Page 36 of Destined For Forever

Giving herself a chance to start over.

“You could lead a man to the edge of the world, Lily.” Sean was out of his shirt and jeans and socks and shoes.

He stood before her, body honed by hours on the waves and lifting deliveries at the bar, his skin glowing from the Aussie sun. His shoulders were broad enough to carry the world upon them. The tattoo drew her eye, and the story behind it tugged on her heartstrings. She let her gaze drop over the flat plane of his stomach, ripped with a sinful six pack. Then lower.

Warmth rushed into her cheeks. “I don’t want to lead you to the edge of the world. Just to bed.”

He pushed his underwear down, allowing it to join hers on the floor. For a moment, he didn’t move, and Lily took the opportunity to drink him in. To drink the moment in. This was a man she’d wanted from the time boys stopped being gross and started being intriguing. From the very moment she left girlhood behind.

“Get your fill, Lily,” he said with a cocky laugh. “Take your time. I don’t have anywhere else to be.”

Every part of him was perfect and she desperately clung to the single sliver of confidence she had left. No way would she waste this opportunity by feeling embarrassed or insecure. That would be a tragedy.

“We’ve got all night.” She took a step toward him, face tilted up so her eyes could meet his. “And I intend to take my time.”

He swept her up into his arms, holding her body against his. It was like being cocooned in muscle. She felt safe. Adored. The hard length of him pressed against her stomach and her sex pulsed with awareness.

No doubts. No worries about tomorrow. No thinking about the future.

Sean carried her to the bed, his mouth devouring hers. The world shifted as he lowered her down, one hand ripping the covers back and the other cradling her body. Her hands cupped his face while she kissed him greedily. It felt glorious to let go. To stop worrying about what people thought and just… feel. Just be.

“I’m going to take care of you tonight, Lily,” he said, tracing the line of her jaw with his fingertip. A weak sliver of moonlight filtered in through the bedroom window and sharpened his features. “I want to taste every inch of you.”

She swallowed, her heart thudding like crazy. “I want that, too.”

Sean lowered to his knees and smoothed his palms up the front of her thighs until his hands came to rest at her sex. Goosebumps rippled across her skin as he blew cool air gently over her. “Do you like that?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

His thumbs rubbed over the front of her sex, teasing the tight bundle of nerves and parting her in a way that felt incredibly intimate. Incredibly sensual. He lowered his head and ran his tongue across the most sensitive part of her, her hands flying to his head, fingers driving through his hair. “That feels…”

After her pause dragged on too long Sean looked up, his eyes intense. “Say it.”

“So good,” she gasped. “So very good.”

His tongue moved in a way that made her breathless and she tightened her grip on his hair, losing herself to sensation. Everything from the past few months dissolved like fairy floss on her tongue. None of it mattered anymore. Nothing mattered except this very moment.

“I’m close.” Her voice was ragged now. “Sean, please.”

It didn’t take long for her to find the peak of pleasure, her thighs trembling as she chased release.

When she floated back down to earth, Sean bundled her up in his arms, the mattress shifting under the weight of him as he sank in beside her, hands warm and eager. She pulled him closer, shifting herself, hinting for him to move above her. To trap her between his hard chest and the soft sheets, like he was shielding her from the world.

“Was that movie-worthy?” He grinned.

“We’d get an R-rating slapped on us for sure.” She giggled.

“Hmm, do I have to try harder for an X-rating?”

“A lot harder.” Her body hummed, hovering in the delicious limbo between roaring hunger and utter satisfaction. Cupping the back of her head, he slid his tongue across her lips, opening her. His kisses made her head spin. “Not hard enough. Keep trying.”

“You know I love a challenge.” His fingertips traced circles on her arm. “But I need to grab a condom if we’re going to take it further.”

She nodded. “Yes, good idea.”

He climbed out of bed to dig through his luggage. Then he produced a foil packet, tearing it open in one smooth motion and rolling the condom down on himself. Sean handled himself with confidence and he seemed like a man who was totally comfortable in his own skin. As he walked back towards her, Lily couldn’t tear her eyes from him.

He got into the bed, drawing her beneath him and nudging her thighs apart with his knees. He planted one hand beside her head and the other skated over her body. Warmth enveloped her as he pressed her into the mattress, the weight of him ratcheting her desire up once more.

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