I groaned, and the muscles in my stomach contracted when she lightly ran her nails down my torso.

“Maci, tell me to stop,” I pleaded with her as I grabbed the waistband of her pajama pants and started pushing them down.

How we’d gone from yelling at each other about pranks, pasts that needed to stay there, and current partners, to where we were now . . . I had no idea. But with the way her body was reacting to mine, I knew I wouldn’t stop. She had to be the one to stop this, or I was going to take what I’d been keeping myself from.

She responded by curling her hands over mine, and pushing her pants the rest of the way down before stepping out of them, and I stepped back to look at her body as she pulled off the thin shirt she’d been wearing. Fucking beautiful.

I captured her mouth with mine again as I ran my hands over her bare skin, and when they hit her thighs, I grabbed them and pulled her up to press her against the wall. A raspy giggle left her that quickly turned into a moan as I bent forward to pull one of her nipples into my mouth. Her hands went into my hair and pulled my head closer to her body. I didn’t know how I could move from where we were right now, but that moan had to be the most amazing sound I’d ever heard from her. And I wanted to hear it over and over again. Remembering the fake sounds I’d always heard her make, I knew I needed to make this about her, no matter how much I wanted to take her up against this wall. For once, Maci needed someone who took care of her; and a quick fuck against the wall wouldn’t do that, and wasn’t what I wanted for my first time with her.

Pushing away from the wall, I released her breast and stared into her gray eyes as I walked us into my bedroom. Laying her down on the center of my bed, I was hit with every fantasy I’d been having of her over the last week. Part of me couldn’t believe she was actually lying on my bed; hair splayed everywhere as her hooded eyes followed my every movement. The other part of me couldn’t believe I was about to be stupid enough to take what I wanted.

My hands went to my belt, and I kept my eyes trained on hers as I slowly unbuckled it and slid it through the loops before letting it fall to the carpet Popping the button on my pants, I crawled onto the bed and over her, and about died when her face lit up with a come-­get-­me smile. I kept my hands planted on either side of her head, and lowered myself until I could tease her lips, and pulled back each time she tried to deepen the kiss.

A soft growl left her, and her eyes leveled a glare at me before I pressed my mouth firmly to hers and prompted her to open with my tongue. Her growl turned to a needy groan, and her hands went back to my pants. I pressed into her hand when she palmed me where I was straining against the material, but the second her hand went to the zipper; I sat back and moved her hands away.

Quickly leaning forward to kiss her confused face, I kissed a trail down her jaw to her ear as I moved off her body and whispered, “Let me take care of you.”

Running the back of my hand down her flat stomach, I gently prodded her legs open as my lips explored her neck and collarbone. My fingers trailed over her, and she whimpered when I groaned. She was so wet, so ready, and I’d never been more turned on in my life. Slipping two fingers into her, I pressed my thumb against her clit and made teasing circles as she pressed harder against my hand.

“Oh God,” she breathed when I quickened the pace. “Connor, please.”

“Please what?” I asked against her throat, and placed an openmouthed kiss there.

Her breathing was getting ragged as she rocked her hips against my hand, and I knew she was close. “Please—­just don’t stop. God, don’t.”

“Don’t do this?” I pulled my hand away from her, and slammed my mouth down onto hers just before she could voice her frustration. “Trust me, Maci, I’m not done with you yet,” I said against her lips and moved down the bed and in between her legs.

Her eyes widened, and she looked like she was about to stop me, but the second my tongue swiped against her, her hips thrust off the bed, and a loud moan left her. I laughed against her swollen lips and gave another slow lick before sucking on her clit and bringing my hand back up to tease her entrance. Maci whimpered before begging me to continue as her hands threaded into my hair to hold me where I was.

“Holy shi—­oh my God!” she cried out as her body shattered around me, and I continued through her orgasm.

Once her body went limp on the bed, I pulled away and stood from the bed.

“Commando?” she asked, her tone somewhat teasing as I shed my pants and searched for a condom.

I turned to look at her and winked. “Does that bother you?”

“No, but I was wrong.”

I paused when I began crawling back on the bed. “Wrong?”

