“Oh, Z,” she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed. She felt his hands seek out the waist of her panties and gently start tugging them down the length of her legs. Rose adjusted her stance, kicking out of them and leaving herself completely bare beneath the exquisite gown.

Xander let his hands roam all over the soft skin of her legs, creeping higher and higher. She felt the flutter of his touch running along the cropped curls of her sex, then the explosion of sensation as one finger dipped deeper and stroked her aching, moist core. Her heart started racing in her chest as he pushed her closer and closer to her release.

Her orgasm was hard and intense, very nearly rocking her off her feet with the powerful spasms. Only his steady grip on her waist kept her stable until the last tremors shook her legs.

Xander climbed out from under her gown and stood to pull her into his arms. She was like a rag doll, stumbling against his hard body. She felt as if there were no more bones left in her legs. “I’ve got you,” he said. “I won’t let you fall.”

She knew that. Unlike her father, Xander meant it. Even back in school, Rose always knew she could count on Xander to be there for her. When her mother’s time was short and her father was only worried about himself, he’d been the constant in her life. She felt as if she could do anything with him beside her.

And when she pushed him out of her life, she’d been in a free fall. When she needed him the most, she’d been too scared to ask for his support. The cost had been too high. But it had taught her to stand on her own. She could survive without him, even if she didn’t want to.

Now he seemed to be offering her the opportunity for the two of them to try again. She was tired of being alone. If she was honest with herself, she wanted Xander back. Rose wanted him in her bed and in her life and her son’s life. If that meant moving to D.C., she would go.

Rose turned her back, holding the post once again to offer the zipper of her dress to him. She felt the graze of his fingertips at her shoulder blades where the dress began, and then heard the loud slide down to the base of her spine.

Xander put his warm palms on her back, wrapping around her rib cage to open up the bodice and push the dress down. The fabric skimmed down her body and pooled at her feet as if she were standing in a fluffy golden nest. She stepped out of the dress and then turned to face Xander.

He had his hand at his collar, quickly unfastening the buttons of his shirt. He tossed aside his shirt and whipped off his belt. Rose’s fingers sought out his fly, undoing the button and pulling the zipper down. Her hand slipped inside, slowly stroking the firm heat of him through his briefs.

“Rose,” he groaned, and then his mouth slammed against hers. She met his intensity, stroking him with a sure, firm hand and pushing his slacks out of her way. She was about to slip beneath the waistband of his briefs when he pushed forward and she fell backward onto the bed.

Before she could recover, Xander had slipped from his briefs and was moving above her. The heat of his skin seared hers as he glided over her body. Rose’s thighs parted, cradling him. He paused only as he met her eye to eye and hovered there.

He was such a beautiful man. Perfectly made for appearing on television. A face that could inspire trust and lead his fellow congressmen. The angles and curves of his face could change to make him look more serious, handsome, charming or boyishly playful when he smiled and those dimples came out. His sandy hair had fallen into his eyes, the flaming desire flickering there as tiny golden flecks amid the green and brown.

Was it possible that a man like this could ever love a woman like her? He said he wanted to be a family, but she was no one. Plain and hardworking at best, poor criminal trash at worst. She didn’t deserve the love of a man like Xander, but she wanted it so badly her heart nearly burst at the thought of it.

Xander dipped his head to kiss her and she closed her eyes to lose herself in the sensation of being with him. She could feel the tears gathering in the corners as the emotions swelled inside her. She had been lying to herself about her feelings. As much as she argued that things were moving too fast, it wasn’t for a lack of emotions on her part. It was the worry that her heart was barreling ahead, leaving Xander behind.

She loved him. Rose had tried to put years and excuses between her and her heart to reason away how she felt, but it didn’t matter. She had never stopped loving her charming teenage love. Not many people met the love of their life in a sophomore geometry class, but she had. And now he was back in her life and in her bed. This felt like a dream, but it was a reality she’d fantasized about for so long.

His lips parted from hers, the air heavy and warm between them. Her lungs burned from breathing so hard, but it didn’t matter. It hurt more to be without him.

He shifted against her, his spine arching and his hips moving forward. He entered her. Slowly. Leisurely. Rose arched her back to take all of him in. It felt like an eternity before he stopped moving and when he did, she could hardly tell where she ended and he began. Xander was in her blood, his scent in her lungs, his taste on her lips.

His light eyes searched her face for a moment as he hovered, buried deep and still inside her. “I’ve missed you, Rose,” he said. “I don’t ever want to miss you again.”

It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it was enough for Rose to let the last of her defenses down. He wanted her in his life, not because of Joey but because he wanted her. It was something she had never dared to hope to hear again in her life.

“You won’t,” she said. Her fears weren’t gone, but in the moment, she felt bold enough to face them. “If you want us to move to D.C., we will.”

“Really?” A broad smile crossed his face.

“Yes, really.”

Xander kissed her and the moment that had hung suspended in time suddenly began to rush forward. Emboldened by her response, Xander eased back and thrust forward again. And then again.

Rose clung to him, riding the waves of pleasure as they surged through her body. She drew her knees up and locked her ankles together at the small of his back. She didn’t want to let him go, not even for a moment. This moment wouldn’t last forever, but she would savor it as long as she could.

He buried his face in her neck and drove into her. Every inch of their bodies was touching, their skin heated and slick with sweat. It wasn’t long before she felt her release building up in her again. She bit her lip, trying hard to fight it off. It was too soon.

“I’m not ready for this moment to end,” she admitted. It was easier to say when she didn’t have to look him in the eye. “I want to keep this moment forever.”

Xander propped himself up onto his elbows and planted kisses along her jawline to her lips. He kissed her thoroughly and smiled. “There will be more moments. Many more. Enjoy this one.”

His hand slid up her outer thigh to her knee. He hooked her leg over his shoulder, tilting her pelvis up and driving harder and deeper than ever before. The sensation was incredible, causing Rose to cry out.

“Oh, Z,” she gasped, clawing at his back. There was no use in prolonging her release now. It was impossible. She could feel the tightening in her belly, the driving surge of the explosives getting ready to burst inside her. “Yes, yes!”

“Let go, Rose,” he coaxed in a harsh whisper. “Just let go.”

It was a hard command to follow. She spent most of her life fighting. But with Xander, she could let go. Let him do some of the fighting for her. She sucked a large lungful of air and her eyes closed. Like a tsunami, her orgasm crashed through her. She clung to Xander for dear life as every nerve ending in her body lit up and her insides pulsated with pleasurable shocks.