Page 8

“This time,” I tell her.

Her lips turn up in a smirk that I’m all too familiar with.

“Who says there will be a next time?” she asks with a chuckle, and I’m almost positive she’s joking, but I can’t be sure.

Reaching up, I tangle my hand in her hair and tug her down so that our lips are only a breath apart, her hands trapped between us, eyes wide.

I’m not normally this guy, but the idea that I might only have her for a moment is enough to push me. Her reaction tells me she’s as shocked as I am, but her scent tells me she doesn’t hate it.

“There’s going to be so many times you’ll lose count. I want to learn to read you the same way I do our books, until I know youbetter than you know yourself. If I have to tie you to the bed to do it, I will.”

Her chest heaves against mine, her breathing ragged, and for a moment I worry I’m hurting her. Until I see her pupils, blown wide, lust and desire swimming in her eyes, her scent enough to choke me.

Serena blinks rapidly, clearing some of her desire so that she’s in control… kinda.

Leaning into me, her lips ghost over the shell of my ear. “Don’t threaten me with a good time,” she whispers before she nibbles my ear, making me shiver.

She moves to sit up, without pushing on my chest, clearly still afraid of my injury. I mean, I get it. I can’t imagine what she must have gone through, thinking I might never wake up again, but I need her to focus on me.

I’ve never felt more alive.

Or I didn’t think I had.

That is until she reaches down and pulls her shirt over her head in one swift movement, letting it fall away wherever it might land, forgotten.

My eyes roam over every inch of skin I can see, which is all of it because she isn’t wearing a bra.

Serena is the very first girl I’ll ever see naked in the flesh, and I’m not even the smallest bit ashamed about it. No other woman is as perfect as she is, and her tits are proof of that.

“Are you drooling?” Serena asks with a smirk. Without thinking, I bring my hand up to smack her ass.

Hard.

She gasps, rocking forward on my cock and yeah, that was a little out of character, but I can’t bring myself to regret it, not when she makes sounds like that. Flexing my fingers, I sink them into the fabric of her pants and yank them down, letting my nails drag over her skin just slightly as I go.

I hold her gaze as she presses up on her knees, allowing me to pull the fabric down around them. I groan in both appreciation and agony as I trail my eyes down from her breasts to her stomach and find she isn’t wearing any underwear, either.

“Rena,” I groan, shaking my head as she sinks back onto my lap. The wicked smile on her pretty lips tells me she knew exactly what she was doing.

“Sorry. I took a quick bath last night, but didn’t want to be away for long. I didn’t bother grabbing anything from the room, just what I was able to grab on the way down.” Her eyes shine with the memory, sadness, and worry, and that’s the last thing I want right now.

“I can’t say I’m complaining. I’m alive, and you're damn near naked on top of me. This is the best night of my life, Serena.”

I watch as her worry melts away, the lust once again replacing it.

Much better.

“It’s about to get even better.” I press my hips up, easily lifting her with me, shoving my pants and boxers down my hips so that the only thing separating us is averythin blanket.

“Sol!” Serena shouts, her eyes wide as they rake over my chest, followed by her hands.

I can’t help but chuckle even though it’s not really funny. Something about seeing her care like this warms my heart and somehow makes me impossibly harder.

“I’m okay, Carrots, I swear.” I try to reassure her, but she ignores me in favor of finishing her search. “See, no blood. I’m fine, only a little sore.”

It takes a second, but she nods, letting out a sigh of relief that makes my heart squeeze. I never want to be the reason for her fear or worry, not like this.

All I want is to bring her pleasure, make her laugh, help her, and lift her up. I want to make her better, to be her friend and lover and… mate.