SAWYER

“First things first, then,” he says, hand cupping the nape of my neck.

His thick fingers weave into my hair, cradling my head, drawing me in closer.

My breath hitches, pulse skittering as he leans, pressing his lips to mine.

My whole body heats up, standing at attention as his tongue swipes against mine.

Fuck, based on this reaction you’d think this was the first time he’d kissed me tonight instead of the hundredth.

Still, there is something different about this kiss. It’s just as sweet, kind, gentle as the others. But it’s also purposeful. Full of something different. A want that he’s been holding back. One that surges through me, all the way to my toes.

“Fuck, Sawyer…you have no idea what you do to me,” Anton mutters.

I suck in a breath, understanding his sentiment exactly.

The desire coursing through me right now is more potent than anything I’ve ever felt, and I have no idea how to channel it.

Sliding my hand between us, I palm his bulge, hoping that’s the right move.

Anton groans, tightening his grip in my hair .

“Right back at you.”

“That’s one way to conquer your fear.” He chuckles.

“I’m not a complete prude,” I whisper, a little laugh sneaking out.

I wish I could put all of my feelings into words, expressing to him this weird mix of emotions swirling inside.

But right now, all I know is that I can trust him.

“But I’ve never enjoyed sex. I want to, but…

don’t. Like I said, it’s not about the want, it’s that it’s not… ”

Anton nods. “So no one has ever gone down on you? Worshipped you like you deserve?”

I shake my head. Anton’s eyes go wide and I can’t tell if he doesn’t believe me or if it’s something else.

Muttering something under his breath, he moves quickly out from under me, sending me toppling over.

I don’t have time to readjust before he scoops me up and I’m airborne, in his arms, like a bride being carried by a groom.

“That changes now .”

There’s so much gruffness and power behind Anton’s voice I can’t help but shiver in his arms. The butterflies inside pick up their pace, the fluttery warmth they cause spreading through me.

A split second later we’re across the living room and in his bedroom.

The large room is minimally decorated, with only a photo of a peach grove over the king-size bed.

It could use some love—maybe even a woman’s touch—but I keep that comment to myself, my focus trained on Anton as he deposits me in the middle of the bed.

Leaning over me, he kisses me the same way he did earlier—with passion and purpose—stealing my breath. I whimper, losing myself into it, letting the moment take over. Letting him take over.

We continue like this, kissing and caressing, getting lost in each other, for a couple of minutes, not in any hurry. Something that is both a blessing and a curse since my body wants more, but my head is thankful that Anton seems to know exactly what speed to move.

Kissing along my jaw, Anton nips at my earlobe. I moan, squirming underneath him, feeling myself start to get wet. Fuck, is he good.

“Sawyer,” he whispers into my ear. “I’m going to worship every inch of your body. Until you’re screaming my name. Until you’ve forgotten your own. I’m going to make you feel better than you ever have in your life.”

Oh, fuck…yes, please…

“So, I’m gonna need you to use your words, okay?” I nod. Which isn’t using my words, but it’s all I have right now. Anton chuckles, continuing. “I’m gonna need you to tell me when you like something, or when you don’t. And if you want me to stop, then that’s all you have to say. Got it?”

“Yeah…”

“Then let’s give this pretty pussy the attention it deserves.”

I shudder at his use of pretty pussy —something about the simple alliteration doing me in. The way Anton’s eyes darken as he licks his lips tells me that he notices too, and I know I’m in trouble. He’s committing that to memory to use it against me later.

And there is a part of me that can’t wait.

In the blink of an eye, he has me out of my tank top and shorts, leaving me in nothing but my panties.

The fabric of his T-shirt and shorts feels strange against my bare skin, the juxtaposition trying to steal me from the moment.

As if he can sense it, Anton shifts, propping himself up on one elbow, cupping my face in his free hand.

“You are so damn beautiful,” he says, his voice low, reverent.

A flash of heat rushes through me as he drags a hand down my body, all my nerve endings firing up.

Snaking along my torso and up my belly, his fingers circle my breast, then my nipples.

It’s a slow, torturous tease, like he’s stealing the oxygen from the air one breath at a time, alternating between nipples, teasing one taut peak at a time, but never giving either the full attention they want. That they’re screaming for.

I suck in a harsh breath, my pussy starting to tingle from the preview of what is to come. Or so it hopes. I hope. Whimpering, I wiggle, trying to urge Anton on. Trying to get him to do more than simply run his fingers along my skin.

“Oh, did you want something?” he asks.

“Mm-hmm,” I moan.

“Use your words, Sawyer,” he says.

“More…”

“More…” he repeats. “Like this more?”

He flicks my nipple, sending a burst of pleasure through me. I nod, letting him know I liked that.

“Or like this more?”

He lowers his head, closing his mouth around the taut peak, swirling his tongue right where I need it. And oh, shit .

