Page 4 of The Hotshot’s Prize (Praise Me Like Fire #2)

Zack

She tastes like danger.

Soft lips, breathy moans, the way her body leans into mine like she already knows I’ll catch her. I’m losing control faster than I can rein it in.

And I don’t lose control.

Not on a fire line, not during drills, not even when everything around me turns to smoke.

But Ella? She’s chaos in a hoodie and hiking boots. With those wide hazel eyes and the tiniest little gasp when I cradle the back of her neck, pulling her closer, greedy for more. Her fingers dig into my shoulders through my shirt, tugging me closer.

Damn, I can’t get enough of her.

I press her body even closer, pushing my tongue between her lips, devouring every inch of her mouth.

“Zack,” she whispers, her breath hitching when I slide my hand under the blanket, over the curve of her hip. She’s warm, trembling, whether from nerves or want, I can’t tell.

But I can feel it. The heat between us. It’s fast, reckless, electric. I press her gently against the ledge behind her, my fingers trailing down the side of her thigh, savoring the way her breath catches when I touch bare skin.

This is insane.

I just met her.

I should stop. Should slow down. But the way she arches when I run my hand up her side, the soft sound she makes when my lips find the curve of her neck?

I’m addicted. Already.

“You’re gonna drive me out of my goddamn mind,” I murmur into her skin, right beneath her jaw. She shudders, her fingers tangling in my hair as I kiss her throat, just above her racing pulse.

Her hoodie’s already pushed halfway up. My hand finds bare skin, and the softness of her curves makes my stomach clench with desire.

I trail my palm up to her ribs. She doesn’t stop me. Doesn’t even hesitate. If anything, she’s arching into my touch, egging me on.

“You sure about this?” I rasp.

She nods. Breathless. “Yes.”

But when I reach for the button of her shorts, her hips tense, just a little. She’s not pulling away, but…hesitant.

“Ella,” I say softly, brushing hair from her face. “It’s okay if you don’t want to do this.”

She shakes her head, cheeks burning. “No,” she murmurs, dropping her eyes from mine. “It’s just, I—I’ve never done this before.”

I freeze. Everything in me goes quiet.

Holy shit.

I scan her flushed cheeks, her parted lips, the rise and fall of her chest beneath the hoodie. She’s gorgeous. Absolutely fucking stunning.

And untouched.

“You’re a virgin?” I ask, keeping my voice low…careful.

She nods again, biting her bottom lip. Like she thinks I’ll bolt. Or mock her.

God. She has no idea what that does to me.

“Jesus,” I whisper, dragging a hand down my face. “How?”

She blinks. “Excuse me?”

“I mean…look at you,” I say, unable to stop the words now. “You’re beautiful. Sexy as hell. The guys around you must be fucking blind or something.”

She lets out a soft, self-conscious laugh. “Or maybe I just don’t…let people in that easily.”

Her voice is quiet, but it hits me right in the chest.

I study her. The anxious twist of her fingers in the blanket. The brave tilt of her chin even now, vulnerable as hell. And beneath all of that, the spark. That fierce, wild curiosity that got her out here in the first place.

My chest tightens.

They didn’t deserve her. None of them.

And I don’t deserve her either. But I’m going to claim her anyway.

That thought lands hard and deep, taking root until it becomes an instinctive, territorial hum in my blood.

She’s mine. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.

And I’m going to show her exactly what that means.

I lean in again, slowly and gently brushing my lips against hers. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” I murmur against her parted lips. “But I want to make you feel good, Ella. Let me?”

She exhales, muttering a shaky yes, and her legs part instinctively as I settle between them again.

I trail kisses down her throat, peeling her hoodie up inch by inch. My hands glide over her exposed skin, each new patch of her making me crazier. Hungrier.

But I take my time.

I want every gasp.

Every arch.

Then I take it a step further, tugging her shorts down. She arches her hips, making it easier to slide them off her legs, and I adjust the blanket so she’s sitting on it, a soft barrier between her and the rock surface.

