Towering over her, he watched her take him in with hungry eyes. Then he was on her, his mouth everywhere, his cock sliding against her slickness. No more teasing. No more foreplay. “I need to be inside of you, baby. I want to feel you when you come.”

“Yes,” she whispered. He lifted off of her, reaching toward the nightstand, but she pulled him back. “I’m on the pill.”

He studied her for a minute, his eyes burning into hers before he relaxed against her. He rested his elbows on the bed on either side of her head, the muscles in his shoulders bunching with his weight. He framed her face with his hands and brought his mouth to hers. “I love you.”

She saw the truth in his eyes. “I know.”

That earned her a huge grin that soon faded into a determined look as he positioned himself at her core and slid in with one long, smooth stroke. “Fuck.” He groaned into her neck. “You feel so good.” Luke lifted his eyes to hers. “Is this okay?”

She felt herself stretching to accommodate his size, and she nodded, wrapping her long legs around his waist and pulling him in deeper. She was right about his dance moves—he was even better in the bedroom. She sighed with pleasure as he moved inside of her, a slow, punishing rhythm that hit every spot. Embry felt a delicious sensation build in her belly.

“Oh God, Luke,” she said breathlessly. She felt as if she would explode. He had already worked her up so much—they’d both wanted it for so long—that she didn’t know if she could control herself much longer.

He increased his pace, joining their mouths once more as his tongue stroked and teased hers. Small noises of pleasure escaped him as he continued his rhythm. His movements became faster and less controlled, and she could tell he was getting close. He was having just as much trouble holding back as she was.

“Let go, baby. Come with me,” he whispered.

Those words were all Embry needed to hear. Her head flew back as she closed her eyes and cried out, exploding around him. Luke followed her over the edge seconds later. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight as he came. He dropped light kisses on her lips and eyelids as he continued slow, lazy strokes inside of her. Finally slowing to a stop and pulling out of her, he looked at Embry, his blue eyes sparkling.

“Be right back.” he said, planting a quick kiss on her forehead.

Embry lay on the bed, trying to stay awake. She was completely drained, emotionally and physically exhausted. But she was happy. Luke had gone into the bathroom, and he came out with a damp towel. He helped her clean up before climbing back into bed and pulling her to face him.

“Hi,” he said, smiling.

She ran her hand over his stubble, returning the smile. “Hey.” Until that moment, she hadn’t seen what a toll the past month had taken on him. She couldn’t remember ever seeing Luke so happy, but the dark circles under his eyes were hard to ignore. She’d come over to tell him how she felt, and she had. But they still needed to talk. “Luke, I …”

“Shhhh.” He tugged her closer, tucked her head under his chin, and stroked his fingers through her long hair. “We’ll talk tomorrow, baby. Just sleep.”

She probably would have slept deeply all night had she not been woken up sometime in the pre-dawn hours by Luke pressing into her from behind. They had slow, lazy sex as he dropped wet kisses on her neck and whispered in her ear how beautiful and loved she was. Wrapped tight in his strong arms, she felt truly safe for the first time in a long time.

Embry was warm. Too warm. An unfamiliar weight across her back held her in place against the mattress. A low, sexy groan next to her ear was all she needed to wake her sleepy brain and remind her where she was. Luke shifted, his arm wrapping tighter around her body, his leg stretching out and tangling with hers. Suddenly she didn’t mind the temperature.

She snuggled into him, soaking up his heat, and replayed the night before. A shiver ran through her, causing her insides to clench, as she recalled feeling him inside of her, all over her. She wasn’t sure how she had gotten so lucky, especially after all she’d put him through, but the beautiful man beside her was all hers. She had fought him so hard and wound up in his bed anyway. But there was nowhere else she would rather be.

As her body came awake, she realized she was sore, deliciously so, and she needed to pee. Stretching, she rolled out from beneath Luke and tiptoed to the bathroom. Peeking back to make sure she hadn’t woken him, she walked silently into the bathroom. Embry examined herself in the mirror. She was stark naked, her hair falling in wild waves around her face. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed, giving her a healthy glow. She looked good, happy, and she couldn’t help but grin. She dug through the bathroom drawers until she found a brush. After trying in vain to tame her long locks, she grabbed a toothbrush and freshened up.

She snuck back into the bedroom and found Luke sprawled on his stomach, the comforter kicked aside. Just the white top sheet was draped over his waist. Embry lifted the sheet, climbed into the bed, and tried her best not to wake him. That turned out not to be a problem—he was out. She watched him, eyes roaming his body, as the sound of his even breathing filled the room. He was gorgeous, even in sleep.

His hair was ruffled from her hands, his eyelids closed and fluttering, framed by long dark lashes. His lips looked plump—perfect and kissable. Her gaze traced every line of his lithe, lean build. Unable to help herself, she lifted the sheet, stealing a greedy glance at his sculpted ass. But as she took in his perfect form, she found a surprise. Her hand flew to her mouth, trying and failing to stifle a giggle. Tattooed on the right side of his beautiful butt was a small dark green shamrock. What the hell? Her tiny snicker quickly turned into an all-out bed-shaking laugh, causing Luke to stir.

He turned toward her, looking up with adorable, sleepy eyes. “Hey.” His voice was nothing more than a throaty rasp.

She acknowledged him with a nod, her face turning pink. She tried to control her laughter, which just made her laugh more.

“What’s so funny?” he grumbled.

Embry shook her head and continued laughing until she found herself pinned to the mattress. Luke hovered above her, nudging her with a very noticeable erection, as he stared at her with a burning intensity.

“Not that I don’t love waking up to your gorgeous laugh, baby,” he said, kissing her face, “but do you mind telling me what you’re laughing at?”

Her mouth parted slightly, her tongue darting out to run across her bottom lip. “I … I was peeking under the sheet, and I found your tattoo.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You were peeking under the sheet?”

She nodded.

“At what?”

“Your ass,” she whispered.

“You were peeking at my ass?” he asked, deadpan.

She squirmed beneath him. His heated gaze and the weight of his body made it hard for her to think straight. “Yes.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Did you like what you saw?” he asked, pushing his hips into hers again.

Her legs fell open, giving him more room. Luke’s question went unanswered as he settled against Embry’s core, eliciting a low moan instead.

“Answer me, baby.” He planted a soft kiss on her lips.

“Yes, I liked it,” she said against his mouth.

Slowly, he pushed inside of her. “Do you like this?”

“Mmhmm.”

Luke thrust the rest of the way in, erasing all thoughts of the tattoo from Embry’s mind.

“It was a bet in college,” Luke said.

Embry lay tangled in his arms as he explained how he wound up with a shamrock on his ass. She found it hysterical when she had first come across it. But after seeing him moving around unabashedly naked in the morning light, she decided it wasn’t funny at all. It was hot—seriously hot. She tipped her face toward him. “A bet?”