She clutched his head, not wanting him to ever stop that delicious sucking. With every tug, a ribbon of need spiraled from her breast to between her legs. She was already swollen and wet and the hunger he’d satisfied the last time they’d been together returned full force.
“Walker,” she breathed. “I want you inside.”
He raised his head and looked at her. “Now?”
She nodded. “It’s been a long time.”
He eased her toward the bed. She stretched out on the mattress.
“How long?” he asked as he put on a condom.
“Since before Zoe was born.”
He knelt between her thighs. “You meant what you said, then. About avoiding men and relationships.”
“Oh, yeah.”
She expected him to ask her why she’d changed her mind and was grateful when he didn’t. Instead of speaking, he slipped a finger inside of her.
Instantly her entire body tried to tighten around that single finger. Wanting made it nearly impossible to breathe.
He slid out and then pushed in two fingers. She felt herself stretching slightly. He frowned.
“I thought having a baby made things looser.”
“They, ah, sewed me up afterward.” Something she hadn’t considered. “This could be interesting for both of us.”
He smiled. “I like interesting.”
He bent over her and kissed her. As his tongue danced with hers, he reached for one of her hands and drew it to him. She caressed his erection, then spread her legs and guided him to her.
She was slick and wet and ready, and incredibly tight. Even as she fought against the need to come right that second, she felt herself stretching as he slowly filled her. The pressure was nearly unbearable, in the best way possible.
He broke the kiss and swore softly. “You’re killing me.”
“Is it uncomfortable?”
“Not in the way you mean. How the hell am I supposed to keep from coming?”
“Think of England.”
He gave a strangled laugh that was part groan, then pushed in that last inch.
She rotated her hips and consciously contracted, then relaxed her muscles. When he withdrew and pushed in again, this time she took him more easily. By the third thrust, she gave herself over to the desperate screams of her body and grabbed him by the hips to pull him in deeper. He gave a hard push and she felt the first rippling surrender of her release.
“Oh, yes,” she cried as her orgasm claimed her.
He groaned. She felt him get harder, but he continued to fill her over and over again, pushing her through waves of her release. She clung to him, lost in the pleasure, begging him to continue until he gave a cry of his own and stiffened.
WALKER LAY ON HIS BACK and pulled Elissa against him. She rested her head on his shoulder and lightly traced one of the scars on his chest.
His heart had finally slowed to normal, something he hadn’t been sure would happen after he’d lost control. His plan had been to last longer. His plan, like hers, hadn’t amounted to much.
“That was nice,” she said.
“Ouch.”
She raised her head and smiled at him. “Is this a guy ego thing? Should I gush?”
“Gushing would be nice.”
“It was great.”
“Closer.”
She put her head back down and moved her fingers to another scar. “It’s been so long, I wasn’t sure I’d remember where everything went. Thanks for helping with that.”
He smiled. “You’re welcome. Are you going to ask?”
“About?”
“The scars. Do you want to know what happened?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
She raised her head again. “Let me guess. Your other women were all aquiver to hear how close you came to death.” She drew in a breath and spoke in a high-pitched voice. “Oh, Walker, this one looks nasty. Tell me every little detail about what you went through.”
“So you’re not interested.”
“We just shared one of life’s greatest intimacies. Why would I want to break the mood by asking about a time when you were in horrible pain and nearly died?”
“Most women find it romantic.”
“Then you need to move in another circle, big guy.”
He chuckled. “I like your style.” He liked a lot more than that, but he didn’t want to get into that now. Instead he said, “Turn over.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Not even for money.”
“I’ve already seen it.”
“Then why do you need to see it again?”
“I’m curious.”
“It was a mistake.”
“It’s cute. Come on. I’ll show you mine.”
“You don’t have one to show.”
He touched her nose. “I have other things I could show you.”
She sighed and shifted away so she could flop on her stomach. “Fine. Just don’t make any cracks and don’t comment on my ten extra pounds.”
Why did women worry about crap like that? “There aren’t any,” he said, then leaned over until he could stare at the tiny red heart and the single tear below it on her hip.
“Why this?” he asked.
“It was right before I knew I was pregnant but after I’d finally come to realize Neil would never love anyone but himself and that he couldn’t even love himself as much as his next fix. It was a metaphorical statement, I guess. I thought I loved him.”
“You didn’t?”
“No. Not even close.” She turned onto her back and smiled at him. “I didn’t really know what love was until I had Zoe. She changed everything. I’m not even sure why I had her. Neil pressured me to get an abortion. I hadn’t thought about having kids, but when I found out I was pregnant, I just couldn’t get rid of the baby. So I took what money I’d managed to keep hidden from Neil and ran away.”
He stroked her hair, then rested his hand on her bare belly. “Where did you go?”
“A halfway house. I got a job cleaning and doing laundry. They let me stay while I had Zoe, then I saved enough for a bus ticket and
