Jake growled at the sight of her grin, and then he fucked her so hard she almost regretted teasing him. Almost. But instead of regret, she was filled with dark pleasure that pushed her quickly toward another orgasm. She came hard, her muscles clenching around his cock with each spasm. She dug her heels into the bed and pushed up to take him deeper and she felt him stiffen, his body bowing into hers as he grunted past clenched teeth.
They stayed like that for a long moment, bodies still joined, breath tearing from their throats. When she opened her eyes, he looked beautiful above her, the tight muscles of his face relaxing into the same satisfaction she felt.
Finally, he slipped free of her body and collapsed next to her. Lauren stared at the ceiling. Did he feel as shocked as she did? As moved by what they’d done together?
She didn’t want to feel unsure with him, so she broke the silence. “How old are you? Forty-six?”
She felt him nod.
“Well, then...that was pretty impressive, Captain. Twice in half an hour?”
The bed shook from his bark of laughter. “Yeah? Well, don’t raise your expectations. It’s been a while. I was trigger-happy.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
They laughed together, and the uncertainty that had loomed faded away. It felt good with him. Frighteningly good. Until the sweat cooled on her skin and a chill settled over her. “Do you want to get under the covers?”
He took care of the condom and met her under the comforter, and while she was still trying to decide if she should snuggle close or not, he lay snug next to her and wrapped his hand around hers, making her smile. It didn’t feel awkward. Maybe she was just too old for awkwardness, but it felt more comfortable than that.
“This is nice,” she whispered.
“Nice?” His head turned toward her. “Men consider that a curse, you know.”
“Really? What if I said you have a truly gorgeously nice cock?”
Pink rushed to his cheeks. “Oh. I guess that would be okay.”
“Because you do. And it made me very happy. As happy as your mouth and your fingers did before. And now just this... It’s nice with you, Jake.”
He stared at her for a long moment, studying her. “Damn, Lauren,” he finally said.
“What?” She tried not to feel anxious. She tried to feel confident. If this was the part where he said it was nice, but it was just sex, and... That would be okay. It wouldn’t hurt that much. Wasn’t that what she’d tried to frame it as herself?
“I liked you before. And now? Now this is just dangerous.”
She swallowed hard and looked away. He was right. It felt comfortable and dangerous at the same time. There were too many levels here. Too much connection. “I thought firefighters liked danger,” she whispered.
He touched her chin then, and she had to meet his gaze or she’d be a coward, so Lauren pulled the covers higher and made herself turn toward him. His brown eyes were clear. Honest.
“What do you want from me, Lauren? Whatever you want, I’ll try to give you. I wouldn’t say I like danger, but I’m willing to run into it if it’s worth the risk.”
She tried to think. Tried to breathe. She touched his chest, that chest she’d spent years coveting. His heart felt steady now. It thumped slowly under her hand.
“Jake,” she whispered, feeling her mouth shape his name, tasting it.
He didn’t blink or look away. He watched.
She forced herself to be brave. “I’ve had a crush on you for a long time.”
Now he blinked. “Really?”
“Yes. So if you’re asking me what I’d want? What I’d choose? It’s this. With you. Only with you. Whenever we want it. I just... I like you. A lot.”
She didn’t realize she was crying until he brushed a tear from her face.
His eyes smiled at her, even though his mouth was serious. “Are you saying you want me to be your boyfriend, Ms. Foster?”
“I don’t know. I can’t promise I’ll be good at it. I’m not good at this. I’m not—”