Dani hated the way the past crept into these conversations, intentional or not on either of their parts. It was omnipresent—the hurt, the transgressions, the untruths. She needed a break from all of it. She wanted to disappear into the one place she’d ever truly felt safe—Cole’s arms. She wanted him to make her feel good. She wanted him to make the rest of the world go away.
Which meant she had to face this head-on. She turned and looked him square in the eye. “I brought you up to my bedroom, Sullivan. I’m trying on dresses that leave very little to the imagination, and I’m doing my best to make you want me the way I want you.”
His trademark cocky smile made an appearance—the one that said the universe was particularly good at glossing over his mistakes. He was too handsome. Too likable. The irresistible golden boy, like dessert for breakfast, lunch and dinner. “You want me to show you my intentions?”
Her breath hitched in her throat. “I do.”
He placed his hands on her hips, the heat from his palms nearly searing her through the dress. He curled his fingertips into her flesh and tugged her closer. Her knees were flat against the side of the mattress, his face close enough to her breasts that her nipples drew hot and tight. He trailed one hand to the small of her back and dragged the zipper down. Electricity danced along her spine as his fingertips grazed her skin along the way.
“Does this help?”
She nodded. “It does.” With one hand, she slipped both dress straps from her shoulders, clutching the gown to her bosom with her other arm. “Does this help you?”
Their gazes connected. Cole’s eyelids were heavy with desire, making her want to give in to this right here and now. “I want it all,” he said. “Everything.”
Dani let the dress drop to the floor, placed her hand on Cole’s shoulder and pushed him back on the bed. She planted one knee on the mattress between his legs, unable not to notice the bulging ridge in his pants. Any doubts she’d had about whether or not he wanted her had been a waste of time and energy.
She leaned down and yanked his shirt out of the waistband of his pants, then made quick work of the buttons, traveling north as she went. As soon as his chest was bare, she stretched out along his side and let her fingers roam, threading them through the hair she’d been dying to touch mere minutes ago.
Cole rolled to his side and cupped the side of Dani’s neck, his fingers warm and craving at her nape. They kissed like their lives depended on it, mouths eager and open, tongues wet and hot. Cole rolled her to her back, his thigh firmly rocking against her center, making heat flame between her legs. She couldn’t remember ever wanting him more. Maybe because she knew what was in store for her and she’d gone so long without him. Too long.
“You’re wearing too many clothes,” she said.
He shifted to his knees and tore his shirt from his body, tossing it to the floor with her dress. She unbuckled his belt, then unhooked his pants and drew down the zipper. She could already feel the tension coming from his hips. It radiated from him like the sun off a tin roof. He pushed his trousers past his hips, leaving them bunched at his upper thighs. Dani couldn’t wait anymore. She sat up and tugged down his boxer briefs and took him in her hand, stroking lightly, letting her palm roll over the smooth skin with every pass. He moaned so deeply that the bed nearly shook. Her other hand trailed down his firm belly, her fingers knowing every hard contour, remembering every luscious dip and bulge of his body.
Cole stood and shucked his remaining clothes, then climbed back onto the bed. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her softly as their legs tangled and hands roamed everywhere—hers down his back and his to her hip, then up to cup her breast. He pushed her to her back and their gazes connected as he drew delicate circles around her nipple. She felt like she was floating as the need built inside her. She loved it when he took things slow and drew out the pleasure, but there was a lot of want bubbling to the surface. She needed him.
“I’m on the pill, but do we need a condom?” She’d been in near zero danger of getting pregnant in New York, having had only one boyfriend, who hadn’t lasted long. She’d only kept her prescription to regulate her cycle. Still, she knew very little about Cole’s personal life while she’d been gone.
“You tell me, Dani. There’s been no one since you left. No one.”
She kissed him softly, to give her a second to think. “Nobody? Not a single girl you picked up at a bar or anything?”
He shook his head. “You say it like it’s a bad thing.”
“I just...” She searched for the right words. “I’m surprised, that’s all.”
“Well, do you want to be surprised, or do you want me to set your world on fire?” He pushed up on his arms, towering over her. His chest was heaving. So was hers. She hooked her leg over his hip and grabbed both of his strong shoulders.
The muscles twitched beneath her touch. “I want the fire.”
* * *
As much as Cole wanted to soak up the stunning sights of Dani, he had to close his eyes as he sank down into her. The warmth and pleasant tug of her body was so familiar and yet had been out of reach for so long. It was as if he’d gone without her forever. She wrapped her legs around him, caressing the backs of his thighs with her ankles. He planted both elbows on the bed and combed his fingers into her hair, kissing her unforgettable mouth. She tasted so sweet, even when her tongue did things that made him feel like he’d been a very bad boy.
Dani tilted her hips, allowing him to thrust even deeper. He pressed his lips against her cheek, along her jaw and down her neck. They moved together in that rhythm he knew so well, one that belonged to only them. He hadn’t merely missed Dani, he’d missed this closeness with her—where nothing else mattered and the rest of the world could be forgotten. He’d lost his shield when he lost her—or, to be more accurate, when he pushed her away.
Dani’s breaths were short and ragged now. The motion of her hips was more insistent, and that only made Cole want to try harder. He pushed up from the bed, holding his torso tight, trying to keep it together while he made his thrusts longer and deeper. His legs were on fire, the pressure coiling in his hips, gathering in his belly. He listened carefully to Dani, watched for clues as she closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, looking so impossibly beautiful and sexy. She turned her head to one side and he kissed her neck, knowing how much she loved that. She arched into him, muscling him closer with her heels.
She didn’t have to tell him that she was close. He could feel the tension inside her. He stayed focused, not ready to give way until she did, even when his mind was fuzzy and the pleasure was knocking at the gates, threatening to barrel through him. He had a hell of a lot to make up for. His performance needed to be spectacular—enough fireworks for a hundred Fourths of July.
Her mouth was slack now, her breaths halting and choppy. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and tightened the grip of her legs. The next thing he knew, she was unraveling, falling apart at the seams in the most stunning way. He watched her, transfixed by the vision, until his climax ran through his body like a freight train headed straight down a mountain. He pressed his hips into her one more time and dropped his head, nestling his face in her neck.
Dani wrapped her arms and legs around him even tighter, humming softly, a habit of hers he’d nearly forgotten about. She hummed after sex. He still had no idea why and she could never explain it, either, beyond the fact that she was happy.
“That was incredible,” she muttered into his chest.
Yeah, well, remind me to go without sex for nearly six years. That’ll do that to a guy.“It was, Dani. It really was.”
