He cursed softly and rolled away from her. Claire shifted onto her back and watched him find one of the foil packets. She briefly remembered how they hadn’t used a condom last night before her mind snapped back to the present moment. To her delight, his hands shook a little as he tore it open and rolled the condom onto his erection.
And then he was sliding between her thighs and into her open arms, driving into her body with a groan that made her heart sing.
Claire clenched her eyes shut as Linc moved inside her, the better to savor the fullness of his possession. She’d never been particularly vocal during sex, but last night and now this morning, the urge to chant encouragement couldn’t be denied.
“Yes, yes, yes. Please.” She had no idea what she was asking for, but the pleas rolled off her tongue. “More. That feels amazing.”
Her declaration ended on a gasp as he shifted the angle of his hips and changed his thrusts, going deeper, taking her pleasure higher.
“That’s it,” he coaxed, his voice raspy and gruff. “Show me what you like.”
Had she ever felt like this before? Was it merely the years she’d gone without or did Linc have some sort of magic that made her wild?
“Oh, Linc.”
They were moving together in a frenzy of hands and hips. Her body tightened with ever-increasing need until Claire wondered if she might explode. His name poured from her lips again and again, and she heard him murmuring encouragement as he thrust into her smoothly but with surging power.
And then she was coming, her orgasm catching up with her so fast she wasn’t ready for the blinding pleasure that blew her apart.
“You are perfect,” he whispered. “I’ve never felt like this before.”
With a final thrust, he let go and Claire watched his expression transform into something that both thrilled and terrified her. His lips claimed hers in a searing kiss that left her reeling. She clutched his hair and met the thrust of his tongue with desperation-fueled passion, recognizing that they couldn’t keep doing this, yet she didn’t want to stop. Being with Linc like this made her happier than she’d been in a long time. Maybe ever.
So what if it couldn’t last. Nothing so perfect was meant to. She would simply have to take this time with him and appreciate every second. Being together, loving like this, wasn’t hurting anyone. To hell with what the gossips said about them. Eventually their passion would run its course and Linc would find the woman he was meant to spend the rest of his life with.
As for what would happen to Claire...
She would just have to trust that he would treat her and Honey fairly.
“What are you thinking about?” Linc asked, his face buried in her neck.
“How nice it is to wake up with you.”
He hummed. “I could get used to this.”
She agreed. It would be so easy to lose herself in him. In this secret connection they shared. “You shouldn’t.”
His lips moved over her skin, and her breath quickened as dozens of nerve endings came to life.
How could she already want him again? Her body hadn’t calmed from the last orgasm he’d given her and she craved more of his touch. An ache bloomed between her thighs and she resisted the urge to rub herself against him.
“You’re not the boss of me,” he teased, his lips coasting along the curve of her breast, tongue flicking over her nipple, making her suck in a sharp breath.
“Of course not.” She arched her back, offering herself to him. “That’s your mother’s job.”
He lifted his head and snagged her gaze. The blue of his eyes seemed to intensify. “I’m my own man. I make my own decisions.”
“Of course you do.”
Her teasing was distracting him from the romantic mood he’d been in a moment earlier. She breathed a little sigh of relief. Passionate Linc she could handle. Sex was a physical act. She might crave it, hunger for his lips on her and the heat of their lovemaking, but when things ended, her heart would still be intact. Affectionate Linc was trouble. She could come to depend on his smiles and ache for his company.
“You’re patronizing me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She tunneled her fingers in his soft golden hair, enjoying its silky feel. “It’s just that you don’t really belong only to yourself. You’re a star. A hero.”
He shook his head. “I’m no one’s hero.”
Why didn’t he see himself as everyone else did? Didn’t he realize the impact he had on his friends and family?
“The decisions you make affect the people around you,” she told him.
“What happens between us doesn’t affect anyone outside this bed.”
“Have you forgotten your mother?”
He blinked at her. “Please tell me you didn’t just bring her into this.”
“She wants you involved with the sort of quality woman you can eventually marry. Don’t you want to make her happy?”
Linc flopped onto his back and stared at the ceiling. “This is without a doubt the strangest post-sex conversation I’ve ever had with a woman.”
“I’m just looking out for you.”
He shifted his gaze back to her. “Maybe you should stop worrying about me and consider what makes you happy.”
Claire opened her mouth to say that she was doing just that but shook her head instead. Since finding out she was pregnant with Honey, she’d put her daughter first. Honey’s security and happiness was all that mattered. This interlude with Linc had been selfish and reckless. Claire’s throat closed as panic enveloped her.
“I shouldn’t be here,” she whispered, sitting up and looking around for her clothes. “I’m so sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing?” Linc made a grab for her arm, but she’d already slipped out of the bed. “Claire, don’t go.”
“It’s late. Honey will be getting
