My hands were moving. Having minds of their own, they went everywhere they could find, touched everything they could reach, took in as much as they could get. Including running over his hard behind, one hand rounding his hip and then it happened.

Not even thinking, just acting on instinct, so turned on, so out of life and into Chace, my fingers grazed the hard evidence of arousal.

I gasped into his mouth because I liked it. Not a little, a lot. It wasn’t a surprise. But it was a gift, knowing I gave him that, feeling it, knowing that was all for me.

And wanting it.

Chace growled down my throat.

Oh my fraking, fraking Lord, but I liked that a whole lot more.

His hips jerked away, his torso came up, my eyes slowly opened and his hand went to my belt. I felt it tugging as my hands went back to his shirt.

I clumsily managed to get two more buttons undone before the zip went down on my jeans and I heard Chace’s gruff, thick, deeper than normal voice call, “Faye.”

My eyes moved to his and not even knowing why, just feeling the word come from deep in my soul, needing to say it, needing him to get it, I whispered, “Please.”

His hot eyes holding mine, his hand slid in. Straight in. Inside my panties, fingers curving around, his middle one pressing in and my hips left the bed to push into his hand as my eyes closed. I felt my lips part, but mostly I felt nothing but how unbelievably awesome it was to have Chace’s hand down my pants.

“Fuckin’ beautiful,” I vaguely heard him mutter then when his finger moved and I started to understand what heaven felt like, I equally vaguely heard him order, “Want that mouth, baby.”

My chin tipped down instantly and he took it.

Oh jeez. That was better. Tons better.

Unable to do anything else, my fingers curled into his shirt tight. I held on and gave him my mouth, felt what he was doing with his finger and I held tense, my whole body, like if I let go, it would shatter.

He stopped kissing me long enough to murmur against my lips, “Move with me, Faye, your hips. Don’t fight it, give into it.”

My brain couldn’t process much but my body obviously heard his words because my hips started working with his hand. Sliding back to his forth, forth to his back and that was a whole lot better.

“Chace,” I breathed against his mouth.

“That’s it,” he whispered against mine.

Already built, it started pulsing, throbbing, it was going to explode.

I quit breathing.

Chace stopped his finger moving, slid one inside… inside… that would be inside me… and I gasped but then let no more air in or out.

“Faye, honey, breathe.”

I did what I was told and breathed, his finger slid out of me and started doing what it was doing before and his mouth took mine again in a kiss.

Through this, the phone rang twice.

Now I was there. I was there. I knew that feeling. I also knew it was going to be better than ever. The best. The absolute best.

I tore my mouth from his because I couldn’t take his tongue anymore. It was all too much, too much goodness. I shoved my face in his neck and gasped as it happened. Driving through me, making me clutch on tight, shove my face deep, buck my hips against his hand, the heat of it rushed through me, burning me to a cinder.

I was right. It was.

The absolute best.

When I came down, slowly, lazily, it felt like it took years and I didn’t care if I lost that time, it felt that good, the phone had stopped ringing and I was no longer on my back but on my side. My leg was thrown over Chace’s hip and one of his arms was tight around my waist, holding me close to his body. His other hand was in my hair, tucking my face in his throat. Both of my hands were still clutching his shirt.

My breathing started evening out, my fingers relaxed, my hands went flat against his back and I heard Chace gently ask the top of my head, “How you doin’?”

I was fine. I was beyond fine. I could die right there and be happy. Not, of course, that I wanted to do that but that was just how fine I was.

“I’m good,” I whispered.

“Good,” he whispered back.

I pressed deeper into Chace and his arm got tighter around me.

Then I closed my eyes tight and called, “Chace.”

“Right here, honey.”

I pressed my lips together and then I did what I had to do.

I announced, “There’s something you have to know.”

“I know it.”

I blinked at his immediate answer, this action leaving my eyes open but I was so surprised at his quick response, I didn’t have it in me to notice I was staring up close at his very attractive throat which was an opportunity I would normally take time to savor.

Then I asked, “You know it?”

“Yep.”

“You know what?”

