Page 71 of In Hiding

“Do you want me to stop, Sarah?”

“No.”

The permission closed his eyes and he rested his cheek against hers. “I won’t lie. I want you in my bed, naked. I want to taste every inch of you.”

Her arm tightened around him as her breath echoed at his ear. “It’s been a long time, Jake.”

Lifting his head, he stared into her eyes, wanting her to say the words. “We go at your speed.”

Her slender throat bobbed when she swallowed, drawing his attention. The silky smooth skin made his mouth water. He shifted his focus and found a storm of emotion in her eyes. There was desire, but also uncertainty. Despite all the mistakes he’d made in the past, he’d never taken a woman against her will and he didn’t plan on starting now.

“Tell me what you want,” he urged.

“Be gentle,” she whispered, taking his hand in hers. She guided him under the sweater and up to her breast. “But sure.”

Feeling the curve of her breast in his hand, he rubbed his thumb over her nipple and smiled as it responded. Taking the pebble between thumb and forefinger, he rolled it and reveled in the pleasure on her face. Lifting away the material, he exposed her to him and ogled as she filled his hand. Needing to taste, he dipped his head and sucked her into his mouth.

Sarah gasped and held on to him, her fingers pushing into his hair as her back arched. Laving at her nipple, he listened to her quickened breathing and felt her pulse pound through her chest. He released her only long enough to strip the garment from her body. Her breast, red from his attention, beckoned. From one to the other, he repeated the movements. Her head fell back, her hair swinging over his arm. When he straightened, the picture she painted blew his mind.

Leaning in again, he licked the hollow at the base of her neck, feeling her heartbeat drum beneath her skin, before kissing his way back up her neck.

“Sarah, look at me.”

He waited until her head lifted. With her lips parted and her eyes full of need, she smiled. “Yes?”

“Tell me what you want. Don’t hold back.”

“I want you to remind me how good sex can be.”

“Good?” He winked. “Honey, I can do better than that.”

Picking her up, he carried her to the bedroom and set her on the bed. Kneeling beside her, he loosened the drawstring on the sweatpants and tugged them down her hips, baring her to him. Blood raced through his veins, the rushing in his ears a sound he hadn’t heard in too many months. He welcomed the heat in his groin and the hardness in his muscles as he removed his clothes.

Her eyes sparkled as she watched him undress. The close attention she paid his body sent excitement through him, a sensation akin to the first time he’d been with a woman. She sat up and reached for him, her hand smoothing over the muscles of his abdomen. Her mouth followed, butterfly kisses tracing the contours of his shape up toward his chest. Flicking her tongue over his nipple, she raised her eyebrows.

“You think I’m going to lie back and think of Mother England?”

He cupped her chin and kissed her deeply. “You’d better not. The only person I want you thinking about is me.”

Encouraging her to lie back down, he made his way down her body, kissing each scar as he headed south, before settling between her thighs. Pink flesh glistened, drawing him in closer for a taste. Her hips bucked when he made contact and the moan of delight that rumbled through her body gave him reason to slow down and treat her with reverence. Licking her slowly, he flattened his tongue against her most sensitive parts and was rewarded when she cried out.

Her fingers delved into his hair, pulling his head toward her. Jake took his time, learning her reactions to different pressures. When he circled a finger at her entrance, her back arched and her hands gripped his head. He teased and titillated, amazed at how wet she became. Above him, she urged him deeper with soft whispers. Staring across her heaving chest, he made eye contact as he slid a finger deep inside her. The bliss in her eyes pleased him but he wanted more. He would settle for nothing less than complete satisfaction. He wanted her fully sated when she finally fell asleep.

That was some time away. Until then... Jake kissed the inside of her thigh, thrusting his finger inside her. Her eyes never left his, not even when he pressed his mouth against her. The trust she placed in him humbled him, drawing him back up her body until he claimed her mouth again. Unexpectedly, her hand wrapped around his cock and squeezed, jerking his hips.

“I want you inside me.”

She guided him to where she wanted him. Her heat branded him and drew him in. Sliding into her, Jake braced against her tight muscles. He cupped her breast and kissed her, encouraging her body to take more of him. Slowly she relaxed, allowing him deeper. Her thighs curved around his hips, her body angling for better penetration. Jake swallowed against the overwhelming sensation of being buried up to his balls.

Moving inside her, he marveled at the cascade of emotions on her face and reveled under the touch of her hands. It would be so easy to lose himself in Sarah, to give over to the desire to please this woman. Everything about her lured him into believing that one night of ecstasy would show her how much he cared, but he knew better. Sarah wasn’t a one-night stand kind of girl and for the first time in his life, he didn’t want to be the one-night stand kind of guy.

Beneath him, she rolled her hips, bringing his attention back to her. Lying there, with her hair splayed out and her body his for the taking, she offered him salvation. In her, he had a place to call home. For her, he wanted to be a better man.

Her palm pressed against his cheek and she smiled. Wanting her to have control, he tipped them sideways until he was on his back and she straddled him. Surprised, she rested both hands on his chest and moved her hips. Rising and falling, she tested him, bringing him to the brink of orgasm before slowing the pace. Watching her body move over him left him in awe of her beauty but if he let her keep going, she’d send them both off the cliff too soon.

Jake placed his hands at her waist and held her to him. He throbbed inside her and she narrowed her eyes as she leaned down to press her lips against him.

“I thought we were going at my pace,” she teased, biting his lip.

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