“It’s okay,” I whispered, understanding why she’d closed off her heart. Anyone with her amount of loss and pain would be wary of loving someone new. But she was resilient, and I wanted to be the one who made her feel safe enough try again.
Needing more, I gently turned her on her back and loomed over her. Lifting her leg, I anchored it behind my back to open her wider. Staring down at her, I fucked her in long, measured strokes, dying to make her come.
“Nothing matters butnow,” I said, pressing a kiss to her lips. “Take me deep...just like that...” I worked my hips to ensure my cock slid against her clit each time I surged inside.
“Ahhh...that’s it...” she cried, her head falling back on the pillow. “God, Leo...so fucking good...”
Licking my fingers, I lathered them in my saliva and lowered them between our bodies. Pressing them to her clit, I circled the tiny nub in firm, concentric circles as my cock claimed every inch of her tight pussy.
We both moaned, our eyes closed with pleasure as our bodies exploded. I emptied everything into her: all my years of longing, and all the love I felt for her deep in every cell of my frame.
Relaxing against her, I shifted to the side, lying haphazardly against her body so I wouldn’t crush her. Her long fingernails scratched pleasurable strokes against my back as I nuzzled her neck. I licked the skin there, longing to taste her and surround myself in that irresistible scent of hers.
“Are you...smelling me?” she asked, her tone teasing.
“I don’t know what you do, woman, or what perfume or lotion you wear, but you smell better than any woman I’ve ever met. Hands down.”
She giggled. “For real? I do use a lotion with a light scent after every shower. Maybe that’s it.”
“When we used to meet in the club, I almost drowned in it,” I said, too replete to care that I was divulging my years-long obsession with her. “You would sit beside me, and I’d get so goddamned hard, I felt like a kid looking at his first porn magazine.”
Her laugh surrounded me. “First of all, I don’t think kids have magazines anymore. The internet took care of that.”
“Their loss. Sneaking my dad’s Playboys was one of my favorite pastimes as a teenager.”
“How very naughty, Agent Stabler,” she teased, her voice sultry. “And I had no idea you even noticed what I smelled like or anything else. You always looked uncomfortable in the club, and I felt terrible for forcing you to meet there, but it was the best place to remain inconspicuous.”
Lifting my head, I planted it on my fist as I caressed the hair at her temple. “Meeting you there was the best part of my day... and week... and month. Sometimes, I think I just made up reasons to meet with you that could’ve waited until I saw Michael again.”
Her teeth flashed as her grin widened. “Wow. I’m really dense, huh? I don’t say this to sound conceited, but men have looked at me in a sexual way my whole life. I just stopped noticing after a while.”
“I get that.” My thumb caressed her lips as I spoke softly. “It wasn’t just sexual for me. I mean, it was, because you’re fucking gorgeous, but it was...more. I always thought you were so smart, and I admired you for working your way up from being a stripper.”
“But not when Iwasa stripper?” she asked, arching a brow.
Sighing, I shrugged. “It was complicated. I was raised a certain way, and I’ve had to train myself to let go of stereotypes. I realize now that the women who work in the club are doing the best they can. I should’ve been more accepting.”
“Hey, I get it. I know you don’t like that part of my past, and although I’m not ashamed of it, I was ready to leave it behind too.”
“I don’t love that part of your past because I know you’re capable of so much more. I hope that doesn’t make me sound like an asshole.”
She squinted her eye. “Only a little, but I understand you now, and I get it. You’re trying your best too. I can appreciate that.”
We lay there for a while, content to caress each other in the early morning light.
“Do you want to sleep more,” I asked, “or do you want to shower and have breakfast?”
“Can we...shower together?” she asked, biting her lip. “I think I’d like that.”
I felt my grin grow wide. “Oh, yeah, we can do that.”
I carried her to my shower, which tookwaylonger than my normal morning shower. After another thorough lovemaking session, we dressed in comfortable clothes and I cooked us omelets.
“Okay, youcancook, and I’m impressed,” she said, finishing up her omelet as we sat at the small table in my kitchen. “I can get used to this.”
“I hope so,” I said, winking as I reached over and caressed her thigh.
Sonya sauntered into the room and plopped in front of us, giving us a meow as she waited expectantly.
