“Beautiful,” he whispered. “Look how responsive you are. How sensitive. Your body was meant for a man’s hands. I can’t wait to see if you taste like strawberries.”

Her hips arched in demand. “Rick?”

He laughed low. “No talking”

He pinched her nipple lightly. Hot currents sizzled down to settle between her thighs. His thumbs flicked the peaks back and forth while his mouth moved downward to kiss her belly. Dipped into her belly button. Nibbled teasingly along the line of her panties, pulling at the edge of the elastic with his teeth. Each time the fabric snapped back, she tightened with anticipation, but he ignored her unconscious pleas and busied himself elsewhere.

He pressed a kiss to the nasty wound on her inner thigh. Used his tongue to sample the crease between her hip and thigh, while his hands moved from her breasts to cup her ass. Through the barrier of fabric, he settled his open mouth on her core. Took a deep breath—and blew.

She shot up and cried his name. His moist breath teased her pounding clit. He pushed her back on the bed and took the top of her panties between his teeth. Inch by inch, he pulled them down.

Cool air hit her exposed folds. The intense contrast of hot and cold wracked her with raw sensations. Oh, God, when was the last time a man had his mouth on me? The vulnerability of her position struck her—he had her fully under his control. She stiffened as her mind flashed an array of images. Pain. Humiliation. Betrayal.

“Tara.”

The sound of his voice snapped her away from the memories. His command brooked no argument as he looked up from between her spread thighs.

“Eyes on me.”

His voice told her not to think, dominated every part of her soul, until she couldn’t fight him, and she slipped firmly back into the present. Then he lowered his head.

His wet tongue parted her swollen cleft and dived in. Her pussy throbbed under him while he licked and tasted her juices. His thumbs parted her wider, exposing her, and she slid into surrender, glorying at her erotic abandon. The mirror on the ceiling showed his head buried between her splayed thighs, while his thumbs flicked her nipples.

She cried out and twisted against the bed, drowning in the delight of watching him command her response and push her toward orgasm. So close, she reached hard and desperately, but release eluded her. “Please!” She shuddered,, panting, as his tongue traced circles around her sex and his fingers rubbed and stroked. The exquisite tension tightened every muscle until she thought she’d die of the delight.

“Tell me what you want me to do, sweetheart. Tell me.”

“Help me! Please help me....”

“Here you go, baby.” His mouth sucked on her nub as his fingers plunged inside of her.

She came hard, screaming as convulsions shook her over and over. He milked her orgasm and drew it out, until she shattered. The sheer intensity of her climax overwhelmed her. Spent, she melted into the mattress. Sudden tears ran down her face.

He whispered her name and slid up her length. He kissed her tears away and held her tight. His muscled arms cocooned her in a secure warmth she never experienced; a promise of shelter from pain and heartbreak. Who is this man? How had he snuck past the barrier she’d erected in order to protect her heart and soul?

“Thank you.” She snuggled closer as his legs entwined with hers. His steady heartbeat thundered against her ear. A low chuckle stirred in her hair.

“Sweetheart, you have no clue how much I loved watching you orgasm. Thank you for trusting me to take you there.”

She stiffened. I never got him off. Guilt assuaged her, and she broke his comforting grip, flipping over. The gorgeous lines of perfect, carved chest muscles greeted her, and she dipped her head, kissing her way down. His breath hissed in surprise as she tried to make up for her selfishness. She ran her hands down his thighs and gripped him between her palms.

“Christ, Tara.” She opened her mouth and took him inside. His musky taste assaulted her senses. What had begun as a job turned to a desire for more, as her tongue swirled around the tip and she sucked him deep into her mouth.

He let out a curse then dragged her back up. Dread curled in her tummy as he forced her to settle against him. His ragged breathing cut through the air. Disappointment squeezed her heart. She hadn’t done it right. He’d looked pleased, but her ex had consistently told her he’d gotten better blow jobs from a doll than her.

“Dammit to hell, stop thinking!” She jerked back. He lowered his voice and spoke through gritted teeth. “I almost lost it with the first lick of your tongue. But that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m not ready to get off until I’m buried inside you, making you mine. Understand? Now get that dickwad out of your head and come back to me.”

