Page 64 of Beg Me

I shake so hard I’m nearly convulsing and no longer own the faculties to make it stop. Tears cloud my vision from the intensity of the climax. No part of me is in my control.

Slowly, he brings me back to earth. And when I land, I’m a heap in the center of the bed.

“I was wrong before,” I whisper, my eyes still closed.

“About what?”

“This,” I say, laughing softly. “This is what should come with a warning.”

He squeezes my calf. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

There’s humor in his voice, and I sense him standing and moving across the room.

Water runs somewhere in the distance. I wiggle my toes, then dare to move my legs. I fill my lungs, open my eyes, and then sit up just in time to see Jory coming into the room from the en suite with a condom in his hand.

Instead of putting it on and getting busy, he surprises me by climbing next to me in bed. He lies on his side facing me and studies me like he’s seeing me for the first time.

“You’re so damn beautiful,” he says, brushing a strand of hair off my forehead.

The tenderness of his voice wraps around my heart—a place it has no business, but it’s too late to keep it out. “Thanks.” I look up into his eyes and smile at him without an agenda. “You’re pretty damn gorgeous yourself.”

He chuckles. “Thanks.”

I reach up and play with the unruly hair at the nape of his neck. “I learned something new about myself tonight.”

He hums, running a fingertip down my arm.

“I didn’t know …” I stop myself and restart. “Well, to be honest, I’m not sure that I’ve ever yelled during a sexual encounter before. Not that I can remember. But I didn’t know I was that girl.”

“A screamer?” he teases. “You’re definitely loud. That’s something we’ll have to take into consideration next time in case Gus is home.”

His gaze finds mine as we grapple with the phrase next time. I hold my breath, waiting on a wave of panic to hit, but it doesn’t. If anything, it’s relief that settles over me.

“Next time, huh?” I ask, grinning at him.

“I mean, I hope. You didn’t sound disappointed, but if I’m wrong …” His smile stretches from ear to ear, mirroring mine. “If I’m wrong, tell me.”

“You know I would.” I laugh, laying my palm against the back of his head. “But you also know that I’m not. Not even a little bit.”

He dips his head toward mine, capturing my mouth with his. I moan against his lips as he guides me back on the bed.

His hand slips under my jaw, fingers curling behind my ear. I tilt my head back, arching toward him, giving in to the kiss that I’ve been craving since the first day I saw him at the farmers’ market. Even then, before I really knew him and had written him off, I wanted to know what it was like to be touched like this. Kissed like this. Adored like this.

Because that’s what this really is. Jory isn’t just going through the motions so he can come. He isn’t trying to get me off so he can move on with his day. He’s taking his time, putting me first, and showing me that I’m worth the effort. Worth the patience. Worth savoring.

Jory Plath is in the business of adoring me tonight. Even more surprising is that I’m in the business of letting him.

He pulls away, his eyes sparkling.

“You’re a hell of a kisser, Plath,” I say, giggling.

He winks. “There’s more where that came from.”

He sits upright, the condom in his hand. I look at it, and then I look back up at him.

My heart pounds as I sit up, wondering if the idea rolling around my head is okay or foolish. It’s what I want. I’m not even sure why, but I do. And I’m afraid to think about it too much because that’s a great way for me to get in my own head.

That’s never good.