Something felt off. I couldn’t actually put my finger on it, but he was acting different. I’d never seen him restless, even a tiny bit. Watching him, I realized he was nervous. Maybe he’d already planned to break it off with me. Just the thought of that left a hollow feeling in my belly. That didn’t make any sense considering I’d been the one to bring it up last night. I leaned back into the sofa as I stretched out my legs on the coffee table. Keenan was stiff as a board and hardly seemed at ease.

I grabbed the remote control and hit pause. “Out with it, Kee. You’re so uptight I can feel it over here. Spit it out.”

He rubbed his hands together in contemplation. “I just have things on my mind; that’s all. This probably isn’t the right time.”

Oh fuck, he was leaving me. He decided to end it before I did. I hoped we could still have some kind of relationship. Of course we could still be friends since obviously that’s all we ever were. A few deep kisses and some stray touching didn’t mean he had any intentions of this moving forward. He was just lonely.

That just sounded absurd even in my own head.

Keenan was world famous and he had hundreds of friends. How could he feel alone? He was always busy, always out of town. His calendar was packed.

In truth, I felt the isolation too. I could go visit Haven whenever I wanted. Latch had made his jet available to her parents and me. But it wasn’t the same. She’d moved on. She’d gotten her deepest wish. I didn’t even know what I wanted. I was over forty, and I had no aspirations past my next real estate deal and blowjob. Those two things defined me.

Our eyes met as he raked me with a gaze. I felt the void in my belly turn into a knot. His hand brushed away a stray hair from my face. His touch stole all my breath as I felt my body stir. This man had the ability to ruin me. He could hurt me. He could crush my entire being.

“Do you like your blouse?” he asked in a quiet voice.

I was confused. My blouse? He wanted to talk about my shirt? “Umm… yes, I love this blouse. Haven sent it from Scotland.”

His eyes went half lidded as he looked at me while licking his lips. The gesture his mouth currently made sent intense heat throughout my body. My inner thighs became slick.

“Remove it for me, please.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it came across as a command, not a request.

I just sat there. Frozen. I’d never been one to hold back when it came to sexuality. However, in this moment, my brain was on pause along with the television. My heart hammered, and I wondered if he was doing this because he knew I wanted to walk away. Tonight was for me, not him. I’d given him no other choice, and he knew if he didn’t comply, I was done.

“You don’t have to do this—not for me. I’ve never had to beg or plead for a man—well, at least not prior to sex,” I joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

Keenan pushed himself off the sofa and stood above me. “Weezie, I am hanging on by a thread here. I swear to God, I’m not sure how much more I can take. Now, I will ask you one more fucking time. Do. You. Like. That. Blouse?” he said very slowly, enunciating every word.

Was it hot in here? Because I swear my pussy almost burst into flames when he said the word fucking.

“If you have designs on keeping that particular piece of clothing intact, then remove it. Otherwise, I won’t be held responsible for the damage I might incur.”

My eyes snapped wide, and for a brief moment, I felt shy. I’d been waiting for months, and now I felt inhibited. Maybe I’d built it up too much in my head. What if he was turned off by my body? Sure, I liked it, but he was used to skinny, young models. What if we weren’t compatible in bed? All these months wasted. The anticipation and the buildup could never compete with the scenario I’d fabricated.

I slowly and somewhat reluctantly began to loosen the ribbons on the front of my peasant blouse. Because the blouse was so wide at the top, I’d worn a strapless pink demi bra. My nipples had become pebbled, and the friction rubbed unmercifully against the lace cups. Once it was loose enough, I paused with it against my chest before it fluttered to the floor. I heard Keenan bite back a groan. The sound vibrated deep within my sex.

“Jesus, Weezie, you are as stunning as I expected,” he murmured as he stepped closer.

His hand brushed my exposed breasts. He reached into one of the cups and gently began to knead my nipple. I sucked in a deep breath as I lowered my eyes. There was no mistaking his arousal. His length looked long and heavy. My pussy began to pulsate with need. I reached my hand down to stroke him through his pants.

“No, I want tonight to be all about you. You’ve waited patiently—well, somewhat patiently.” He chuckled softly, taking away my hand. “I want to pleasure you tonight—all night.”

“What about you? I’ve anticipated this moment, and I’m eager to taste you,” I said so quietly I almost couldn’t hear myself.

His face showed signs of discomfort. “And I want that, but later. Rest assured, I want to experience your puff chore.” He choked on a snort.

“Oh, you know about puff chore?”

“How could I not? Latch told me everything. Well, he used to before he became a married man.”

“Can I at least touch you?” It appeared I wasn’t quite above begging.

He grasped my hand and this time let me trace the outline of his cock. He was huge. Men always boasted about the size of their cocks. I’m surprised most didn’t carry a tape measure. Keenan had mentioned his rather sizeable attribute, and he hadn’t exaggerated. I’d heard men brag many times and always been disappointed. I was currently thinking I might have found a cock I couldn’t deep throat. Regardless, I was eager to test out that theory.

“So utterly breathtaking.” Keenan’s lips rested on the expanse of my neck as he began to lick across my collarbone. He was going to drive me to madness at this rate. My body was pleading for more. His hand reached around and unhooked my bra. I saw it fall to the floor and land on my blouse. My normal instinct was to cover my breasts, which was difficult considering their size.

“Don’t. Not from me. I want to envelop every part of you. I want to visually ravish every detail and savor every moment,” he whispered as his body crushed into mine.

I struggled with the bottom of his shirt. He took a step back and pulled it over his head. I swear my mouth began to water. Never had I wanted to devour a man more in my life. I’d seen his body on billboards, print ads, and on the internet. But nothing compared to the real thing. For a moment, I forgot I was topless and reached out to graze his chest. He was too perfect to be real. Smooth and lightly tanned, he was a sculpture in motion. His body was decadent. The six-pack he displayed was defined by a narrow waist and enunciated by a chiseled V. His arms were thicker than I expected and dense with muscle. He was a magnificent specimen of a man. The perfect combination of every woman’s wet dream. I must have done something good in a past life if he was my prize.

I proceeded to drift my hand across his chest. Pausing briefly, gently flicking his nipple. I sucked in my breath as my hand slipped farther down toward the light-colored hair leading into his waistband. I heard a growl come deep from his throat. I wasn’t used to him being so sexual, and I almost didn’t know what I should do. He suddenly grabbed both my wrists and brought them to his lips.

“I love you.”

My body petrified. Was he insane? Had I heard him correctly? Had lack of sex rendered me hearing impaired? “What? You can’t love me. Jesus, Kee, you don’t have to placate me with words. It’s not necessary. I want this—I want you.”

He fixed his blue eyes on me, and I recognized the look of raw hunger. Awareness took place inside me, and I knew. What he’d said wasn’t pacification. It was real.