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“Leia!”
“Yes?”
“Slow the fuck down.”
Her gaze dropped to the hard, thick bulge between his legs, and she squirmed on the bed. “But I want you now.”
Bending forward, he kissed her. Slowly, teasing his mouth over hers, then catching her lower lip between his teeth, making her squirm harder.
“When we fuck, I will pull your hair and grab your throat. I’ll dig my fingers into you and use my teeth. And that will be for starters. What comes after that will depend on how close you are to screaming. Because I won’t stop until I make you scream. And even then, Leia, I may not stop. I may be so fucking lost in your hypnotic beauty that I may go too far. If you think you can’t handle that, or you’re not ready for that, then tell me now. Don’t give me hope. Don’t take me to the edge and leave me there. I’ve had that happen before. It fucking tore me apart. So think very, very carefully before any more clothes come off.”
“I want that, too. I want everything.”
His throat bobbed and he nodded. His thumbs replaced hers, and he started to slide her leggings off. When he paused mid-thigh, she groaned.
“You need to learn a little patience, sweetheart. Trust that I’ll give you what you need.” He planted a hard kiss on her mouth and sat back on his heels. When she started to rise, he stopped her with a look.
“Stay.”
Swallowing, Leia relaxed against the pillows and watched him lift her feet to plant them on his chest. She flexed her toes, dug them into his pecs. A hard smile twisted his lips.
“Looks like I’m going to have a tough time taming you, my little rebel.”
“You can do whatever you want to me. I just need this… first time to be quick. Please.”
He froze. “Why?”
She shook her head, supremely conscious that she’d let yet another important piece of her brokenness through. What was it about Noah King that made her lose her senses to the point of spilling her guts?
“Answer me, Leia. Or this ends now.”
She took a deep breath and scrambled to find the appropriate words that wouldn’t make him recoil from her. “The last time I did this, it wasn’t very… satisfying. I need new memories. Please.”
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She waited, her heart in her throat, praying he wouldn’t probe deeper. Needing to distract him, she slid her feet down his chest to the rock-hard plate of his abdomen.
To her relief, he nodded and resumed his task of removing her clothing. “I’m all for making new memories, sweetheart. Trust me, I know a little bit about unsatisfactory sex.”
Her incredulous laugh earned her a bite just above her ankle, once he’d freed her of the restrictive leggings.
“You don’t believe me?”
“You’re gorgeous. And miles past adequate in the endowment area. I find it hard to believe you have bad sex.”
His fingers drifted down her inner calf, messing with her breathing some more. “Like most areas in life, all it takes for bad sex to happen is a lack of proper communication. Which is why I need to hear you, loud and clear, at all times.” He planted a kiss in the crease behind her knee, but his eyes were locked on hers. “I will control your pleasure, but if I do something you don’t like,Stopis all you need to say. Try it now.”
She shook her head. “I don’t need to?—”
“Say it, Leia.”
“Stop.”
His fingers dug into her upper thighs and he sucked in a breath. “Louder.”
“Stop!”
It was only as he exhaled that she realized how tense he’d grown. A thread of concern slithered down her spine, erasing a layer of excitement. Bitter experience had taught her that monsters came in different shapes and sizes. It was why she’d learned to rely on her instinct first and foremost. They were still calm where Noah was concerned but it didn’t make the anxiety disappear.