She let her arms go around his shoulders, her whole body softening under his. Her skin was starting to sing with anticipation. “You’re serious about me and you would be upset if I used you for sex.”
A shudder went through him. “You should understand that I would not take that well. I would be depressed and likely very vocal about how the gorgeous, smart blonde used me for my body.”
He was ridiculous. “Yes, everyone would believe that the single mom ruthlessly used you for sex.”
His face went serious. “I don’t only want sex from you.”
She cupped his face because her heart was already melting for him. “I don’t just want sex from you, but I do want it. I want you, Harry. I want you like I haven’t wanted anything in a long time. I want to be close to you. I want to be with you.”
“I want to be with you.” A hint of a smile crossed his face before he lowered his head to hers.
She could hear the rain beating against the window as the storm started up again, but it was mere background noise because Harry was kissing her. His lips brushed along hers, gentle at first, and then deeper, his tongue running along the seam of her mouth and coaxing her to open for him.
When she acquiesced, he took her mouth by storm, and Sera offered no resistance. What she had not been ready for before, she was eager for now. All of the problems and questions fell before this new, undeniable desire. Never in her whole life had she felt this way about a man. Her heart thudded, her breasts rubbing against his chest, legs restlessly entwining with his.
Harry’s breath was ragged, but his tongue was hot and soft as he licked a path across her lips. He kissed her everywhere—her lips, her eyes, cheeks, and chin. She reveled in the rasp of his whiskers against her soft skin. It was something she’d learned about him. Harry started the day with his face baby smooth, but by the middle of the afternoon a sexy scruff would make an appearance. He nipped at her earlobe, and she was surprised to find out exactly how amazing that felt.
“Are you sure about this? I don’t have to have this tonight,” he whispered against her ear before running his tongue along the shell and making her shiver with desire. She’d never considered her ear to be an erogenous zone, but Harry was making her rethink that. Pretty much everywhere he touched seemed to flare to life, every inch of skin where they connected alive and aware of him.
“I do,” she protested. She let her fingers find his hair, running through the soft gold and brown silk. “I do need this. It’s been so long since I felt like this. Maybe never, Harry.”
Because she’d never been with a man like him. Because she’d viewed sex as something she needed to get through to get to the part where her boyfriend would hold her. She’d gotten pleasure from sex before, but somehow she knew it would be different with him. It would be more, and now that she’d made the decision, she didn’t want to wait, didn’t want to take her time. She wanted to jump right over the edge with him and enjoy every moment they might have together because she knew damn well it could all come to an end.
One strong hand reached out to cup her cheek tenderly. “I want you, too. I’ve wanted you since the moment I saw you. When you tossed that blond hair and warned me not to listen when your momma inevitably tried to set us up, all I could think was how did I get you to change your mind about me.”
He was staring down at her like she was something precious he needed to protect. He made her feel that way. “It wasn’t that I thought you weren’t attractive. But you’re . . .”
“Not a Beaumont,” he said, laying a kiss on her nose and proving he was pretty good at reading her mind. “Put that out of your head right now. I’m my own man and I want very, very much to be your man. My aunt does not make choices for me, and I don’t want you to take this choice out of my hands. I want you. Trust me to know what I’m doing, and I will give you the same courtesy.”
All in all, it was a deal she would be a fool to turn down. “Yes.”
The sexiest smile tugged his lips up. “I like the way you say ‘yes’ to me.” He turned serious. “But there’s no going back after this. We’re together. I’ll take care of you.”
“And I’ll take care of you.” She liked the idea of Harry needing her.