I slide my hands up her naked legs and silky soft thighs, marveling at how smooth and tender her skin is. I gradually work my fingers between her legs and inch them higher and higher. Her flesh is so soft and warm in there too.

She moans softly, her legs instinctively falling apart for me. I slide my palm over her pussy, firmly massaging her through her panties.

“Oh, that feels so good,” she says breathily, throwing her head back.

I continue to tease her, playing with her body, watching her every reaction. Her eyes are closed, lips parted, skin flushed…

Damn, she’s gorgeous.

She’s dripping wet through the silky material of her panties, making soft, damning sounds in the back of her throat. She opens her legs wider, allowing me better access.

“You like this?” I ask, loving the haziness in her eyes as she looks at me. “Want me to go further?”

“Y-yes,” she stutters, running her tongue over her lips in a way that makes me want to take her right there and then.

Easy, Jenkins. You can’t go all caveman on her. Yet.

I apply a little more pressure as I stroke between her legs. I can feel her clit getting harder too. Then I gently pull her panties down her slim, smooth legs, until I have them completely off.

“Take your hoodie off,” I say, and she instantly complies, sitting up slightly and raising her hands above her head to pull it off.

I lean forward, reaching behind her to unhook her bra. My breath hitches at the sight that greets me.

“Fuck,” I murmur, staring at her breasts. They’re full and pointy, dark pink nipples jutting out like a fucking temptation. “Fucking hell, Ella…you’ve got the most beautiful breasts I’ve ever seen.”

She blushes, opens her mouth to say something, but then I slide my finger inside her and she lets out a loud gasp.

“Oh, Zack…”

I start to stroke her again, taking one tender nipple into my mouth. She gasps, bracing her hands on my shoulders, her fingers digging into my skin. Sucking these nipples with my finger inside her dripping pussy makes me fucking horny, and my self-control is rapidly slipping away.

I want to fuck her, want my cock inside of her warm sheath, riding her to ecstasy…but I know how delicate this moment is for her. For us.

She’s so wet that my fingers are covered with her juices, and I just continue to tease her, fucking her with my finger, slow and steady.

Going deeper each time until my finger is completely buried inside of her.

Then I increase my pace, thrusting faster and faster, watching her gasp and pant.

I suckle her harder, then press my lips together on one tense nipple and clamp down. Hard.

She screams my name and shatters beneath me, her thighs trembling violently. Her fingers clutch my hair, her breath coming out in sharp, desperate little pants.

“Zack—God—”

“Yeah, baby,” I whisper against her skin. “That’s it. Come for me.”

Her body is shaking uncontrollably, her voice hoarse from screaming so loudly. But I don’t stop until I’ve wrung every last bit of pleasure from her.

Then I kiss her slow and deep, and she curls into my chest, breath unsteady, heart pounding against mine.

I run my hand over her bare back in slow, gentle strokes. I want her to know she’s safe. Not just physically, but…here. With me.

“How are you feeling?” I ask her, pulling back slightly just in time to see her face flush.

Gorgeous.

“I feel amazing,” she whispers. “And like I…like I want more.” She fiddles with the hem of my T-shirt, starting to slide it slowly up my stomach, making her intentions clear.

“You sure?” Even though I’m rock-hard, I don’t want her to do anything she’s not ready for.

But she nods without hesitation. “Yes. I want you, Zack. I want this.”

My heart thunders dangerously at her words, and I almost pull myself out and slam into her right then. Instead, I lift her gently off the ledge and over to a spot on the floor of the cave where we create a makeshift bed. I lay her down gently and then remove my clothes before joining her.

When I lower my pants, she lets out a small gasp, and I can’t help the smirk that crosses my face.

“You okay?”

She nods. “You’re just so…big.”

I chuckle. “You think you can handle me, baby?”

Determination crosses her face. “I want to try.”

At her words, I join her on the blanket, pressing the length of my body against hers, skin against skin, holding my weight up on my elbows.

I take her mouth in a deep kiss that she returns with fervor, our tongues tangling together. Gently, I rub my length against the outside of her wet pussy, sliding us together in a way that makes us both moan into our kiss.

