The small cuts and grazes from sex last night marked Della’s creamy skin as she strode ahead of me, her backpack heavy, boots crunching purposely, unaware I’d made my choice.
I wanted to feel bad about hurting her, but all I felt was absolute satisfaction and weird male pride.
“Stop,” I said quietly hiding a cough as I slipped my bag to the ground and once again became bombarded by the tingling, incinerating chemistry that’d set up a constant vigil between us.
Della brushed away a sweat-sticky curl, breathing shallowly as she slowed to a halt and turned. She didn’t say anything as our eyes locked, and we became caught up in a vortex of need.
“Don’t.” I kept my distance. “I’m doing my best to have camp set up before we give in this time.”
“And how’s that going for you?” She laughed as I tore at my bag’s zipper and wrenched out almost every belonging in a rush.
“Good.” I fisted the tent and shook it out.
“If you say so.”
“Hold that tongue of yours, Della. I’m having you. Just give me a few minutes.”
She smiled sweetly as I began the process of erecting somewhere to sleep—somewhere to take her where it was soft and safe so I could take my time and make her fall apart as spectacularly as she’d made me.
Disposing of her own bag, Della rubbed her lower back as she came to grab two sides of the tent as I unrolled it. She held it taut while I hammered in the pegs. Together, we inserted the poles, bending them until the nylon sprang upward, creating a roof.
The entire time we worked, my skin never stopped prickling at her proximity. And once we’d finished, she moved away and stripped off her t-shirt, leaving her in just a black sports bra and jeans as she twisted up her hair to encourage a breeze to cool her down.
My gut squeezed, my heart pounded, my mouth went dry.
All my life, she’d cared for me. She’d done chores I didn’t ask her to, cooked food I didn’t request, been there every step of the way. I no longer looked at her as two people—girl and woman—just her.
Della.
Mine.
Dappled in twilight with tiredness clinging to her skin, she looked so damn young. Too young to withstand the hurricane of lust in my blood.
But she had survived.
She’d fought me back.
She’d woken me up to the temptress she truly was, and I couldn’t wait anymore.
We had a bed.
That was all we needed.
As she kicked off her boots and removed her socks, her ribbon tattoo with its capital R filled my vision, no longer condemning me but welcoming me.
I wanted to lick it again.
Bite it for good measure.
Stopping beside her as she turned to face me, I hovered like a love-struck fool, drinking her in, licking my lips at how I wanted to suck the sweat on her chest and run my thumb over the perspiration on her upper lip.
I was so fucking in love with her, I could barely stand it.
She looked up, shielding her gaze from the final light streaming through the trees. “Why are you looking at me like that?” She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t look well. In fact, you look hungry.” She stepped toward the bags. “I’ll make you something to eat. You need to put on weight—”
Grabbing her around the waist, I shook my head. “I’m not hungry for food, Della.”
She blinked, whatever tiredness she suffered vanished. “Oh.”
“Yes, oh. You’ve turned me into an addict.”
“I don’t mind.”
Nuzzling her nose with mine, I breathed softly, “It’s my turn to ask you something.”
“Okay…” She didn’t help my concentration or self-control by fixating on my mouth. “What?”
“Last night…was it okay for you? Not emotionally, but physically?”
She laughed under her breath. “Seriously?” She melted in my hold, her eyes soft and glowing. “Good? That’s a very underwhelming word for how great it was.”
“I was rough with you.”
“And I loved every second of it.” She tilted her head. “What’s this really about?”
Honestly, I didn’t truly know. I’d shown her quick and explosive, but I didn’t want her to think that was my only trick. And I didn’t want her to think I was some idiot who needed affirmation that he’d performed well.
This wasn’t about me.
This was about her.
This was about pleasing her, so she never looked elsewhere again.
This was about me ensuring my heart would never be broken when she realised I wasn’t everything she hoped I would be.
“Last night was the best night of my life, Della. Is it wrong that I hoped it was the same for you?”
Her body tensed. “It was.”
“Can I try to make it better?”
“There’s no need. I loved every—”
“I had you pinned in the dirt while rutting into you like a savage. Tonight, I need to show you I’m more than that.”
“I know you are.” She pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I love you as a savage. That savage made me come for the first time, so believe me, I loved it just as much as you did.”