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When he doesn’t pull away, I carefully roll him onto his back and brace myself above him, making sure not to put pressure on any of his healing injuries.

“You can have me,” I murmur softly before lowering my mouth to his.

The kiss starts slow. Gentle. An offering instead of a demand. It only takes a second before Jaxon melts into it, his lips parting beneath mine with a quiet sound that sends heat rushing through me all over again.

I leave his mouth slowly, trailing kisses along the sharp line of his jaw and down the side of his neck.

When I reach the strong pulse there, I can’t stop myself from giving a light nip. Jaxon shivers beneath me. Careful of the bruising still staining his skin, I soothe the spot with another soft kiss before reaching down to pull his shirt over his head.

The sight of him steals my breath for a second. His dark olive skin is marked with scars—old wounds layered across powerful muscle like a roadmap of everything he’s survived.

When he settles back against the mattress, I follow the marks with my lips slowly, tracing each one with the tip of my tongue before pressing a kiss there afterward.

I feel his hand touch my shoulder hesitantly, almost like he’s unsure if he’s really allowed to. The small contact sends a sharp rush of heat through me. I want more. Not just tentative touches. I want him to touch me like he means it.

“Touch me, Jaxon,” I murmur between kisses. My lips move slowly across his skin while I wait for him to decide. It’s like something inside him finally snaps loose.

His hands move over my shoulders and down my arms with sudden confidence, gripping hard enough to make heat flare through me. A rough sound catches in my throat when his blunt nails drag across my back. The sensation sends a sharp shiver through me.

My mouth trails lower across his chest until I reach one of his nipples, already tightened beneath my attention. I tease it slowly with my tongue before grazing it lightly with my teeth. Jaxon’s body reacts instantly. His back arches off the mattress, a deep, breathless moan spilling from him that sends heat rushing straight through me.

The sound nearly undoes me. I want more of it.

Want to hear every breath, every moan, every quiet sound he tries to hold back. I want to know exactly how I’m making him feel. The thought alone sends another rush of heat through me. Carefully, I lift my head just enough to look at him.

His cheeks are flushed, his chest rising harder now, those warm brown eyes darkened with want as they stay locked on me. Beautiful. Absolutely fucking beautiful. More beautiful than I deserve.

The realization settles somewhere deep in my chest, beneath all the heat and possessive need clawing through me. But I’m selfish enough not to care. Because right now, with Jaxon beneath me, looking at me like that… He’s mine.

After giving the same careful attention to the other side, I let my mouth drift lower. Slowly. My lips and tongue trace the hard lines of his stomach, following every dip and plane like I’m trying to memorize him. Jaxon’s muscles tense beneath my touch, his breathing turning uneven as my hands slide over his sides to steady him.

The sharp V of his hips draws my attention immediately, the definition there enough to make heat curl low in my stomach again. God, everything about him is beautiful.

I pull back, watching his face as I hook my thumb into the waistband of his boxers.

“Is this okay?” I ask softly, forcing the words out even though asking doesn’t come naturally to me. Not for this.

Sex has always been simple in my world. A transaction. An understood exchange where everyone takes what they need and leaves the rest behind. But this… This feels different in every possible way. I don’t just want his permission. I want his willingness. His trust. I want him to choose this as much as I am.

“Yes,” he whispers, never once breaking eye contact with me.

The rawness in his gaze hits me harder than anything else tonight. Need. Trust. Vulnerability. All of it laid bare for me to see. And deep in my chest, something possessive and painfully tender twists tight. Because I want to be the one who gives him everything he’s searching for. The one who fills every empty space life carved into him.

I hook my fingers into the waistband of his boxers and slowly slide them down his hips. Jaxon lifts slightly to help me, his breathing uneven as the fabric disappears from his skin. The sight of him hits me hard. Wanting. Open. His body tense beneath mine with anticipation and trust.

Heat surges through me so intensely it takes effort to stay in control. Carefully, I drag my gaze back up to his face, wanting to see every reaction, every flicker of emotion as I touch him. God, I’ve never wanted anyone like this before.

I let my palm glide over his cock slowly, earning another soft, broken sound from Jaxon that sends heat rushing straight through me. Every reaction he gives me only makes me want more. Want him closer. Want him falling apart beneath my touch.

I wrap my hand around his length carefully, keeping the pace slow while I watch his face instead of what my hand is doing. His lashes flutter, his lips parting around another breathless moan as his body responds so openly to every touch.

God, he’s responsive. Beautifully so.

I shift lower between his thighs, guiding them apart carefully so I can settle more fully between them without putting pressure on his healing body. The new position pulls another quiet sound from him, one that nearly snaps the last thread of my control.

I press a slow kiss to the inside of his thigh, earning a sharp inhale from above me before I graze the spot lightly with my teeth. Jaxon’s legs tense around me instantly.

Carefully, I soothe the sting with another softer kiss before letting myself linger there for a second longer, breathing him in. The scent of his skin, the warmth of him, the quiet sounds falling from his lips… it all goes straight to my head. I force myself to stay patient because I want to savor every second of this.