Page 12 of Let Me Love You
Chapter Three
“Are you okay?” Stacey asked. The concern in her voice warmed him from head to toe. He’d nearly passed out from the rush of his orgasm. Best he’d ever had. His limbs still tingled and his head swam in a pool of euphoria.
Several minutes had passed, the two of them tangled in each other, trying to regain their breath, their composure.
Ren pulled back to look at her. Waves of emotion floated across her features: Relief mixed with worry, and what was that? Guilt? His chest twisted into a knot at the idea she would regret one millisecond of what just happened.
Sex was always great, butthis, this was incredible. So intense. So amazing.
“I don’t know.” He stretched his lips into a lazy smile. “I’ve never had sex like that.”
“Like what?” She attempted to straighten, but he was still semi-hard inside of her.
He didn’t want to pull out and lose the feel of her arms, her pussy wrapped around him, linking them emotionally as well as physically. He hadn’t imagined their connection. He’d seen hints in her expressions and her voice, but this feeling was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. He wanted the joy, the moment to last forever.
“So together. So real.” He chuckled with satisfaction and admiration. He’d always secretly believed he was missing the commitment gene. A connection to a woman was foreign to him.
Not that he thought he’d be alone. Companions were easy to find.
His heart thrummed against his chest and every inch of him tingled with excitement and anticipation. He made love to a woman for the first time. Finally. And it wasfan-fucking-tastic! This was what all the fuss was about. He’d never be the same.
He slid free of her, sighing at the loss of warmth. Her sharp intake of breath signaled her own displeasure at losing their union. That gave him some comfort knowing she felt something, too. But the glimmer of regret clouding her beautiful blue eyes gnawed at his gut.
He needed to remind her what they’d just done. Of what they could be.
Leaning into her, he slanted his mouth over hers, then kissed her deeply, dipping his tongue into her sweet recess. She tasted spicy, like cinnamon gum. He’d buy out the Big Red packs and the cinnamon Altoids at the grocery store tomorrow just to keep her flavor on his tongue.
“I want to do this again,” he said against her mouth, holding her face in his hands, and caressing the curve of her jaw with his thumb. His lips lingered over hers. “I want to do this often.”
The corners of her mouth turned down. “Oh, Ren.” A crack of guilt in her voice, a sadness in her sigh.
“Don’t say it, Stacey.” He shook his head. “I came here with every intention of this happening. You didn’t seduce me. You didn’t coerce me to do anything. So, please don’t tell me you feel guilty or you regret it. I couldn’t take it. This is the best day of my life.”
Her eyes widened at his declaration, as if she’d expected him to throw on his clothes as he walked out the door and yelled, “thank you” before it slammed shut. He understood her thought process. She knew him well. He hadn’t ever had a steady girlfriend. Not one who he’d dated more than a couple times. She knew that.
But this wasn’t a fling. Not for him. Even though she didn’t know it yet, he wasn’t just getting his rocks off with an older woman. He wanted more. Wanted her. All of her.
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered. She dropped her gaze to the floor. Wisps of hair covered her face like a veil, shielding her from his scrutiny.
“Don’t say anything.”
“You know this can’t happen again.” She flipped her hair back, exposing wide eyes. A warm smile stretched her lips, but her words felt like a dagger to his carotid. “I admit this was incredible. Amazing. You’re amazing. Any girl who ends up with you is the luckiest girl alive.”
The idea of being with another woman soured his stomach. Finally, he was ready to commit to a woman. To her.
“What if I want that girl to be you?” He stood between her legs and lifted her chin. All sorts of emotions swam in the depths of her blue eyes. He tried to cling to those that would help him get her on the same page. “I want you.”
“Oh, baby, that’s sweet. Really. But you don’t want me. Trust me.” She set her hands on his chest and pressed, trying to create space between them.
He gripped her hips and held on, refusing to be pushed away. If he let her off the counter now, she’d throw him out and declare this the biggest mistake of her life. He couldn’t let that happen. She’d need time to digest his proposition, but first he had to understand the source of her resistance, otherwise it would be like wrestling a ghost.
“Why wouldn’t I want you?” He narrowed his eyes, silently daring her to name all the reasons she’d formulated in her pretty head so he could shoot every last one of them down.
“First of all, your parents willneverapprove of this. I’m pretty sureIdon’t approve of this.” She waved a finger between them. He grabbed her finger and kissed the tip. Her eyes softened, but she yanked her hand from his grasp.
Clearly his touch affected her. He clung to that.
“We don’t need my parents’ approval. For Christ’s sake, I’m an adult. You’re an adult. We make our own decisions. We decide if we want to take this further. To have a relationship.”