I gasp, not sure that I find the air I require as he moves to the other side, repeating the motion. My whole body is alive, every one of my nerve endings standing at attention and my pussy calling his name. Holy shit.

“How about if I do…this…” Sliding a hand down my body, he slips it in my panties, eyes going wide. “Oh, Sawyer Brown, you naughty, naughty girl, tsk .”

I swallow hard, a strange nervous excitement slamming into me as his hand stops just inside my underwear.

“You’re bare.”

I blush, not sure if I should be embarrassed or not by his reaction, his straight face not giving anything away. My heart gallops faster than the horses at Churchill Downs, waiting for him to say something. Do something. Anything .

Then I get my answer.

His hands dips lower. Sliding over my clit, teasing me for the briefest of seconds, and then into my wetness. Anton groans.

“Fuck, I cannot wait to lick you.”

Ohhhh, fuuuuuuck…

“Th-then…then what are you waiting for?”

Anton’s eyebrows fly up, his devilish smirk taking over. Oh, he liked that. To be honest, so did I. No idea where it came from—sex kitten isn’t exactly a personality trait I’ve honed over the years. Then again, maybe that comes with the right person too.

Slowly removing his hand, Anton licks his fingers clean, maintaining eye contact the whole time. It feels like he can see into my soul, knows exactly what I’m thinking and feeling. Which means he knows exactly how conflicted I am.

Just how much I want this. While also being scared out of my mind.

Sliding a hand behind my head, Anton kisses me, reassuring me, as he moves between my legs. Once he’s settled between my thighs, he removes my panties, placing a kiss on the inside of each of my knees.

“I can tell you’re nervous,” he says, kissing up my left thigh.

“And that’s okay, baby. But I meant it when I told you that I’m going to make you feel better than you ever have in your life.

” He switches sides, moving to my right thigh, lips moving up the soft skin.

“Because I don’t take it lightly that I’m the first man you’ve let down here. ”

I exhale. A long, shuddered breath that I’d somehow been holding on to. How does that even happen? Anton’s reassuring words settle into me, giving me everything I need. Closing my eyes, the tension releases from my muscles and?—

“Faaaaa!”

Anton’s tongue hits me, licking me from base to tip, flicking my clit as he finishes off. He chuckles maniacally as I cry out, sitting straight up.

“Such a pretty pussy, Sawyer,” he coos, gently rubbing my clit with his middle finger. I whimper, grasping at the bedspread. He leans down, licking me again, never taking his eyes off me. “So, so sweet. Like a peach. I’m going to love every second of this.”

Wrapping both his arms around my thighs, he yanks me into him and buries his face in my crotch. I cry out again, flat on my back, his tongue buried deep in me.

And it’s everything .

I let go, losing myself in the moment. In everything that I’m feeling. The mix of intense emotions and extreme physical pleasure that is coursing through me, the two of them fighting for control.

Finally, the physical takes over, Anton turning his focus to my clit, circling it with his tongue, making all the feel-good tingles I’ve been experiencing until now morph into something else. Into something that’s building.

“Uh-huh…yes…right there. Anton, please…”

“Yeah?” I can hear the smirk in his voice. “Let’s make this pretty pussy come.”

Yes, please…

“What’s gonna do it for you, Sawyer? Maybe some of this?”

He slides a finger inside me, followed quickly by a second one.

I gasp, the sudden full feeling overwhelming at first, but then he starts to move them.

It’s a new sensation, amped up even more when his mouth returns to my clit.

Soon enough I’m soaring again, that building becoming stronger and stronger. Every nerve ending I have is on fire.

All I need is something to push me over the edge.

That’s when Anton finds my secret spot.

As if he were given a hidden treasure map with X marks the spot, all it took was a single tap from his finger and I’m gone. Soaring off into space. I scream, grabbing onto the back of his head, stars flashing in my eyes. Wave after wave of the most intense feelings ever course through me.

I crash back down, hands unfurling from Anton’s hair, chest heaving. I don’t dare open my eyes, afraid that the tears that I know are hovering behind my eyelids will spill out.

Because one thing is without a doubt for certain after that—I will never be the same. Physically or emotionally.

Oh, shit.

I have no idea how long I lie there before Anton climbs up my body, pulling me into his and holding me. Or how long we stay like that, curled up in each other, my head on his chest, eyes plastered shut, still too afraid to open them.

“Are you planning on opening your eyes any time soon? Or are we just going to spend the rest of the night pretending you’re asleep?” Anton asks.

Shit, he noticed. Actually, he’s giving me too much credit. It hadn’t occurred to me to pretend to be asleep.

Okay, time to woman up.

Opening my eyes, I look up at him. Sure enough, a tear escapes, sliding down my cheek. He swipes it away with his thumb, the one side of his smile quirking upward.

“It was that bad?”

I shove him, earning me a deep laugh as he draws me in closer. “You know it wasn’t.”

“And we’re just getting started.”