“That I’m the first man to have his hand down your pants and later, I’m gonna be the first man who does other things to you too.”

Yep, he knew it.

Oh God.

I closed my eyes again and dipped my chin, uncertain whether to be embarrassed or whether, from his tone which was gentle, quiet but straightforward, not to be and his hand curled warm around the back of my neck.

I felt his lips on the top of my hair.

There he whispered, “Faye, darlin’, I want you to hear this and get it, what you just gave me was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been given in… my… life. What you’ll give me later I know from what I’ve already had, not just now but since I’ve known you, will be even more beautiful. With me, anytime, anywhere, you’re safe. But of the anytime and anyplace you’re with me, the place you’re safest is right here, in my bed. You never have to be embarrassed. You can ask questions. You can react how you want. You can be who you are. If I’m doin’ something you don’t like, you can stop me. Nothin’ will ever happen in this bed that you’ll be uncomfortable with. I swear to you, baby. You’re safe here and you always will be.”

These words were awesome.

But still.

I took in an unsteady breath, opened my eyes and started falteringly to ask his throat, “You don’t think that I… I mean, that I haven’t… uh –”

He cut me off to say firmly, “No.”

“But, at my age, the fact that –”

“No, Faye.”

I took in another unsteady breath and whispered, “Really?”

His fingers gave my neck a gentle squeeze. I read his message and pulled in another halting breath before I gave him what he nonverbally asked for and tipped my head back.

His was already tipped down and his eyes immediately captured mine.

My teeth immediately captured my lower lip. His gaze went to my mouth before coming back to my eyes.

“You didn’t hear me which means you didn’t get me,” he said softly.

I let my lip go and mumbled, “Um…”

He dipped his head closer, touched his mouth to mine and pulled back half an inch before he whispered, “Baby, you gave that to someone else, it wouldn’t be mine. Now it’s mine. No one can ever have it. It’ll always be mine. I love it. I think it’s beautiful. So I absolutely do not think the town’s sweet, cute, pretty, shy librarian who held onto that for as long as you did then gave it to me is anything but really fuckin’ good.”

I could tell by the seriousness mingled with serious warmth in his eyes he meant that. All of it. All he’d said.

Every word.

And because he did, I smiled at him.

His eyes dropped to my mouth before they closed slowly. That warm, raw thing I’d seen over pizza and deep conversation our first date was sweeping through his handsome features before he did what he did that night. Eyes closed, he tipped his head forward so his forehead was touching mine.

“Chace,” I whispered, watched his eyes open and his head went back.

Then he announced, “Time to feed you.”

I blinked. His body moved as if he was going to move away from me but my arms tightened around him.

“Chace,” I called again, he stilled and looked at me.

Then something else hit me and since I had his attention, I had to say something about it.

So I did, but I didn’t say it.

I stammered it.

“I… uh, well, um… you know… uh, that is,” I finished on a rush, “what about you?”

His features cleared and it was then he smiled at me.

It was a new smile. Wicked.

And also wicked hot.

Oh my.

Then he said quietly, “Just had my hand down your pants, honey, still gotta know, how real can you take it right now?”

“Real?”

“Real.”

I didn’t know the answer to that question.

But he told me I was safe in that bed and since Chace stopped giving mixed messages, I’d never felt unsafe around him.

So I invited, “Sock it to me.”

He kept smiling his wicked smile, but it was now tinged with amusement. He rolled partly into me so I had no choice but to go to my back. He was partly on top of me and he pulled one arm from around me to plant a forearm in the bed beside me.

Then he looked down at me, dipped his face back to close and he said gently, “Later, for you, I’m gonna take my time. I’m gonna do everything I can to give you everything you need to prepare to take me. What I couldn’t know is if you take care of you. If you don’t, like it just did, it could go fast for you so this wouldn’t give me time to prepare you. Now,” his lips tipped up, “you’re good. It’ll give me the time I need. Then it’ll be good again for you and also for me.”

Okay, maybe I wasn’t ready for that kind of real. I knew this because I felt my cheeks warm.