“When I think about that night at the club,” he says, pulling at one leg of my pants, then the other, “I try to imagine how that night would have gone had you not had nearly as much to drink. I think about how I would have made sure to kiss every inch of your skin before leaving, just so I could have memorized your flavor, so that it would have tided me over until this day. So that I could have remembered it as I watched you and wanted you and had to stay away.”

Oh, sweet Jesus. This guy.

My pajamas are on the floor and my panties feel anything but substantial as Smith begins to remove his jeans. They hit the floor with a thud and I almost swallow my tongue when I see the tight black boxer briefs and his healthy erection filling out the front.

“I’m not going to push you,” he says, coming over me and pressing his hands into the couch cushion on either side of my head. He’s leveraged himself off me and we’re separated by nothing but hot oxygen and pure want. I’m surprised that alone doesn’t make me pull him down against me.

“But I have to taste you tonight, Hyacinth,” he whispers, his mouth now so close to mine that I can’t tell our breaths apart. “Will that be all right with you?”

What am I supposed to say to that?

Well, I know what I’m supposed to say to that.

I just don’t say it.

Instead, I say, “Yes.”

Chapter Fourteen

Boundaries

Smith moans in satisfaction as he settles his weight on top of me. When his mouth meets mine, he rocks against me, his cock straining against his boxer briefs and my warm wetness. My eyes close as he switches focus, capturing a nipple in his mouth and tonguing it in a way that is making me crazy.

“God. Smith.”

I bite down hard on my bottom lip and his mouth travels, wet and slow, from my breast to my belly. He dips his tongue into my navel, circles it with hot, lush kisses, and then dips even lower. I heave in a deep breath, then stop breathing entirely as he presses his mouth against my core through the thin fabric of my panties.

“Oh, yes,” I murmur, my hands flying down to grip his hair. It slips through my fingers, but he seems pleased with my enthusiasm. Slowly, he slides my underwear to one side, then settles in between my legs. As he licks his way into my wetness, I feel everything so acutely—his lips and his tongue, the way he devours me, tasting me just as he promised.

“Tell me,” he whispers, moving to press his lips against my upper thigh. “Tell me you’ve thought about this as much as I have.”

I swallow hard, closing my eyes.

“Look at me, Cyn.”

I can feel my whole body tremble as I gaze down at him. His expression is fierce in the hottest way, as though he’s ready to fight me if I deny what he and I both know is true.

“Tell me you’ve wanted me as much as I’ve wanted you.”

I hesitate, then moan as he presses the softest of kisses above my clit. His eyes are still trained on me.

“Yes,” I breathe. “Yes, I’ve wanted you. I can’t stop wanting you.”

His smile is brighter than any light source I’ve ever witnessed, and when he dives back into my slick flesh, I’m seeing stars of a completely other kind. He curls his tongue around my clit.

I think my moans would be embarrassing if I weren’t completely lost to this man. He grips my ass with both hands and squeezes hard. I never though I’d enjoy this kind of possession, but, in this moment, there is nothing in the world I want more than to be owned by Smith Asher. In the past, my sexual experiences ranged from inexpert fumbling to a “ticking the boxes” sort of checklist that I had with Brett. Sex has always felt more like a transaction. But this? This is a whole different thing.

Smith devours me like I’m sustenance. Like I’m necessary to his survival. I can feel myself growing wetter and more sensitive as he moves his tongue over my most sensitive flesh. When he comes back to my clit, he sucks gently, then grazes it with his teeth.

That slight edge, that bit of roughness, is all it takes. I shoot off like a bottle rocket, saying things that are less like words and more like prayers, begging him for mercy, then begging him to never stop. I think I’m probably crushing his head between my thighs, but he hums against me and the sound alone throws me up and over another peak of pleasure.

When I float back to earth, the whole world is upside down. It takes me a second to realize that my body is still on the couch, but my head is now over the side. I feel Smith’s arms around my middle and he hauls me up to sitting. I sort of slump against his chest and, for a long moment, he just holds me. We’re both breathing heavily and I can feel the pounding of his heart pressed against my rib cage.

He pulls back then and gives me a wry smile.

“Good?”

I nod sort of weakly, feeling the blush travel up to my cheeks. Gently, he lays me back against the throw pillows, then crawls over me until our eyes meet as exactly as any mirror image.

“What do you want to do now?” he asks, his gaze flickering a bit, looking from each of my eyes, back and forth.

But I don’t say anything—I just press both my hands against his chest and push up until he’s on his knees and I’m sitting in front of him. His body is so incredibly miraculous and, moments later, I’m the one licking and tasting him as I let my tongue explore his taut, tan skin.

“Have I told you lately that you’re gorgeous?” I ask, biting lightly at his collarbone. I shift slightly and press a hot, wet kiss to his abdomen.

Smith hisses and I smile up at him, then let my tongue follow the elastic band of his boxer briefs. Unable to stop myself, I reach up and cup his erection from over the fabric. He feels hot and hard and insistent. The groan that comes from him as I slide my hand beneath and onto his smooth hardness is a reward in itself.

“Shit—Hyacinth. Baby.”

I ignore him and continue to press kisses along his waist and torso while simultaneously sliding his boxers down and off his legs. When he’s completely naked, I rock back on my heels to look him over and I swear, my heart almost stops at the sight. He’s big—way bigger than Brent—and the muscles of his body really should have their own fan club.

His eyes are focused on me and filled with desire and I realize that I don’t just want to feel him tonight—I want him to feel me, too. I want him to remember every second we’re together. I want him to know how much I’m dying to be in this moment with him—right here, right now.

I give what I hope is a seductive little smile, then lean in and run my tongue up along the underside of his cock. He shudders hard, hard enough that he almost loses his balance, so I grab his hips and do it again, this time curling my tongue around the head when I do.

He palms my scalp and I open my mouth to take him inside. He’s warm on my tongue—his taste is slightly salty and intoxicatingly male. I grip the base with one hand and flatten my tongue, licking him up and down like a dessert to be savored.

“Oh—fuck, yes.”

His words are more of a groan as he threads his fingers through my hair, then tightens his grip. I lick and suck him, letting him guide the pace one minute, then taking over the next. I slow down, letting my lips glide down his shaft, then back up to the head, swirling my tongue in a strategic circle around the head of his cock.

I have never, ever enjoyed giving head this much. I never thought I could.

Smith tugs my hair again, a little harder this time.

“Shit, baby—you gotta stop.”

I moan against his flesh, refusing to give it up—give him up—until he physically hauls me toward his face and attacks my mouth with renewed vigor. With little effort, he has me flat on my back and he lowers himself on top of me, letting his hardness prod between my legs. I grind against with a little whimper and he gives me a wicked smile.