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Natalie doesn’t need to know that it’s not only her outward appearance that attracts me. Anyway, talk of souls connecting is ridiculous, considering how little we know about each other. I’ve only been half a man since she left me. She’s dangerous to my heart and well-being.

Her hands push gently against my chest, and I rise to look into her eyes. Her fingers weave through my hair, and she gives me a gentle smile. “It’s okay, Nick,” she whispers, kissing my temple. “You’re dangerous for me, too.”

I don’t know if I verbalized my thoughts or she can read them, but I kiss her again and then get up and pull down my briefs while her gaze strolls leisurely down my body. She’s as shameless as I am. Her unabashed quality is another one of many reasons I’m drawn to her.

Funny.

Hot as fuck.

Quick with the comebacks.

Smart and shameless.

What more does a man need?

To be inside her. That’s what.

It’s not hard to be . . . well, hard, when a goddess is lying naked and waiting for you. But I’m not an asshole and can wait my turn.She comes first.

I move down her body, leaving a trail of wet kisses. Scanning my work, I gently blow, watching her skin come alive with goose bumps. Nipples hard, hips pressing against me when her back arches. Moving lower, I reach up and take her nipples between my fingers, squeezing gently, then rubbing as I shoulder my way between her legs.

With her fingers wandering through my hair, her breathing deepens and legs spread wider, giving me access to do as I please. All I want is to make her feel so fucking good that Catalina fades into the past, and New York becomes our future.

Dragging my palm down her body, I dip a finger between her silky lower lips. Her body wriggles under my hand, telling me everything I need to know. I replace my hand with my mouth, tasting her, savoring her delicate flavor.

Hearing her pleasure forced from her mouth encourages me to go deeper. I dip the tip of my tongue into her entrance, then follow through by fucking her with it. I could take it slow and build the pleasure, but feeling her squirm is my reward. Finding her clit with my thumb, I rub sweet circles, eliciting her body to buck into me. “God, Nick.” Her nails dig into my shoulders, but when I keep going, not giving her a reprieve, her moans pick up, and she grabs the sheets, fisting them.

Trapped between her thighs, I feel her back arch as I continue to devour her. She’s getting close. “Nick. Nick . . .” My name rolls off her tongue as she begs for more, for me to end the sweet torture and give her the release she needs. I suck and then flatten my tongue, licking all of her over and over again until she loses control. “Oh God,” she exhales just before she grabs my hair and pulls, letting her release take hold.

I pin her hips to the mattress, wanting to feel her body tremble beneath my palms and tongue. When the tremors subside, her head pops up. Through heavy breaths, she says, “That did not disappoint. I really need to rethink my whole stance on professionals.” Falling back, she stares up at the ceiling with her arms wide, and adds, “Lawyers, I mean, not gigolos or whatever they call male escorts who give happy endings.”

I burst out laughing. “I can’t speak for male escorts or other lawyers, but I’m glad you likemyskills.”

Her head pops up again with an open mouth, tempting me to fill it. “Like? There’s no liking. Ilovedit. I’m going to send you a thank-you gift for that present you just gave to me.”

“That’s really not necessary.” I move up on the mattress beside her.

Her hand smacks flat on my chest as she twists her body to face me. “No, it’s what I do. I’m a paid gift-giver.”

“There’s so much I want to ask about that, but maybe we can table this conversation until after?—”

“Oh, of course.” She grabs the foil packet and hands it back to me. “Based on that performance, I can’t wait for the main act.”

I rip it open, starting to think I led with my strongest skills. “No pressure.” Maybe I should have saved that for last.Nah.Challenge accepted. I roll the condom down my length, then move over her. Natalie’s legs part for me and wrap around my middle. Her hands find my shoulders, and her nails scrape across my skin. I position myself with my eyes locked on hers, the stunning blue reminding me of the floating on my surfboard in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.Heaven.

Kissing her, I whisper, “I promise you more than tonight.” I catch a glint in her eyes and a smile that speaks to my heart. She cups my face and kisses me back.

I take it slow, pushing in just enough to watch her mouth open and hear the quick intake of air. Her lip is bit when I push in so slowly that it’s painful to resist slamming into her. I do, though, because every inch I delve deeper steals another beat of my heart until it’s pounding so loud that, for a brief moment, I begin to believe that Natalie holds it in her hands.

Her body envelops a part of me while parts of her own the rest. I move and thrust, needing and taking, pushing and giving.

“Yes,” she sighs at the edge of losing another breath. “You feel so good.” Each moan of hers urges my body for more. We move in a continuum, losing the sense of where I end and she begins. The heat between us, setting us both on fire as we thrust together and against, eventually finding our own unique rhythm.

I lower my head to taste the sheen of sweat that’s formed across her shoulder, taking a lick and then sliding my tongue up her neck. Her arms lock around me, and her chest is laden with heavy breaths. I push and pull, thrust and plunge until the sound of her ecstasy drives me home. “Oh, fuck.”

I don’t pull out.

I don’t apologize.