“You like that?”
He gave her a jerky nod. “Too much.” Moving swiftly, he removed her hand from his boxers and guided it to the mattress beside her. “No touching.”
“But—”
“Baby, if you touch me like that again, this is going to be over before it’s even started.”
Olivia’s smile widened, loving that she could affect him so strongly. Jake quickly wiped any sense of smugness away when he leaned down and took one of her breasts into his mouth. She gasped as he sucked, his tongue circling her nipple, and when he gently pulled it between his teeth, she cried out his name.
Moving to the other breast, Jake gave it the same, exquisite treatment before pulling away with a pop. He moved his body lower, leaving a trail of wet kisses as he went.
She desperately wanted to touch him, but any time she made a move to do so, Jake would stop and place her hands back to her sides. As much as she wanted her hands on him, Olivia wanted to feel what was about to happen even more, so she forced herself to remain still while he continued his downward path.
When his mouth reached the top lace of her panties, he stopped and stood from the bed. She started to protest, but stopped when Jake hooked his fingers into the sides of her waistband before sliding them down and off her legs.
As they fell from his fingers onto the floor beside him, Jake let out a throaty grunt of appreciation. Olivia was baffled at the way he was looking at her, as if she were a prize he had won. Didn’t he understand? She was the one who’d hit the jackpot.
The man was built like a god. Not an inch of spare flesh anywhere on him. His broad chest and ripped abs looked so perfect, she’d swear they were sprayed on, if she hadn’t felt them for herself.
As she lay there, Olivia knew she was looking at male perfection in its greatest form. Then, he pushed his boxers down.
She’d held him in her hands only moments before, so she already knew he was big. Still, Olivia couldn’t help but stare. His erection was protruding out from his belly like an angry spear ready for battle. She was embarrassingly wet, could feel herself dripping with anticipation. No other man had ever affected her so strongly.
Olivia began to feel nervous. What if she disappointed him? She knew Jake hadn’t led a celibate life. He’d been full-time military and had traveled the world. There wasn’t a woman in her right mind who would turn him down.
She couldn’t blame Jake or the women from his past. He was a healthy adult male, after all. Of course he’d had others. Others who had to have been more experienced than she was.
Her mind became filled with doubt. What if she didn’t measure up? What if she couldn’t perform to his expectations? What if—
“Hey.” Jake’s gentle voice snapped her back to attention. Her eyes met his as he stepped forward, his fingers massaging her calves. “Where’d you go?”
“Nowhere,” she lied.
He shook his head, his eyes always seeing too much. “No lies, Liv. Not here.”
Damn. He was right. They were about to be as close as two people could get. She needed to be honest with him.
Licking her lips nervously, she said, “I was just wondering...I mean I’m worried that...” God, this was so embarrassing. She couldn’t seem to be able to get the words out.
Suck it up, Bradshaw. He deserves the truth.
Olivia took a deep breath and quickly said, “I’m not very experienced, Jake. I’m not a virgin, but I’m sure the women you’ve been with have had a lot more sex than I have. I mean, the two men I’ve slept with didn’t complain or anything, but I’m afraid I might disap—”
Jake was on her in an instant, her words devoured by his scorching, possessive kiss. It was hot and consuming, all lips and teeth and tongue. When he finally pulled away, they were both panting as though they’d just run a five-mile race.
“First of all, I don’t want to hear about any other men you’ve been with. As far as I’m concerned, after tonight, there’s only been me. Second, you’re the only woman I’m thinking of, Liv. The only woman I want to be with. I won’t lie, there have been others, but none of them were serious. It was always casual, and when it was over, they left satisfied, and I walked away guilt-free. But there was something those women all had in common. One problem, one vital thing that kept me from taking things further with any of them. Do you know what that was?”
She hated hearing him talk about the others before her, but Olivia was also relieved to hear him say it was nothing more than sex. In answer to his question, she slowly shook her head.
He leaned down and kissed her again, slowly this time. When his lips moved up to her ear, he whispered, “They weren’t you.”
Olivia’s breath hitched, and her heart swelled to the point she feared it would explode from his powerful words.
Jake kissed her neck. “You, Liv”—his lips continued to move against her skin—“it’s always been you.”
“Please, Jake,” Olivia whispered his name. She brought her hands up and cradled the back of his neck. “I need you.”
He pulled back. “I want to make sure you’re ready for me first.”
She looked up at him with pleading eyes. “I am ready.”
One corner of his mouth raised, and there was a glint in his eyes. “Almost, but not quite.”
Before she could ask what he meant, Jake stood back up. Taking her by surprise, he grabbed her ankles and pulled gently her toward the edge of the bed. He then dropped to his knees and pushed up on her legs, lifting and spreading them apart. She’d never felt so exposed.
“Jake—” she started to object.
“Shh,” he whispered, the heat from his breath
