He stared down at her, mouth parted as he studied her.
“That means a lot.”
Her heart fluttered at his words, but before she could start dissecting his meaning, Scott grasped her wrists in his hands and pinned them back against the mattress.
“I need to fuck you,” he said. “We can finish talking later.”
She blinked up at him, her gaze settling on his darkening eyes, the razor stubble marking his jaw and his messed hair. Need and want poured through her at the sight of him poised over her. Wanting her.
“Umm . . . okay?” Who was she to argue?
He tipped his head back and chuckled. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed during sex. You’re the whole package,” he said as he settled his cock at her entrance, then swore. “Shit. Condom.”
She bit her lip, wondering if she should do this. “Pregnancy isn’t an issue, obviously.” The words escaped, deciding for her. “And after my asshole ex got me pregnant and bailed, I got tested . . . just in case. So unless you—”
“I’m clean. Tested for work. And I really want to feel you bare, baby.” He raised his hips and drove forward, impaling her in one smooth thrust.
“Oh God.” She felt him everywhere. So hard and thick, smooth yet not, it was an exquisite difference, and she reveled in the increased friction and sensation.
“I hear you.” He slid out and back, his eyes a hazy dark blue, filled with desire as he picked up rhythm. No slow and easy this time, and she was grateful for it. She didn’t want time to think or, even worse, feel.
He tightened his grip on her wrists and took her with unrelenting drives that had her coming without buildup or warning.
“Scott!” She screamed his name. Fought to free her hands, to grab on to him as she shattered, but he held on tight. The firm binding merely heightened the experience, intensified her orgasm, and she might even have blacked out for a second. She barely remembered him coming too.
Later, as he slept beside her, Meg’s thoughts worked in a frenzied panic as she tried to make sense of his sudden intrusion into her life. She’d been so determined to make a go of it alone. So sure she could easily hang on to her resolve not to get involved or rely on any man. Then Scott Dare bulldozed his way into her life and her bed.
She listened to his deep, even breathing and felt the heavy press of his arm curled around her waist. He was so strong and solid, so . . . reliable. He reminded her of Dylan, her high school boyfriend and, later in life, her best friend.
She blew out a deep breath. Dylan had been her one and only decent choice. A really great guy, and though their initial breakup had been mutual when they’d gone off to college, when they’d met up again later, she’d fallen again hard. He hadn’t. And when he’d said they were better as just friends, she’d swallowed her feelings and pride and agreed, telling him she felt the same way. Better to have him in her life as a friend than to lose him because her feelings made him uncomfortable.
At this point, all she felt for Dylan was a brotherly friendship. But back then? His unwitting rejection had reinforced the truth. Good guys didn’t find Meg worthy of sticking around. No guy did. First her father, who wasn’t a good guy. Then Dylan, who really was. Point made. And she’d chosen accordingly after that, picking the worst, hoping for the best, and never, ever getting it.
Scott was a challenge because Meg knew herself. She had a horrible tendency to fall hard and fast, and this man, with his protective tendencies and bossy air, would make it way too easy.
But soon enough, he’d realize he didn’t want to stick around as she grew big with another man’s baby. Why would he want to raise someone else’s kid?
A sharp pain sliced through her chest, but she relished the warning. The pain would help her remember and stay strong. Like Dylan, Scott would get tired of her needy ways. He’d turn away from Meg and the ready-made family she came with. No matter how nicely he handled it, if she wasn’t prepared, his rejection would break her, like Dylan’s nearly had.
She’d just have to be aware and stronger than her heart. She would enjoy him now, but she wouldn’t allow herself to get attached. Either she’d walk away first or she’d be prepared when he decided the time came.
Scott woke up in Meg’s bed, the sun streaming through the windows, feeling one hundred percent different about this morning after than the last one. He’d pushed past her reserve and her walls, and with a little luck, she wouldn’t grow cold and distant this morning. They had places to go and people to see. And he wanted to spend time with her outside of bed.
Last night had been phenomenal. Not just the sex, although Jesus . . . He’d never been with a woman without using a condom. Neither he nor Leah had wanted kids, and he’d always used protection. True, it had failed, but he’d used it. So Meg? Feeling her hot walls clasping around him, knowing there was nothing between them, it was heaven times a fucking thousand. Not to mention she could read him well. She’d figured out immediately there was more to his feelings about Tyler’s offer than just whether or not he should leave his job. The brother he admired and looked up to found him worthy of joining him as an equal. That also rocked.
Life was looking up, he thought, heading for the bathroom. He showered, once again using Meg’s soap and shampoo and getting hard as he inhaled the familiar scent. It reminded him of Meg, how she looked in bed, dark hair splayed around her, big brown eyes looking up at him with
