Page 127 of Cruel Abandon (Fallen Royals 5)

He crawls on top of me, and oddly enough, the weight of him grounds me. He gently tugs my hands away.

“I don’t know the right thing to say here, Sky. If sex brings up memories, tell me. We can work through it. I can…” He shakes his head and gives me a small smile. “I can be gentle.”

I raise my eyebrows. “You, gentle?”

He chuckles and steals a kiss from my lips.

“And if you are a virgin,” he continues, “then it might hurt. And we should probably hide any evidence from your poor mother.”

I grimace.

But then again, the last thing she needs to see are blood stains on the couch cushions.

He glances around and spots a tote of extra linens, and gestures for me to stand. He folds the sheets, then presses me back into position. My cheeks are on fire.

More kissing, tongue, and I barely notice the pull of fabric down my legs. He draws back and smirks at me. It’s not really fair that I’m now fully naked and he’s clothed—again.

I yank his shirt up and over his head, and I automatically undo the button of his jeans.

I keep my attention locked on his face as I do what he’s done to me a few times now: I slip my hand in his pants. He’s already hard. The head of his cock pushes into my hand, and he lets out a low groan.

“Fuck,” he says, bowing his head.

I stroke him up and down, uncertain.

His hand suddenly covers mine, adjusting my grip. Tighter, quicker movements. And then he slows my speed to a stop and meets my stare. “I want to be inside you.”

I swallow. Nerves are a flock of birds erupting from my chest. “I… did you bring a condom?”

He chuckles. The warm tone does something to me. My stomach twists, but in a good, unusual way. Like the first sip of the perfect cup of coffee, but… better.

“Of course,” he says.

“Maybe we could go without.” I kiss his jaw. “Have you done that before?”

He hesitates. “I’m clean. I got tested at the beginning of the semester and haven’t slept with anyone since then. But… are you sure?”

I close my eyes briefly. “I want this to be special for both of us.”

He traces the contour of my breast, almost without thought. “It’s always been you, Sky. You are special. You’ve always been special. I used other girls to try and shield myself from the truth. But nothing can completely block out the sky.”

I inhale.

“Liam…”

It’s his eyes that convince me. His eyes that have stayed the constant since I was thirteen and scared, fourteen and wild, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen and out of control. Watching me. Protecting me. Punishing me.

A shudder sweeps through me at the last thought, followed by more emotion than I know what to do with.

“I want this,” I say.

“Okay,” he whispers.

He stands and shoves off his pants. I take a moment to admire his abs, the cut of muscle and bone that points to his erection. And, well, I try not to focus on that too much. My mouth dries out. And then he settles between my legs, drawing my attention up, up, up.

He lays his hand on my throat, and I imagine he must feel my hummingbird pulse. He sweeps his thumb over my lips, and he squeezes ever so softly at the same time he lines up with my entrance.

“Relax,” he whispers.

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