Page 83 of Irresistibly Wicked

Did he really think he was disappointing her? “So much for your review.”

His head dipped beside hers, and his chest rocked with his silent laughter. He nipped at her shoulder and said, “It’s your fault. It’s never felt like this before.”

Her thoughts stumbled with that confession. Just as she reminded herself that they were only words and didn’t have to mean anything, he sealed his mouth over hers, and their bodies took over again. He pushed his arms beneath her, holding her so tight, they felt like one being. Electricity scorched through her, and with the next hard thrust, she was lost to another powerful climax, and “Shauna—” flew from his lungs like a curse. Every inch of her answered him, even as she whispered lies to her own heart.

When they finally collapsed to the mattress, breathless and sated, their bodies intertwined, he buried his face in her neck, whispering, “Sweet Shauna, you destroy me,” and it felt like the truest thing on earth.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

ZANDER WATCHED THE soft morning light sneak in through the curtains, snaking over Shauna’s waist as she slept. He was usually on his back patio by this time, coffee in hand, admiring the view of the ocean he’d disregarded for too long. He’d never make the mistake of overlooking what he was blessed to have again.

Shauna sighed in her sleep, cuddling closer, as if she knew he was thinking about her. Her breath was warm against his chest, and man, she’d been beautiful last night, with no walls, no sharp edges. Just her sassy, sweet self, unguarded, and so fucking real, she’d gotten deeper under his skin. He’d been awake for quite a while trying to puzzle out his emotions. But as he lay with her in his arms, her body curved into his like she belonged there, the urge to give in to them was so strong, he wondered if the accident had rattled his brain so much that it had fundamentally changed who he was.

He might lose words every now and again, but he knew it wasn’t the accident bringing those emotions out in him. It was her.

They’d lost themselves in each other three times last night. That wasn’t his intent with the honeymoon. Sure, part of him had hoped they’d eventually get together, but he wouldn’t have pushed it. He would’ve been cool sleeping in separate rooms. He’d just wanted to give her everything she deserved, and all the things she’d never allow herself to want. A honeymoon was at the top of that list. But when they’d kissed on the boat and when he’d given her a chance to change her mind, he’d wanted to give her that, too. The power to decide and the safety to let go and allow herself to be cherished. He wondered if she knew that every touch, every kiss, and every breath had meant something.

She shifted again, snuggling in, her hand sliding up his chest. Her fingers brushed the number-four charm she’d given him, and she stilled.

His hand drifted up her back, and he kissed her head. “Morning, darlin’.”

She tilted her face up, her brown eyes sleepy and a little guarded again. “Hi.” She pulled the sheet up, moving her head from his chest to his arm. Her cheeks flushed, and she looked up at the ceiling.

He wasn’t going to let her regret what they’d done. They could do this without screwing things up. He’d get ahold of his emotions. They’d never done him in before. “You okay, Flores?”

“Uh-huh. I’m good.”

She was anything but good.

He rolled onto his side and brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. “Are you going to freak out on me?”

She scoffed. “No.”

“Sure about that?” He cocked a brow. “It’s okay to feel a little overwhelmed waking up naked with me for the first time. I am…blessed.”

She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

“Talk to me, darlin’.”

“It’s just weird.”

“What is?”

“This. You and me. Naked. Waking up together. We weren’t supposed to be this way, and now we are.”

Fuck. His knee-jerk reaction was to make a joke, get out of bed, and go for a run. Anything to escape a truth he knew would cut him to his core. But he stopped himself. Not only because he needed to know if she regretted it, but because he would never disregard her like that. If she did regret being close to him, he’d find a way to make it up to her. To make it right, even if it killed him. “Do you regret last night?”

“No. That’s the problem. It was too good to regret.” Her pretty eyes narrowed, and a smile played on her lips. “Don’t let that go to your head.”

“Too late, darlin’, it already did.” High on her admission, he hooked a hand around her waist, pulling her closer. “You know, if you can get over the weirdness, it doesn’t have to change things between us.”

“Why isn’t it weird for you? Because you have so much practice?”

“Don’t knock the practice when you reap the benefits.”

She rolled her eyes. “Forget I asked.”

“Hey,” he said softly, and pressed his hand to her cheek, drawing her eyes back to his. “I’ve been up for hours weeding through the weirdness.”