“You ready?” My voice was low and sensual.

She bit her lip softly and glanced away, then turned her eyes back to mine. “Yes. So fucking ready.”

There wasn’t anything else that needed to be said. I reached down and wrapped my hand around my cock and gently glided it into her.

As soon as I was fully inside her, I knew there was something different about this lovemaking session. There was a sentiment that hadn’t been present before—we weren’t simply fucking like two people really, really attracted to each other. We were…making love. No other way to put it.

I moved inside of her, Cass’s pussy gripping my cock, the warmth and tightness of her cunt enveloping me. She moaned and sighed as I entered her again and again, and all I wanted to do as I pumped was kiss her, hold her, feel the nearness of her body against mine.

So that’s exactly what I did. My lips hardly left hers, my hands wrapped around her own. I held Cass close, our bodies melting into one as I drove into her over and over. The smell of her skin, the rise and fall of her breasts, the way she bit down softly on her lip as soon as I would stop kissing her—it was like nothing else I’d ever experienced. All the women I’d slept with vanished, and only Cass remained.

I knew the orgasm was going to be incredible, and the sight of her writhing underneath me was enough to make me know I wouldn’t be able to keep it at bay for long.

“Please,” she moaned, as if sensing I was close. “Please come inside of me.”

It seemed wrong. Hell, it was wrong. But I wanted the same thing. Plus, she was on the Pill, right?

I sped the pace of my thrusting, each stroke into her bringing me closer and closer to coming. And right at the moment I couldn’t hold back any longer, Cass came, her cunt tightening around me and bringing the orgasm out of my cock. I unloaded into her, filling her completely.

And then we were done. I rolled to her side and wrapped my arm around her. And like before, we said nothing as the fire crackled.

Everything had changed. I knew it.

Chapter 30

CASSIDY

The room was toasty and warm when I finally opened my eyes. And the body next to me didn’t hurt matters at all.

What a night. I felt like I’d hit my low after those assholes gave me shit. I couldn’t believe how bad they’d managed to make me feel with only a few stupid words. But they had. Really, the way they’d looked at me would’ve been enough—that sneering expression rich kids all had for people they thought weren’t as good as them.

But why the hell did they get to me? It was like everything that I’d worked for had been wiped away in that moment. Where was the confidence I’d earned? Where was the tough-as-hell New York girl who didn’t take shit from anyone?

I shook my head, tossing it all away. At least Josh had been there for me. As much as I hated the idea of someone coming to my rescue, he’d been supportive in a way that no one outside of my family had been for me before. It was…nice.

“Too early to have that much on your mind.”

“Huh?” I glanced over to see that Josh was up, his eyes sexy as hell in a sleepy sort of way.

“You. You’re thinking about those dumbasses last night, right?”

“God, you’re too good at this. How did you know?”

“Because I know you.” He sat up, the sheets falling from his muscular, tattooed body. “And something like that isn’t going to sit well with a proud woman like yourself.”

“You think I’m too prideful?”

“No—but you have pride. And that’s a good thing. You’ve earned it.”

“But where was it last night? Why couldn’t I stick up for myself?”

“Because you still haven’t come to terms with that part of yourself—the part that’s insecure about where you came from. You’re a success, sure, but you’re still running from it.”

I knew he was right. I wanted to argue, but there was no point. Josh was smarter than I’d given him credit for back in the day. And what was scarier was I’d never had a man in my life who’d been close enough to know me like that. That was a whole other thing I’d have to deal with.

“Then I’m going to be running from it for the rest of my life, huh?”

He shook his head. “Nope, nothing says you have to. All you need to do is be happy with the kickass, smart-as-shit, beautiful woman you’ve always been.”

I smiled—couldn’t help it. “Being charming again.”

“Nope. I never lie when it comes to telling a woman what’s special about who she is, remember? Problem with you is there’s too much special shit to pick from.”