“I’ve wondered for a long time, I’d finally decided boxer briefs,” she said with a coy smile.

Laughing loudly, I grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to me; loving that her legs automatically wrapped around me. “So you’ve thought about this before, huh?”

She shrugged and feigned indifference. “A time or two.”

“Uh-­huh, a time or two.” I bit down on her collarbone and pressed against her entrance. Maci rocked her hips against me, and I spoke against her flawless skin. “I don’t know if I can be easy with you right now, Maci. I’m trying to hold off until I feel like I have more control, but you’re driving me crazy.”

Cupping my neck, she brought my face to hers and pressed her thumbs under my jaw until I was looking into her eyes. “Then don’t be easy,” she said so softly, I almost didn’t hear her.

“Maci—­”

She rocked against me again, and with a growl, I slammed into her. Her nails dug into my shoulders, and a whimper mixed with pain left her.

“Shit, are you okay?”

“Move, Connor, oh God, please move,” she urged, and rocked her hips.

I cautiously began moving inside her. Terrified of causing her any more pain, I focused on her movements, and smiled when she glowered at me.

“If this is you not being in control,” she said breathlessly, “I’m worried what you’re like when you’re in control.”

Leaning back, I pulled almost all the way out before slamming back in over and over again. Using one hand to raise myself off her, I watched as her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she urged me to go harder as I continued pounding into her.

“Oh God, I’m—­” she cut off when I shifted up onto my knees so I could quicken the pace.

Grabbing her legs, I brought them around my waist and leaned back over her, resting one hand on the bed, and letting the other trail to her sensitive bud. The second I rolled my fingers around it, her back arched and my name tore through her throat as she began shuddering around me, almost causing me to fall over the edge with her. Gritting my teeth, I rode her through her second orgasm and grabbed the hand that was trailing up my chest and slammed it down on the bed as I came harder than I ever have before.

Maci unlocked her legs from around my back, and I rocked onto the side that wasn’t holding her hand, bringing her with me. Her body was shaking subtly, but when I looked down at her face, there was nothing but the brightest smile there. Releasing her hand, I wrapped my arm around her body and held her close as we both calmed down. With a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth, I uncurled my body from hers and walked to the bathroom to dispose of the condom and wash up. When I walked back into my room, I stopped short, and the high I’d been riding ever since I’d kissed her in my living room suddenly left me.

She wasn’t in the room, and when I walked down the hall, she was putting her clothes on from where she’d taken them off earlier.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Her gray eyes widened, and she quickly pulled her pants up as she faced me. “Isn’t this what you want? Don’t you want me to leave?”

“Why the fuck would I want you to leave? What was that just now for you?” No, this isn’t fucking happening. She’s said too much for me to think that she doesn’t care about me.

“You always make your girls leave,” she whispered, and looked around the room, avoiding eye contact with me. “I thought when you got up, that’s what you wanted me to do.”

I’d never seen Maci so unsure of herself and timid-­looking. I quickly closed the distance between us and pulled her close, cupping her face in my hands. “If all you wanted was for me to fuck you, then go. But, Maci, you’re not like those girls. I don’t want you to leave.”

Those eyes shot back up to mine, and a soft smile crossed her face. “Really?”

Letting go of her, I shook my head and shrugged helplessly. “Jesus Christ, Maci. I haven’t gone more than a few minutes without thinking about you this entire week. I’ve been going crazy keeping myself from you because I know this is going to turn out so bad for us. Your brothers will kill me. But after that . . . fuck. You can’t walk away from me . . . not after that. I can’t go back to avoiding whatever’s happening between—­”

She launched herself at me, wrapping her body around mine, and kissed me until our breathing was ragged.

“Does this mean you’ll get your ass back in my bed?”

“I’m kind of wondering why you aren’t already walking us back there, Detective.”

I bit down on her bottom lip and was suddenly ready for round two when another sexy moan sounded in her throat. “I hate it when you call me that.”

“I know.”

“Watch it, Maci,” I said in a teasing warning.

“Or what?” she whispered against my lips. “You’ll lose control with me again?”