While staring at her, I undid my belt slowly, tossed it to the side, and then undid my jeans. I didn’t take them off because I wanted her to do that for me, but I did leave them open, showing off just enough of my happy trail to entice her.

She licked her lips and reached out to me. I accepted her gesture and entwined our fingers. I lay down next to her, putting our clasped hands above her head. I stroked her stomach, reveling in the feel of her skin. Her muscles twitched under my touch, and her breathing picked up while I explored every inch of her.

I swirled my finger around her belly button and danced low on her pelvic bone but pulled away quickly, torturing her. My hand then went up to her chest where I moved my fingers very slowly through the prominent cleavage on display.

She twisted under me, begging for me to touch her more, to touch her where she wanted, but I was taking my sweet-ass time. Tonight was going to be on my terms.

I lowered my head to her neck and she leaned to the side so I had better access to run my tongue along her pulse. I would never get enough of how she tasted. It was sweet like honey and maybe a little bit of spice. It was unique—everything about her was fucking unique—and that was why she’d captured me so quickly.

Instead of using my fingers, I spread the palm of my hand against her and ran it up the front of her stomach, stopping below her breasts. She rolled to one end, trying to force me to go higher, but I didn’t let her win. I kept myself still and continued to nibble on her neck, all the while knowing I was driving her crazy.

“Please, Kace,” she moaned, her legs now moving, her hips lifting in the air. If she was as turned on as I was, I knew she had to be soaking wet. I wanted to see if she was, but I knew if I ventured down to her pussy, I was never going to be able to leave.

 I pressed the side of my finger against the underside of her breast, causing her to push down enough that her breast fully rested on my finger. If I hadn’t been so lost in the moment, I might have laughed from the desperation she was displaying.

“Touch me, Kace. Don’t make me ask again,” she demanded, trying to top me from the bottom. Little did she know she wasn’t getting anywhere with her little commands.

“Every time you ask for something, you will have to wait even longer.” I nuzzled her ear.

“You can’t do that,” she complained.

“I can do whatever the fuck I want,” I replied. “I could fucking leave right now if I wanted,” I threatened, knowing damn well there was no way in hell I was going to follow through. I was almost positive I wanted this more than she did.

“Don’t go,” she said with a touch of sadness.

I rubbed my hand up against her breast, cupped her face, and said, “I’m not going anywhere, baby.” Even though it was a lie, it eased the worried look on her face. “Why me?” I asked, needing to know what the draw was, what she saw in me. If anything, I needed to know that maybe someone saw me for who I wished I could be—a strong, confident man—not who I actually was.

Sadly though, I wasn’t that man. Instead, I was eaten alive every day by a set of demons that wouldn’t leave me alone, no matter how hard I tried to ignore them.

Lyla’s patience was wearing thin. I saw the tension that was starting to coil inside of her ease a fraction. She shifted underneath me and placed one hand on my chest, right above my heart. The other caressed my jaw gently.

“There is so much about you that attracts me, Kace. It’s hard not to be drawn to you. It’s not just because you’re devastatingly handsome, but it’s the heart I see in you. You might not think you show it, but you have a giant heart. You care about the girls, you care about Jett, and you care about this community even though they turned their back on you during the lowest point in your life. You’re strong, you’re sure of yourself, and you know what you want. You’re sexy as hell, and even though you’re fighting an inner battle, you still have a spark in your eye that I see occasionally when you get excited about things like the community center or helping others. You’re a good person, and you’ve made it incredibly hard on me, not giving me a chance.”

My breath escaped my lungs from her words. How could she see me so differently? When I looked in the mirror every morning, I saw a murderer, a coward, a detached and broken man. How could she think such positive things about me? How could she see me in such a shining light when I knew the way she described me was so off-base?

I shook my head and started to retreat from her, but she gripped my shoulders before I could pull away.

“Stay with me, Kace. Please don’t leave. Live this moment with me. Even if it’s just this moment, live it with me. Be with me for this piece of time.”

Her eyes watered as she stared up at me, begging me to stay. I’d told myself I would give her this night, and even though her words shook me to my core, I knew I had to stay, if not for her than for myself. I wanted to be selfish one more time.

I pressed my hand against her cheek and wiped away a stray tear. Leaning down, I brushed a soft kiss against her forehead, lingering my lips while I breathed in her sweet scent, a scent that immediately calmed my raging heart and eased my soul.

Slowly, I moved my lips down her cheeks to her jaw, kissing her all along the way, taking my time as I relished in the soft feel of her skin against my mouth.

Her fingers found the belt loop of my jeans and gripped tightly, pulling my hips closer to hers. I pressed my erection against undulating hips that were begging for more, making me inwardly smile from her neediness. Even though I was a corrupt bastard, I still enjoyed the feeling of being needed, the feeling of being able to take care of a woman, to own her, at least for one night.

I continued my descent until I got to her breasts, which were aching to be released from the confines of the lingerie she had picked out at the store. Thankful for the flimsy fabric, I tore it, exposing her bare breasts to the warm night air. Her gasp made her chest rise and fall, moving her breasts at a rapid rate that had the crotch of my jeans throbbing.

 “You’re better naked,” I said, moving my lips to the swell of her breasts.

Her legs wrapped around my hips, pulling me in even closer. Like a desperate man, I rubbed the crotch of my jeans against her heat, soaking in every mew that escaped her mouth.

My tongue darted out to her skin and made deliberate circles around one nipple, causing a frustrated cry to escape her lips. Carefully, my teeth nipped at her puckered nipple, making her fingers to claw into my back. I welcomed the new pain and in return pushed my tongue against her nipple and lapped at her skin. I rounded her nipple, flicked it, and then finally sucked it into my mouth while biting down with little pressure.

“Yes,” she screamed as she arched under me.

Pleased with her reaction, I moved to her other breast and gave it the same treatment. As she writhed under me and ground into my hips, I moved my hand down to the juncture of her thighs, letting her know what my next move was going to be.

Pulling away from her now red nipples, I looked at her and was rewarded with the vision of a picture perfect woman lying naked under me. Her eyes were glazed with passion, her skin was slick with sweat, and her hair was messy from my hands. She was a woman in need, and fuck if I wasn’t about to fulfill that need.

I stood up and found the button of my jeans. A gorgeous smile caressed her face as she scooted forward on the bed and pulled me between her spread legs. From my view, I could see how turned on she was for me, which in return turned me on even further.

She ran her hands around my waist, to my back, where she pressed them down into my pants and briefs, dragging them over my ass and down to the floor. My heavy shaft sprang free.