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She kissed me back, hesitant at first, like she was thinking her way through it. But then she settled in, just a little, but it was enough. And before I knew it, she wasn’t just kissing me back, she was leaning into it. And damn if that didn’t hit me right in the gut.

When we finally pulled apart, her eyes stayed closed for a second, and she inhaled a deep breath. I couldn’t help but smile when I told her, “Thought you didn’t know how to do this.”

“I don’t.”

She let out a shaky little laugh, and it was the sweetest damn sound I’d heard in a long time. “You do, and if you aren’t careful…”

“Kiss me again.”

“Tabitha.”

“I thought you said I was good at…”

Before she could complete her thought, I leaned in and crashed my mouth against hers, silencing her with a kiss.

This kiss was different. This kiss wasn’t laced with doubt or any resistance at all. Instead, it was hungry and possessive and filled with a need that matched my own. I wanted to devour her right there on the spot, but this wasn’t about me or what I wanted.

This was about what she wanted, what she needed, and about me giving it to her. And I wanted to give it without expectation or crossing any of her boundaries. It wouldn’t be easy. She’d made that clear, but I was here for as long as she wanted me to be.

A slight moan slipped through her lips as she wound her arms around my neck. When she inched closer, my hands drifted down to the small of her back, and I couldn’t believe how unbelievably perfect she felt in my arms.

Damn, there was no denying it.

This woman was going to be my fucking kryptonite.

Her body melted into me as her tongue brushed against mine, and I reached my breaking point. I’d taken all I could take. I eased back, breaking our embrace, and asked, “I’m gonna need to know how far you wanna take this.”

“As far as you want to.”

“No, babe. We’re not doing that.” Her eyes grew wide when I said, “This is all about you and what you want.”

“I don’t want to stop.”

“Okay. I can kiss you all damn night, but if you want more than that, you’re gonna have to tell me.”

She nodded, then leaned back in, kissing me once again. It didn’t take long for things to become heated. Tabitha had inched her way closer and was practically sitting in my lap when she gasped, “I want more.”

“How much more?”

“A lot more.”

Without saying anything more, she reached over, took my hand in hers, and stood. I followed suit, and as soon as I was on my feet, she led me to her bedroom. When she reached the center of the room, she stopped and turned to face me. Without batting an eye, she reached for the hem of her shirt and slowly slipped it over her head. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and when she started taking off her boots, I asked, “You sure about this?”

“No,” she admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I want to stop.”

“Tabitha.”

“Look, I’m not making any promises…” she reached behind her and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the floor. “We may have to stop, but I want to try.”

“Okay, but we’re gonna take this thing slow.”

From the moment we’d first kissed, she’d had me all tangled up, and now, I was in complete knots. I closed in on her and slipped an arm around her waist, easing her to lay back on the bed as I hovered over her. I dropped my mouth to her neck, and when I started kissing along her shoulder, she shuddered beneath me.

“So damn beautiful,” I said against her collarbone as I moved down further. When I reached her breast, I closed my mouth over her nipple, and she immediately arched her back. I almost lost it when I saw how her body responded to my touch. Her hands dove into my hair, then down to my shoulders. She was all over me.

She wasn’t just into it. She was hungry for it.

“Oh my God,” she breathed as I kissed down the flat of her stomach.