Page 75 of Run to Me

Her suggestion that we’re merely exploring is laughable, but her mention of hard limits intrigues me. I keep my thoughts on both matters to myself.

“We’re exclusive.” She loops her arms around my neck and plays with my hair. The thought of her tugging it sends a delightful shiver down my spine.

“That’s a given. You were born with my heart in your hands. Once you claim my body, you’ll own me completely. Nothing and no one could ever take me away from you.”

The tips of our noses rub together, and I hold her head in my hands, dragging my nose along her cheek and jaw as I breathe her in. The air thickens with desire, and we’re unable to fight the magnetism any longer.

“There’s more,” she says as I suck on her exposed throat.

The huskiness in her voice lights my flesh on fire, and I’m desperate for her proclamations to reach a swift end. My body aches to be one with hers, but I summon patience and hear her out.

“You give me space when I need it. Don’t try to control my life.”

“We both know you hold all the power.” I nip her earlobe with my teeth, and she digs her sharp nails into my shoulders. “What else?” I ask gruffly, relishing the pain.

“Don’t hide from me. I want all the way in with you too.”

I’m buzzing beneath my skin. Anticipation swirls like an agitated hornet’s nest at what she’s offering: her complete submission.

This time, I’m the one who pulls back to capture her gaze, needing confirmation of her absolute understanding. “Are you sure? You may not like what you find behind that door. I don’t do halves, Maisy. You can’t ask for all of me, only to retreat in fear when you think I’m too much to handle.”

“I know who you are. And you’re always safe with me, like I’m safe with you.”

My voice drops lower, and her body shudders as I deliver a truthful secret to her ear. “If you knew all the things I want to do to you, you’d keep running and seek safety elsewhere.”

She groans, shifting the angle of her hips in search of friction. “How will this part even work?”

“Which part?”

“Look at us.” She gestures weakly between us to indicate our size differences. I’m over a foot taller and weigh at least a hundred pounds more than her. “You’ll crush me.”

I slip my hands inside the hem of her short green romper and beneath her panties, grabbing two palmfuls of her ass and dragging her roughly against my aching erection. A surprised gasp escapes her plush, parted lips.

“I promise not to crush you, but I can’t promise not to flip you or fold you in half. My imagination’s endless when I fantasize about all the ways you’ll come undone. I’ll coax every ounce of pleasure from your body until you’re left with nothing but the whisper of my name on your tired lips.”

“Jensen,” she breathes, her pupils blown wide with desire, chest heaving.

Her needy moan and pulsing thighs signal the green light I’ve been waiting for. I scoot off the couch with her wrapped around me and carry her toward the bedroom, my mouth glued to the smooth skin of her neck.

“Please don’t make me regret this,” she whispers.

I look her in the eyes and swear a sacred vow I intend to keep forever. “The only thing you’ll ever regret, my beautiful birdie, is that I didn’t catch you sooner.”

25

MAISY

My panties are drenched when Jensen sets me on the bathroom counter and wets a washcloth. He lifts it to my face, and I jerk my head back. “What are you doing?”

Holding my chin to keep me still, he rubs the damp cloth across my forehead, cheeks, and the bridge of my nose, erasing my made-up armor. “I have some rules of my own. First, when you’re in my bed, the makeup comes off. I want to see the real you. Every freckle. Every scar. Every inch of your beautiful skin.”

“My mascara’s waterproof,” I mumble when he glides the cloth over my eyelids.

Moving on to my mouth, he applies pressure and smudges the lipstick at the corner. A devious grin tugs at his lips, and I pretend his depraved mind has no effect on me despite the heat blasting between my legs.

In a bored tone, I ask, “What else?”

“Second, you allow me to touch you when I want, where I want, and how I want.”