleeting moment where I wondered what Jude would think about me having sex with his grandson in his house, but then I realized I didn’t care. What was happening here had nothing to do with Jude.

“Lay on the bed,” Deklin said. “I want to look at you.”

I climbed on the bed, self-conscious as I felt his eyes on me. When I laid down, my head propped up enough that I could watch him, he let his gaze roam up and down my body, all the while working his hand over his cock.

“Deklin.” I held out my hand, parting my legs to make my intention clear.

“Not yet. I want to take my time.”

I made an impatient sound. “Next time. I feel like we’ve had two days of foreplay.”

He chuckled before reaching down to grab his pants.

“Don’t eventhinkabout putting those back on.”

Now he laughed, one of those deep, rich sounds that came from a source greater than happiness. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, rummaged in it for a minute, then let the pants fall back to the floor as he held up a condom.

“Oh.”

“Trust me, Sofi. The only thing that’s going to keep me from burying myself deep inside you is if you tell me to stop.” He ripped the package open and rolled on the condom. “The house could catch fire, and I’d just move us to the shower and threaten to punch any firefighter who looked at you.”

I burst out laughing, and it tugged at something inside me. I’d never laughed during sex. I barely talked. Not counting, of course, what Mead had always needed. How big he was. How good. How I was such a slut. Deklin wouldn’t want any of that, and it left me feeling lighter than I ever had before.

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