“You want me to read naked in bed?” she asked in an amused tone.

“Hell, yeah, I do. I want you to do everything naked.”

Reese tilted her head back and looked up at me. “You’re not serious.”

I glanced down at her smiling face. “Yes, baby. When I’m talking about you being naked, I’m very, very serious.”

She laughed again and I pulled her closer to me. This was what I needed.

Reese headed inside as I lifted her suitcase out of the back. I took a moment to watch her walking into my house, soon to be our house. It felt different with her here. She brought warmth and sunshine with her.

Glancing back over her shoulder, she smiled. “Are you coming?”

“I was just enjoying the view,” I replied with a grin, and I made my way to join her.

As soon as I was through the door, I set her suitcase down and reached for her. She squealed in surprise as I picked her up and carried her over to the sofa. Sinking down onto the worn leather, I held her in my lap as she clung to my shoulders.

“Welcome home,” I said, just before I captured her lips with mine.

The guy in me wanted to strip her naked and fuck her against the door. But the man who knew what she needed was going to hold her and love her a little while first. I never wanted to make her think it was all about sex for me. I had been in love with her before we’d ever had sex. She was too precious to be treated like a hot piece of ass . . . although her ass was divine.

Reese took my hat off and tossed it onto the seat beside us, then sank her fingers into my hair. Her kisses were like warm honey, and I was pretty damn sure I could just do this forever. Soft curves in my hands and the mouth of an angel were more than I had ever imagined. Reese was more than I had ever imagined.

The soft plumpness of her lips brushed against my bristly chin as she trailed kisses over my face. “You haven’t shaved,” she whispered.

“I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I like it. It’s sexy,” she murmured, and her mouth came back to mine.

“It’ll hurt your soft skin,” I replied, before taking her kiss deeper and drowning myself in the sweetness. My hands slid under her shirt to touch her heated skin, and she shivered in my arms.

“I think I’d like it to hurt a little. If it’s you that’s doing it,” she said, shifting in my lap until she was straddling me. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders as she gave me a shy, sexy little smile that made my blood pump harder.

I reached up and cupped her face and brushed my thumbs across her cheeks. “I could never hurt this skin. That would be tragic.”

She blushed and leaned forward, pressing her face into my hands. “I need you,” she whispered. The spark of excitement in her eyes was all I needed.

“Lift your arms up.” She didn’t question me but did exactly as I said. I took her shirt off carefully and placed it beside us. Taking in the sight of her in a bra made me feel like a teenager again, seeing tits for the first time. Fuck, I’d missed those.

“I want them in my mouth, but I need to shave,” I told her, unable to stop soaking in the sight of them.

“Please, Mase. I want to feel your scruff on my skin. I love it. I really do.”

She was going to drive me crazy. I wanted to see the marks of me on her skin, too. I felt guilty wanting to hurt her in any way, but hearing her beg for it was too tough to ignore.

I reached behind her and unclasped her bra. My heart thudded in my chest as both full breasts fell free. Those perfect pebbled nipples needed me as much as I needed them.

Fuck it. I bent my head and pulled one into my mouth, letting it roll over my tongue. Reese’s sighs and moans as she pulled tightly at my hair sent my adrenaline spiking. I wanted to bite down and hear her scream in pleasure. But I couldn’t. I never wanted to scare her or hurt her. I wanted her always to feel safe and cherished in my arms.

“I want your shirt off,” she said with a soft moan.

I’d do whatever she wanted. I let her nipple pop from my mouth and jerked my shirt off in record time. My mouth was back where it wanted to be in seconds. Reese’s nails gently trailed down my chest, and her palms covered my pecs as she bent her back and whispered my name in a way that made me feel like a king.

Once she’d been scared of this. Knowing she trusted me to love her and make her feel good was something I’d never take for granted. She had been broken once, and I intended to make sure she never felt that way again. I would protect her from all harm. With me, she would always know she was safe.

Her hips began to rock, and I bit back a wince. My dick was about to burst out of my jeans. Having the zipper press even harder against it caused pain along with the pleasure.

I let her nipple go in order to claim her mouth again and inhaled her sweetness. When she whimpered, I broke the kiss and touched my forehead to hers. “Let’s take off your jeans,” I said, wanting to touch more of her.

“Let’s take off yours,” she replied with a grin, then eased back off me and stood up.

I watched as she unzipped her jeans and slowly began to wiggle out of them. I was entranced. A pair of black satin panties came into view, and the pain from the zipper got worse. I reached for my own jeans and unfastened them to give myself some relief. But I never took my eyes off Reese. She slid her jeans down her legs and tossed them aside.

“Panties,” I said, but it sounded more like a growl.

Her face flushed and her eyes lit with desire as she quickly removed those, too. I had her completely naked now. I wanted her like that in my arms for fucking ever.

“You haven’t taken off your jeans,” she said, staring down at my boxers which were now in view.

“I was working on it. You distracted me.”

“Then stand up and let me help,” she replied, grinning wickedly.

I swear I’d jump off a cliff if she asked me to. That grin could make me do anything.

Reese

Mase stood up, and my eyes went to his rippled stomach, which was so hard I couldn’t keep my hands off of it.

“Anything you want,” he said, looking at me like I was his world. This was the Mase I knew. The man I trusted. The man I knew would never hurt me. I felt guilty for doubting him earlier. I hadn’t had any safe and secure relationships until recently, so I didn’t understand how to trust in them. Until now.

I closed the little space between us and tugged on his already loosened jeans until I realized he was still wearing his boots. I loved his boots. “You need to take those off,” I reminded him.

He smirked, bent down, and pulled them both off with ease. “Done.”

He made me feel as if I could ask him anything and he would do it. That was a powerful yet humbling emotion. I continued pulling his jeans down, pausing to appreciate his muscular thighs and perfect calves.

I stood up, glancing at his boxers. My cheeks felt warm as I touched them and gently began pulling them down. I could hear Mase’s breathing hitch, and that sent a shiver of anticipation through me. My being close to him like this—especially his penis—excited him. That was a powerful feeling for me, too. Knowing he liked it when I took my time, I paused and glanced up at him when I had the boxers low enough to expose him. His eyes were heated with excitement.

Leaning in, I pressed a kiss to the swollen red tip.

“Fuck, baby,” he groaned.

I liked that. No, I loved that.

I continued moving his boxers down his legs, then stood up and touched his stomach as I ran my hands up his chest. His hands settled on my hips.

“Let me take you to bed,” he said, pulling me flush up against him.