Page 72 of No More Heartbreakers

I kissed his throat, the underside of his chin. “I’m doing what I should have done last night. I want you. I’ve wanted you since the night we met. You know that’s true, don’t you?”

My mouth moved to the hollow of his throat.

Aric’s fingers delved under my hair and gripped my scalp. “If you were feeling anything like I did that night—then yes.”

“Then stop psychoanalyzing me and make love to me.”

He lifted my face and looked down at me as if he wanted to devour my flesh bite by bite. I saw the moment his self-control snapped.

His mouth took mine again, and this time his kisses were harder, deeper. His hands roamed over me in a slow seduction as his mouth worked over mine hungrily.

Sensation sparked all over my body, everywhere he touched me, in a pleasure so acute I could hardly stand it.

Stealing a line from the world’s worst ex, it hadneverbeen like this before. I pulled at my own t-shirt, trying to get free of it, desperate to feel him fully.

Aric stopped kissing me and lent a hand, pulling the shirt over my head and arms. His gaze roamed over my body, naked except for my panties, and he shook his head.

“Look at you. You arekillingme.”

Recognizing the undistilled desire in his eyes, I felt truly beautiful. I knew my body wasn’t perfect, but it seemed to be working for him.

It occurred to me this was the first time I’d let someone see me like this since Jason.

Yes, Hale and I had fooled around. Early on in our relationship, anyway. Gently, quietly, mostly clothed. And always stopping before it went very far.

After the first few months, we’d actually made out less and less often because we both knew it couldn’t go any further and it was easier to not even get started.

We’d basically turned into friends who occasionally swapped saliva.

Now that I thought about it, Hale must have been the nicest guy in the world to have put up with my spiritless approach to sex and my cautious attitude toward him in general.

Poor guy—he deserved better. No wonder he’d wanted a break.

But Aric... he made me forget myself. He took me out of my mind and into my body until all I could think of washisbody and how much I wanted him. It was just… different.

In every way.

His head dipped, and he kissed me slow and soft and hot. My hands went to his abdomen, sliding to the sides of his waist and then stealing downward toward the top of his boxers.

Aric’s grip on me tightened. He pulled away from my mouth and groaned softly into my hair.

“Heidi. We don’t have to—”

My fingers continued making progress, and his words broke off into winded breathing. His whole body began to tremble.

“Are you really sure?”

Pressing my lips to his chest, I rubbed them against his hot skin in kisses from the bottom of his throat to his solidly muscled shoulder.

I pushed at his waistband, impatient for what was to come next. It had beenso longsince I’d felt passionate about someone. And if I was being honest, Iwaskind of eager to get it over with.

Maybe this act would relieve the ridiculous longing for Aric that had built up over the past few months, and I could put our relationship back into proper perspective.

“Hurry,” I whispered.

Breathing heavily, he lifted and quickly stripped off his underwear while I removed my panties. Then he hovered over my body and settled his gratifying weight back on top of me.

This was it, the moment my screwed-up bad associations with sex would be replaced with something new, something positive, hopefully something wonderful.

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