Page 137 of Challenge Me

“Why?”

“Sometimes . . . it becomes a lot.”

“Then we stop and talk about it.”

“You don’t have to ruin your own experience.”

“Making sure you’re happy doesn’t ruin a damn thing, baby.” I ran my thumb over his cheekbone and looked at his dark eyes. “If you don’t enjoy it like this—”

“It’s not that,” he said. “I guess I just get self-conscious.”

“Self-conscious? Remi, if you ever feel self-conscious with me, I’m not doing enough to show you exactly how I feel about you.” I peppered kisses across his chest. “Your body . . . perfect.” My fingers trailed his jaw. “Your face . . . more lovely than anything the gods could create.”

“Amir.” His voice shook, which was encouragement for me to go on.

“Your heart . . .” My lips found the pulse point in his neck. “Mine. And your soul . . .”

“I lost it a long time ago.”

“I’m going to find it.”

“That’s horribly cheesy.”

Smiling against his skin, I shifted my hips so that my dick pressed to his ass. He arched impatiently, and I let him pull me closer with his legs. When I breached him, we both sucked in a breath. He was incredibly tight and warm, threatening every bit of control I had.

“God, this is different.” I groaned as I pushed in further.

“Good different?”

“Don’t ask stupid questions when I’m balls-deep in you.”

“You’re not—” He cut off and dug his fingers into my back when I suddenly bottomed out. “Fuck, I thought you were the good guy, Amir.”

“Who the hell told you that?”

He breathed a laugh, which turned into a moan. I kissed his neck, then returned to his chest as I started to move my hips, slowly letting him get used to me. It was harder than it should have been to hold back, and I focused on each of his tattoos to keep myself together. They were incredibly intricate, and I couldn’t figure out exactly how they tied together, but they did it beautifully.

There were lines like snakes but also pillars, threads that bled into waves, then broke apart again. A sun tucked between his ribs. A storm half-finished, a flower mid-bloom, a pair of ravens hiding behind gnarled branches. Some of the lines appeared carved instead of inked; some were clean while others were jagged, like even his tattoos couldn’t decide if they were meant to hold him together or pull him apart. All of it moved when he breathed and cracked when he writhed beneath my touch.

“You’re beautiful,” I murmured. The vulnerability returned, and I wanted to hold onto it this time. “I will never hurt you, Remi.” My lips pressed to his, softly enough to convey how much I meant it. “You think you’re hard to love? You’re not, because I do it every day.”

He broke the kiss and drew in a ragged breath. “You can’t say that for the first time during sex.”

“It has nothing to do with the sex. I’ve been trying to find a way to say it every day.” Pressing my forehead to his, I steadied myself through my pounding heart. “I love you.”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “Don’t look at me.”

“I’m looking.”

He groaned, but I thought there was a hint of a smile there. I nipped at his lip before I drew my hips back. When I thrust into him, his eyes opened. This time, they were full of pure, unadulterated desire.

“You feel so fucking good,” he breathed.

“Tell me how good.”

“What, you need your ego stroked, baby?”

“Yes, I’m fragile.”