Taking her hand, Dylan kissed her palm before placing it on his chest. He laughed as she oohed and awed. He groaned when her fingers traced the curve of his pecs with lingering caresses.
“I thought some of the shots had to be photoshopped,” Eve said.
“Excuse me?” Dylan sniffed, offended that she would suggest such a thing. “Everything you see is the real deal.”
To prove his point, Dylan moved Eve’s hand to his flat stomach.
“Feel,” he told her. “I earned my six-pack the hard way.”
“And I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Eve sighed. “So pretty.”
Dylan laughed. Eve looked like a kid in a candy store.
“I taste even better than I look,” he said.
Eve licked and nibbled her way across Dylan’s abs with a thoroughness he admired and enjoyed. Eyes closed, head thrown back, he almost came undone when her hand closed around his erection.
“All for me?” Eve asked, her eyes glowing with anticipation. “I’m impressed. And a little intimidated.”
“We’ll go slowly,” Dylan promised, removing her fingers before he embarrassed himself. “You set the pace. But we aren’t there yet.”
“I’m ready,” Eve assured him.
“Maybe.” Dylan had his doubts. “I’m not. Before we’re done, I want to touch and kiss and savor every inch of your body. Then, start all over again. You’re welcome to return the favor.”
“Every inch?” Eve took in the size of him, head to toe, and smiled. “Sounds like a plan I can get behind.”
Dylan was a man who enjoyed sex. From his first time until now, he indulged himself whenever the mood hit him—which was often. Experienced and confident in his skills as a lover, he took his pleasure with unabashed freedom, always giving the same in return.
Each woman that Dylan took to his bed was unique. He wouldn’t call them memorable. Over the years, names were forgotten, faces blurred. He wasn’t cavalier about sex. When your body is involved but not your heart, one encounter tends to blend into another.
From the beginning, Eve was different. She didn’t fawn or fall all over herself to gain his attention. She didn’t care about his fame or his fortune. Perhaps he was perverse, but he liked her screw you attitude layered over a core of vulnerability she hid from the world.
Eve infuriated him. She intrigued him. She made him angry one second and laugh the next. Her strength amazed him; her fierce, unwavering sense of loyalty humbled him.
Dylan knew five seconds after they met that he wanted to kiss her. He would have taken her to bed the same night if she asked. She kept him waiting longer than any woman he knew. For her, he would have waited longer. A lifetime and beyond.
“Why do I suddenly feel nervous and unsure?” Eve let out a shaky breath. “I always have a plan. But with you, here, I’m afraid.”
“Of me?” Dylan couldn’t fathom the idea. He was putty in her hands. “Why all of a sudden?”
“I always thought sex was fun. Enjoyable enough, but something I could easily live without,” Eve explained. “Now, every touch, every kiss, seems bigger. Important. What if…”
“Yes?”
“We haven’t finished, and I already want you again,” she said in a rush. “What if you don’t feel the same?”
“You’re overthinking.” Dylan kissed Eve again, long, slow, and thorough. “You walk into a room and I want you. You can have me whenever, wherever with a crook of your little finger.”
“I can’t decide where to put my hands.”
Charmed by Eve’s honesty, Dylan flattened her palm against his chest.
“Here,” he said, sliding the other around his neck. “And here. Better?”
“Much better,” Eve said with a relieved smile.
“Ready?” he asked as he pulled her under him.
Eve’s eyes widened as Dylan wrapped her legs around his hips.
“Now?” Color rushed to her cheeks. “Silly question.”
“Eve?” Dylan said, his lips inches from hers.
“Yes?”
“Stop talking.”
Dylan covered Eve’s mouth with his, trapping her answer. She wound her arms around his shoulders, returning his kiss with a renewed passion. Knowing she was with him, mind and body, a wave of satisfaction coursed through him.
With quick sure movements, Dylan rolled a condom down his length. Slowly, he entered Eve. Wet, ready, her body opened for him.
“I’ll take my time,” Dylan promised through gritted teeth, He needed every bit of his control not to race ahead.
“No.” Eve’s fingers bit into his back. Her hips surged toward his. “I can’t… I need…”
“Tell me.”
Dylan waited. Each second feeling like forever.
“Don’t hold back,” Eve sighed. “Now. Please.”
The magic words. Dylan felt close to tears, the relief was so intense. He moved, meeting the trust of Eve’s hips. Again. Again. Their bodies found the perfect rhythm taking them higher.
Up. Up. And over. They soared. Eve reached the peak, Dylan followed close behind. Their breath mingled in another kiss as the pleasure washed over them in long, heavy waves until the last bit of passion emptied onto the shore.
Dylan collapsed onto his back. Eve did the same. Their hands, fingers threaded together, rested between them.
“You don’t need to worry,” Dylan gasped, his chest rising and falling in rapid succession.
Eve rolled to her right, snuggling close. She rested her head on Dylan’s chest and smiled when his arm slid around her waist.
“Worry?”
“I plan to want you again,” Dylan said. He kissed the top of her head. “Soon. And often.”
“What if I changed my mind?” Eve asked.
“I’ll convince you.” Dylan turned until their bodies were flush, and Eve’s head was tucked under his chin.
“Promise?”
Dylan grinned.
“Have I ever lied to you?”
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
EVE DIDN’T BELIEVE in omens. Good or bad. She believed people made their own luck and if something went wrong, you worked hard until the problem was fixed.
Nor did Eve think a person could be too happy. How was such a thing possible? Joy wasn’t handed out in dibs and dabs. However, if Eve were pushed to answer, she
