“You’ll always be too damn good for me.” His stomach churned as he voiced his darkest fears. Would she wake up one day, long after he was just another retired athlete whose glory days were behind him and realize she could have done so much better?
That would wreck him.
“You don’t really believe that.” She frowned when he looked away, letting her know he wasn’t kidding. “Loran.” She grabbed his face, drawing his eyes back to hers. “You can’t be serious.You’reinsecure?”
“I’m just a guy, Bella.”
He couldn’t believe he’d been stupid enough to bring this up now, with her standing naked in the middle of his living room. What if she walked out on him, told him to call her when he’d grown up and gotten over his petty insecurities?
“I may wear the uniform, but that sure as hell doesn’t make me a superhero. I have the same fears every other man does.”
“Tell me,” she whispered, rolling forward on her toes to brush her lips against his. “Tell me what you’re afraid of.”
“That you’ll leave me.” His sigh was ragged. “That you’ll stop loving me.” He regretted saying those words as soon as they slipped past his lips. She’d never said she loved him. He was projecting because of the way he felt about her. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “Forget I said anything. This is stupid.”
He curled his hand in her long hair and tried to distract her with a kiss, but she pushed against his chest. Damn it. He’d screwed this up already.
“It’s not stupid.” She grazed the scruff on his cheek with her palm. “We need to talk about this stuff. How else can we become a strong couple?”
“Let’s go to bed, baby. We can talk about this tomorrow.”
She tugged on his hand, leading him to the sectional. Pushing him down, she straddled his lap, making him groan.
“I want you to listen to me.” She raised her body enough to tease him. “I’m here because there’s nowhere else I’d rather be, no one I’d rather be with.”
He nodded, trying to believe her. But why had she lived in the city for months and never paid him a visit?
“You don’t believe me?”
The hurt in her eyes was evident so he gripped her hips to keep her from going anywhere. “It’s not that I don’t believe you. But let’s face it, I’ve always been the pursuer in this relationship, the one trying to convince you that we had something worth fighting for.”
“That may be true.” They locked eyes before she kissed him. “But I’m a fighter too, Loran. When I want something or believe in someone, I fight like hell. And I believe in you, in us. It may have taken me a little longer to come around, but make no mistake about it, I’m all in.”
“All in, huh?” His gaze travelled down her body, to where they were nearly joined. “I’d like to be all in right about now.”
She gave him a sassy smile before gripping the fabric behind his head. “Is that right?”
She raised her body enough to align him with her perfect breasts. He may not have had a 4.0 GPA, but he didn’t need one to know what she wanted.
He lashed her soft skin with his tongue, curling his big hands around her perfect breasts. Whoever said more than a handful was a waste hadn’t been sitting where he was right now.
Her breath came in short gasps as he swirled his tongue around her nipple before drawing it into his mouth. “You like that?” He knew she did. Her breasts were more sensitive than most and he intended to take full advantage of that knowledge.
Raising her hips he whispered, “Watch.”
His gaze fell to watch their bodies joining while hers did the same until she tipped her head back and released a slow, agonizing moan as he entered her inch by inch. It hadn’t been easy the first time, even with the benefit of alcohol, but this time made him clench his teeth while she held her breath.
She wasn’t just tight. It felt like a vise-grip closing around him… and he loved every second of it. The only question remaining was how he was supposed to survive it.
“Loran.”
Her voice was broken, her eyes squeezed shut as she threw her head back.
“Don’t tense up,” he warned, gliding his hands all over her body. “I need you to relax for me.” He reached between her legs, zeroing in on his best chance of distracting her from the pain.
“Ah, yes…”
He could feel her letting go, letting him in. “Bella, baby. I forgot the condom. Let me grab—”
