Pleasure crashes over me and around me, ecstasy rolling through me in forceful waves.
Alaric maintains pressure, giving me what I need to extend my orgasm. In his arms, I savor every delicious spasm until they ebb into spontaneous tingles.
When I finally stop pulsating, he pulls me back into his body, arranging me where he wants me and cocooning me in his arms.
He brushes my hair behind one ear and plants a soft kiss on my neck.
“You are sensational,” he whispers. “Thank you for trusting me to get you there.”
I can’t fight back my grin. This man is thanking me when he’s theone who got me off? I turn in his arms, peeking up at him through my lashes.
We’re practically nose to nose now, his warm brown eyes flooded with adoration. “Beautiful,” he murmurs, kissing my forehead.
I stretch, my body still soft and pliant after such an intense release. Though as I settle against him again, an alarm goes off, and I’m catapulted back to reality.
“Do you have to go?” I ask. My heart rate increases again, but for a totally different reason.
The moment the question is out, I wish I could take it back.
It’s race day, Evan. Of course he has to go.
I have yet to check the time, but seeing as how the sun is streaming in around the edges of the curtains and his alarm just went off, the reality of what’s next is undeniable.
Brow furrowed, he takes me in.
My stomach twists into a knot and my body tries to shrink in on itself. An apology forms on my tongue. Why did I ask such a stupid question?
Before I can spit out the words, he hooks two fingers under my chin and tips my head back, forcing me to look at him.
“Every cell in my body is screaming, telling me to stay in this bed with you. I’d give anything to make this morning last forever. To lie here all day, holding you and discovering all the things you like.”
Warmth floods my cheeks.
“I have to go,” he continues, “but I’m not leaving because I want to. I have a responsibility to the team, and a lot of people counting on me.”
Pushing my luck, I remind him, “What happened to the two of us only sleep?—”
He silences me with one finger to my lips and a hard-set glare.
“Let me be perfectly clear,” he says. “I don’t ever want tojustsleep beside you again. I am enchanted by you, and I’m ravenous to learn everything I can. There’s nothing I regret about this morning. There’s nothing I would change. Except how much time I have to acquaint myself with your perfect body.”
He lowers his forehead to mine, releasing a defeated sigh.
“I’m tired of fighting this. It’s taking far too much effort to pretend like our chemistry and connection aren’t real.” His throat bobs, his swallow audible. “What I said last night is true: I could never regret anything when it comes to you, angel. But right now, I really do have to go.”
My heart stumbles over itself. What am I supposed to say after a declaration like that?
I manage to mutter a sheepish “okay.”
Alaric rises from the bed, and as he pads toward the window, I pull the covers up to my chin.
“Cover your eyes.” He waits a beat, then pulls open the curtain a few inches, allowing sunlight to pour into the room.
I only keep my eyes closed for a moment. I don’t want to miss out on one second of ogling this man.
He stops at the foot of the bed, watching me watch him.
He’s incredibly fit, with strong definition through his arms and chest. His tanned, taut limbs and abs are covered in dark hair. Every part of him exudes strength and control. There’s no doubt in my mind that this man will fulfill all his dirty promises and make an absolute mess of me the next time we’re together.
