I flushed. “You don’t have to,” I started. “It’s certainly always better to be extra safe. Don’t

let me stop you if you want condoms. I’m just saying, we’re already protected, so they’re not necessary if you don’t want them. I trust you that much.”

“Holy fuck,” he breathed, before ripping off his boxer briefs and returning fully to the bed to climb on top of me and between my legs. Staring straight into my eyes the entire time, he finally asked, “Are you sure?”

I cupped his cheek in my hands. “I am absolutely positive.”

“God.” Looking down between us in a daze, he wrapped his hand around the base of his straining cock and drew it to my opening.

Feeling the warm, damp head against me, I drew in a deep, anticipatory breath and shifted my knees further apart.

“Damn.” Glancing up again to meet my gaze, Wick swallowed loudly. “Is this real?”

I bit my lip, squirming to feel more of him, deeper inside me, so deep that I was filled and stretched to capacity.

“Why don’t you push forward and find out,” I offered.

His eyes darkened just as his hips thrust deep. I choked out my surprise.

When he met his limit and filled me completely, he paused to watch me, gauging my reaction. I whimpered and arched. But God. My body had never felt so full before. A good full, though. So full and delicious, in fact, that my inner muscles tightened around all the hard, hot fullness, seeking even more friction and drag from it. Wow, it made so much of a difference when you completely wanted a man in there and were ready for him than being uncertain and allowing it, anyway. It made all the difference in the world.

“Ah, hell,” Wick hissed, his eyes flaring and the muscles in his neck straining as my hips rolled, urging him on.

Complying, he pulled out in order to slam back in.

“Yes,” I cried, greeting the massive heave.

And just like that, we were moving in tandem, rising and falling, separating and coming back together. He caught one of my hands and linked our fingers together as he kissed me hotly and deeply, his tongue mimicking the rhythm of his cock, spiking to new depths with each plunge. When our mouths broke apart with a gasp as our pleasure coiled and tightened, meeting the maximum point of tension, he pinned my hand against the bed above my head and set his brow against mine in order to look directly into my eyes.

His jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth, and the muscles in his throat worked before he rasped, “You ready?”

I nodded just as the invisible string inside me holding everything together frayed apart and sparks flew out as I came just as hard as before but longer. Deeper. Better.

Groaning, Wick buried his face in my neck and ground himself to the hilt as his cock pulsed inside me. Wave after wave of euphoria crashed over us—just me and my human life raft, weathering the storm together—until the orgasmic hurricane inside us began to calm.

And me and Wick… We held hands to the very end.

41

Haven

I woke up, feeling good. Like really good.

Sighing in contentment, I stretched on top of my lover and grinned as my naked flesh shifted against his. Mmm, he felt nice.

Rested and more awake than I’d ever felt before when waking up, I checked the time, only for my eyebrows to lift in shock when I realized it was only five in the morning.

“Hey… Wick,” I said, kissing him all over the face to wake him up too.

When he grunted out a sound, telling me he was just barely stirring, I grinned and stroked my fingernails along his jaw. “Let’s go jogging.”

“Huh?” He cracked open one eye.

“Let’s go jogging,” I repeated.

With a muffled groan of rejection, he slid an arm around me to tether me to him fully as if he feared I was going to jump out of bed that very moment and drag him along with me.

“Let’s sleep in,” he countered.