“I know for a fact that’s not true,” I say, my thumb gripping her chin. “But even if it were, I’d love every lump, stretch mark, imperfection, and more because you birthed a beautiful baby girl, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
She swallows, then nods. “Okay.”
Her eyes scan down my bare chest as she sucks in a breath. “This would be much easier if you were covered in warts or something.”
Laughing, I release my hold on her. When she reaches for the hem of her shirt and pulls it off, revealing herself to me, I’m almost too shocked to breathe. She’s in a sexy pair of panties and a bra that leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination.
“Christ, Lennon,” I growl, biting down on my lower lip to hold myself back. “I want to fucking devour you.”
“Yes.” Her eyes light up as she nods.
I lower my mouth to hers, then stop just as our lips brush. “But first…” I pause, putting more space between us. “I need to hear you say it.”
“Say what?” she asks just above a whisper.
“How much you want me, this—us. I need to hear you say it because after all this time, I have to know for sure you want it as much as I do,” I tell her.
She smiles. “Okay, fair enough,” she says, then straightens her spine. “Hunter Manning, I can’t pinpoint the exact moment my feelings changed for you or when they started to really shift because it happened over time. I didn’t even realize I was fighting the way I felt. I thought I could happily live like this, be your friend, and have you all to myself. But that was a lie because the thought of losing you, seeing you with another woman, and watching her touch you made me want to vomit. It took a lot to finally come to terms with these feelings, but make no mistake…” Her chest rises and falls quickly, my heart pounding so hard she can probably hear it. “I am ridiculously, madly, desperately in love with you. And I want you. If you’ll have me, I. Want. You.”
Fuck. I’m two seconds away from getting on my knees to thank the big guy above. Never in a million years did I think Lennon would say those words to me.
I smirk, loving how vulnerable and raw she’s being with me.
“Now…was that so hard?” Deciding to mess with her, I look at my wrist as if I’m checking my watch and smile. “I mean, about damn time, woman.”
Lennon shakes her head and bursts out laughing, the sound going straight to my dick but easing all of my nerves. God, I want her so damn bad.
Fuck it.
I cup her face, pull her lips to mine, and devour her mouth. This kiss is the most real kiss I’ve ever had—no doubts, no questions, no insecurities.
My cock presses into her stomach and the more she rubs against me, the harder it gets. I want Lennon more than I want air, but shit.
I break apart, our heavy breathing sounds between us as I lean my forehead against her.
“There’s one little problem,” I murmur, arching my hips.
Lennon looks down, knowing exactly what I’m talking about. “I wouldn’t say it’s little…”
That causes me to laugh. “Um, thanks? But I was talking about condoms. I-I don’t have any,” I say cautiously. “I tossed them out months ago and really didn’t think I’d need them anytime soon.”
“Oh,” she says, finally realizing what I’m saying. “Have you always used a condom?”
“Always. No exceptions,” I tell her honestly.
“Okay, well…your odds of having kids are low, and I got tested after I found out my ex cheated on me. They also took a thousand blood samples during my pregnancy to test for everything under the sun.” I know she started dating Brandon after that and has only had two sexual partners. “Which were all negative for any diseases,” she quickly adds.
I chuckle. “Good.” Brushing her hair off her face, I smile at her beauty. “Because I don’t want anything between us.”
“Agreed,” she says. We look into each other’s eyes with stupid grins on our faces. “Are you gonna kiss me now?”
Smirking, I nod. “I think I might.”
I bring our mouths together, slide my hands down to her ass, then grip the back of her thighs. Picking her up, she wraps her legs around my waist, and I moan into her mouth as she rocks herself against my hard cock.
“Goddamn, don’t do that,” I mutter against her lips. “You’re already driving me fucking crazy.”
She giggles, not obeying, and when I walk us back into her room, I collapse on the bed with her underneath me.
“I should make you pay for that,” I growl with a wink. “Lie in the middle of the bed for me.”
This time, she listens, and as soon as she’s comfortable, she leans back and smiles up at me. “Now what, Manning?”