Her mouth hinged open like a guppy. How did he know what she’d been thinking? How did he know her so well, after just an hour? And why in the world would he want her to be his?

Need beckoned and tempted like Satan offering the apple to Eve. To belong completely to a man again without fear. To give of herself without worry of being hurt. What a gift.

But one she promised herself she’d never receive again.

The truth struck hard. No matter how much satisfaction Rick Steele gave her, no matter how well he read her thoughts, she’d disappear in the morning. She would never belong to another man again. Only herself. The night was about breaking down her walls and fear of sex. She refused to spend the rest of her life cowering from a man’s touch. He’d already shown her the best orgasm of her life. By dawn, hopefully, she’d be more whole and able to walk away with a full body and heart.

Alone.

He kissed her. His tongue swept in and took over, possessing every hidden nook and cranny until she dug her nails into his muscled shoulders and hung on. When he finally lifted his head, his eyes blazed with demand.

“Sex isn’t about tit for tat. Next time you take my cock in your mouth, make sure it’s because you’re dying to taste me. Not because you owe me an orgasm. Got it?”

His directness reignited the ache between her legs. She forced the word past her lips. “Yes.”

“Do you want more?”

Lust speared her belly. Her nipples rose and tightened even further. His hand flicked one swollen peak and she shuddered.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Let’s just make sure.” His fingers slid down and delved into her heat. She bucked under the sizzle of fire tearing through her center. He laughed. “Oh, yeah, that’s the spot.” He added another finger as he worked his way in and out, setting a teasing rhythm. Her over stimulated clit throbbed and burned from the attention. In seconds, she neared orgasm again, completely swept up in his voice and tongue and fingers.

He reared up, grabbed the condom packet from the bedside drawer, and sheathed himself. His hands encircled her ankles and thrust her legs wide apart. Again, her gaze snuck up to the mirror. Her pussy lay open and vulnerable to his every whim. Her swollen lips gleamed with wetness as she stared at her reflection. His huge, throbbing length lay right at her entrance, poised to push forward. She wanted him, ached, and then the memory surfaced….

A different face flashed before her, his expression twisted with rage. Ugliness. He pushed inside her, over and over, while she tried to lie still and bury the pain, her mind screaming the same word again and again…. No....

“No, stop!” The words broke from her throat and she panted, trying to push the ugliness away.

“Look at me, Tara. Now.”

She turned away from the mirror. Golden eyes met hers, glittered and seared with heat. His hands gripped her ankles, but his touch was gentle. He kept still as he waited for her to calm and direct him.

“I would never hurt you. Say it.”

She reined back sobs and shuddered out a breath. “You will never hurt me.”

“That’s right baby. Do you still want me to stop?”

She relaxed, inch by inch. Rick would never hurt her. The last of the memory leaked away and left her body open, empty, needing him to fill her.

“More. I want more.”

His hands stroked her inner thighs. His cock pushed one inch into her pussy. She moaned, past the fear, only craving the bliss he offered. Another inch. The tip buried into her wet heat. Her channel tightened and begged for more. One more inch. Another. Then....

“Ahhhhh!” She cried out as he buried himself to the hilt. His massive length and width filled her until there was nothing else left but him. She clutched his shoulders, digging her nails into solid muscle as she struggled with the invasion. The breath whooshed out of her lungs.

“Okay?” he asked between gritted teeth. “God, you feel like heaven.”

“Yes.” She lifted her hips upward. “More.”

“Here we go, baby. Hold on tight.”

He pulled completely out and surged back. The demanding pace wiped every thought out of her mind but giving him everything he asked. Again and again he drove deep inside. Her sex squeezed him and her clit pounded in demand. The tension tightened and every muscle in her body screamed for release. Still, he kept her at the edge, not allowing her to fall over, but demanded she surrender to each thrust until she had nothing left to hold back.

Something shattered deep within her and broke free. She arched and cried his name.

“Come for me, baby. Now!”

He pinched her clit and drove his cock inside one final time.

She shattered. Her pussy milked every inch of him as she convulsed, and he followed her over with a hoarse shout.