“I love you,” I whispered softly.
His arm came around my waist, and he pulled me harder against his powerful body with a grunt of contentment.
I closed my eyes with a smile on my face.
When I woke up, it was daylight, but all I could focus on was the warm breath on the back of my neck.
I squirmed a little when I realized it was Seth and we were spooned just as close as we could get.
At some point during the night, he’d pulled me into his body, and his arms were tightened around my waist. We were skin-to-skin everywhere, which made me move sensually, rubbing my back against him like a cat.
“I didn’t mean to wake you up.” His voice was sleepy and sexy next to my ear.
God, I wanted to wake up with this gorgeous man next to me every day.
I’d never feel alone again.
Seth invaded my personal space, but for the first time in my life, I didn’t care. I wanted to share it with him.
“You didn’t.” We’d both conked out early, so I’d probably slept way more than eight hours.
I rolled over so I could see his face, and then reached a hand out to stroke his whiskered jaw. He had a wicked five-o’clock shadow.
It looked good on him.
It was even better when my eyes moved to his, and I saw the adoration and love in his gaze.
Having a man look at me that way seemed like some kind of miracle.
And I almost threw it away.
“I’m sorry for what I did,” I blurted out.
A smile curved up on his sexy lips. “I hope you’re not talking about the way you blew my mind before I so rudely fell asleep. I do plan on making that up to you.”
I made a face at him. “Not that. About running away. The way I love you is scary sometimes. And honestly, the way you love me is terrifying. This is all new to me, Seth. I guess I just . . . panicked. I’m not used to anyone . . . loving me. Not the way you do.”
“Get used to it, gorgeous. I’m not going anywhere. And it was easy to forgive you since you cut me slack when I fucked up. We’re both going to make mistakes. You’re exactly where you belong right now, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you here. I get that your life hasn’t exactly been rainbows and sunshine, and I’m not going to guarantee we’re never going to butt heads. We’re both stubborn, but no matter what happens, my love is not conditional. At all. Ever.”
I smiled at him, amused because he was copying my common expression. “I’m not going anywhere, either. You’re stuck with me. After realizing that I was protecting myself more than I was protecting you by creating some distance, I recognized that it was beyond time for me to stop running away from the best thing that had ever happened to me. At all. Ever.”
He smirked. “When I didn’t see you for a few days, I figured you just needed space. When I didn’t see you for four days, I started to worry, Riley. You should have just told me what happened. I’m always going to be there for you.”
I saw the light of sincerity in his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry. What can I do to make you understand that I’m over questioning us? What can I do to make it up to you?”
He grinned. “Apology already accepted. But I woke up with a very large boner because I had a beautiful woman in my arms.”
Somehow, Seth always seemed to know when things were getting just a little too heavy. I was amazed by how easily he just accepted the fact that I’d made a mistake. “So you’d like me to fix this very large erection you have?”
He rolled on his back and grinned at me. “Not just that. I want you to ride me, take what you want, whatever you need to get off. I left you high and dry last night.”
I climbed on top of his ripped body, savoring the feel of his overheated, silken skin sliding along mine. “I didn’t mind, Seth. I’m starting to understand that a relationship isn’t all about fifty-fifty. Sometimes you’ll give more, and sometimes I’ll give more. I think there are . . . cycles. I know I haven’t quite gotten over what happened to me. But that’s my old life. There will come a time when you need me to give everything to you, and I’ll do it happily.”
“Doing what you did last night was hard for you,” he grumbled as he pulled my head down close to his. “You gave plenty, and it was pretty damn brave.”
“It wasn’t that difficult. I wanted to do it because it was you. Between us, I want to share every kind of intimacy that we can.”
He put his hand behind my head and pulled it toward him until my mouth collided with his. I sighed against his silken lips, and then opened so he could do a more thorough job. I tangled my hand in his hair, relishing the sensual embrace.
The kiss was raw, carnal, but unhurried, which drove me completely insane.
It went on forever. Seth nibbled at my lip, and then my jaw. When I felt his warm breath wafting over my ear before he nipped at my earlobe, my body flooded with molten, incendiary heat.
I undulated my hips, my wet pussy sliding against his ripped, rock-hard abs.
The erotic torment went on until I finally moaned in his ear. “Seth. I need you.”
He put his hands on my hips and guided me over him. “I need you, too, gorgeous.”
I let out a gasp as I slid down on his cock. “Yes,” I whispered in relief.
This man filled me so completely, loved me so amazingly.
“Take what you want, Riley,” he grunted.
All I really wanted was to stay just like this, so connected to him that it filled up my body, my heart, my soul.
Eventually, I had to move, and Seth’s strong grip on my hips guided me into a steady, mesmerizing rhythm.
Not slow.
Not fast.
Just . . . perfect.
I used my hands to push against his chest until I was sitting up, which pushed him deeper inside of me.
“You look so damn beautiful,” Seth groaned. “Take everything you need, baby.”
When I looked at his face, he was watching me, his eyes focused more on my face than the rest of me.
Watching me obviously aroused him even more than he already was, so as he guided my hips, I cupped my breasts and caressed my nipples.
Pleasure coursed through my body as I did exactly what he wanted.
I reached my climax as Seth sped up the pace until he was lifting his hips to meet every slapping thrust.
Pinching my hard nipples, I threw my head back, completely uninhibited as I closed my eyes.
“Fuck!” Seth cursed, and then put his fingers underneath me so my clit rubbed against them with every downward stroke. “I’m about to rush to the finish line,” he grunted.
It didn’t really matter. I wanted him to come because I couldn’t control the climax that was slamming over me with a vengeance.
“Seth,” I screamed, letting go of everything, allowing myself to just enjoy the powerful release. “I-love-you-so-much!”
“I love you, too, Riley,” he said in a desperate, frenzied tone that I adored.
Our skin continued to pound together until Seth hurtled into an orgasm with an animalistic sound that could have been heard out on the beach.
Spent, I collapsed on top of him, my breath sawing in and out of my lungs, my heart ready to pound right out of my chest.
We were both covered in a sheen of sweat, but I was pretty sure neither one of us cared.