It isn’t long before she’s trembling beneath me, her eyes wide and dark with pleasure, lips swollen from kissing. Her chest rises and falls with each shallow breath, and I swear to God I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life.

She’s mine.

Even if she doesn’t know it yet, I do.

I lean in, pressing my mouth to her jaw, then lower, to her neck, the space below her ear that makes her gasp and writhe, that sweet little moan tumbling out of her throat.

“Zack…” she whispers, and fuck, hearing my name on her lips like that? I almost lose it.

I want to devour her. Worship her. Brand her from the inside out. But I take my time.

She’s never done this before.

I keep remembering that, remembering the way her eyes widened when I first touched her, how every reaction was raw and real, how tight her fingers gripped me when she came apart under my hands.

She deserves more than a quick, messy fuck against the cave wall. She deserves a first time that makes the world fade away.

“Tell me if you need me to stop,” I murmur, dragging my thumb over one hardened nipple then down the center of her chest, watching her body arch toward me. “You have all the power, baby. Just say the word.”

Her fingers tangle in my hair. “Don’t stop.”

Christ.

I settle between her thighs and kiss her again, slow and deep. I want to feel every inch of her. I want her so full of me, she forgets the world outside this cave exists.

As I move lower, she spreads her legs for me without hesitation. Trusting. Open.

Perfect. She’s perfect.

I trail kisses down her stomach until I’m at the top of her thighs, nudging her legs wider, taking in the gorgeous sight of her completely bare for me.

“Zack…” she whispers again, her voice shaking.

“I’ve got you,” I promise, my voice thick with dark lust. “You just keep making those sweet sounds and let me take care of you.”

She gasps as I bury my face between her thighs, sliding my tongue over her clit, stroking, sucking…savoring the way her hips jerk and her hand flies to my hair. Her thighs clamp around my head, and I groan against her, eating her like I’ve gone feral.

I don’t stop until she’s panting, her fingers gripping me like a lifeline, her body shuddering as she falls apart with a cry that echoes through the cave.

She’s still whimpering when I crawl back up her body, kissing the wet trails on her cheeks, holding her until her breath catches.

Her eyes meet mine. “I want you,” she says, her voice ringing with certainty.

My heart pounds harder.

“You have me,” I say roughly, settling back over her. “All of me.”

She’s warm and slick and ready, and my cock throbs as I press it gently between her thighs.

She tenses a little.

“I’ll go slow,” I promise, brushing my mouth over hers. “So fucking slow.”

She nods, eyes wide, vulnerable. But she wants this. Wants me. I can tell what she’s thinking at every point and that makes my blood roar with lust. She’s so fucking pure. So guileless.

I reach between us and guide myself to her entrance, slowly pushing in, inch by inch. She gasps and I freeze.

“You okay?” My voice is tight. I’m barely holding on.

She nods, breath catching. “Just…big. Stretching.”

“I know, baby. I know. You’re doing so good.”

I kiss her again, stroking her hips, letting her adjust as I push in deeper. She’s tight as hell, gripping me like a vise, and the feel of her around me is insane.

When I’m fully seated inside her, I pause…just breathing, shaking from the restraint it takes not to lose control.

She lifts her hips experimentally, and I groan. “Ella…”

“Move,” she whispers. “Please.”

So I do.

Slowly at first, making sure every movement brings more pleasure than pain. And when she starts to meet my thrusts, I lose the last of my restraint.

I fuck her slow. Deep. Driving into her with every ounce of control I have. Her name falls from my lips like a prayer. She clings to me like I’m the only thing anchoring her to earth.

And maybe I am.

I feel her coming again, her body spasming around me, and that’s it.

I let go.

My orgasm hits like a freight train, ripping through me, my vision white-hot as I spill inside her, deeper than I’ve ever been in my life.

We’re both shaking when it’s over, my weight braced over her on shaking arms, her hands tangled in my hair.

I kiss her forehead. Her cheeks. Her lips. Everywhere.

She smiles up at me, dazed and glowing.

“That was…”

“Yeah,” I whisper, still breathless. “It was.”

Perfect.