I didn’t even realize I was crying until he cupped my face to catch my tears on his thumb.

‘Alana was my first love and I’ll never forget her. She’s a part of me and always will be. But I know it’s time to move forward, it’s time to start living in the after. You’re that for me, Liv. You’re the love of my life.’

The sob burst forth before I could stop it and Nate caught me, leaning his forehead against mine as he rubbed his hands soothingly down my arms.

‘Please, Liv. Please tell me what I need to do to make sure you believe that.’

I swallowed, trying to calm the ache in my chest that was causing the sobs. Sucking in a deep breath, I gazed down at his chest and gently touched the new tattoo.

After

I tilted my head back to give him a watery smile. ‘You’ve already done it.’

Nate’s arms slid around me, his head dipping so he could growl against my lips, ‘I love you so fucking much.’

My heart jumped and I closed my eyes in pure relief. ‘I love you, too.’

He kissed me.

Hard.

And I clung on for dear life.

We stumbled back against the table as we kissed each other as if it were the last time we’d get the chance. Turning us, Nate lifted me onto the table without breaking our connection and I immediately wrapped my legs around him, urging him closer. My hands pressed deep into the muscles in his back as he gripped my hips. I sucked on his tongue and felt his answering hard-on nudge insistently between my legs.

A loud burst of laughter from outside managed to force its way between us, and I jerked back, shaking my head dazedly. ‘We can’t,’ I panted breathlessly. ‘Not here. Do you know how many students have gotten up to no good on this table?’

His eyes bright with lust, color high on his cheeks, Nate looked a little nonplussed at first as he gazed past me to said table. Finally, he lifted his hopeful gaze. ‘My place is a five-minute walk from here.’

Surprise shot through me and I smiled slowly. ‘I’ve never seen your place.’

Tenderness softened Nate’s expression as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. ‘I’d really like you to see it now, babe.’

I bit my lip, musing over it. I didn’t muse long. ‘Angus does owe me some vacation time. I’m sure he won’t mind me taking a half day.’

Nate’s hand was warm and strong in mine, and since his strides were eating concrete I had no choice but to hurry along with him or have my arm pulled out of the socket.

After Angus grinned knowingly at my half-day request and then quickly granted it, Nate had grabbed my hand and hauled ass out of the library. Without saying one word he pulled me along with him over the Meadows and into Marchmont.

I was now being ushered up the stairs in his building at super speed. On the second floor, without letting go of my hand, I might add, Nate dug his keys out of his pocket, opened the shiny black door one-handed and dragged me inside.

Before I could take anything in, Nate was blocking my view, slamming the door shut over my shoulder a second before crushing his mouth down on mine and pushing me up against the wall.

I caught on fire pretty fast.

I salivated over the feel of his bristly stubble against my cheek, his tongue teasing mine, his soft hair drifting over my fingers as I clenched them in it in an effort to fuse myself to him. Nate pulled back to rip his shirt off and then he reached for mine.

Helpfully I lifted my arms and I was soon divested of my T-shirt.

My bra was gone seconds later.

A pleasured whimper fell from my lips when Nate wrapped his mouth around one nipple, laving and sucking it with his tongue while he pinched the other between his finger and thumb. I closed my eyes, arching against his mouth, clutching his head to my chest in sheer sexual delight.

‘I’ve missed you so much,’ I gasped as arousal coursed between my legs.

My words brought Nate’s head up and he was kissing my mouth again before trailing hot, openmouthed kisses down my neck. I jerked in delighted surprise at the touch of his fingertips on my sex. He rubbed me through the fabric of my pants and I moaned his name, pushing my hips into the contact.

‘I almost came out of my skin,’ Nate suddenly said, his voice cracking with sexual anticipation, ‘when you first asked me to teach you … when you asked me to fuck you.’ He groaned and dropped his head against the crook of my neck as he continued to rub me torturously. ‘It took every ounce of willpower I had not to grab your hand, haul you up to your flat, and fuck you until we both died of exhaustion.’

‘Seriously?’ I panted, my hands sliding down his warm, naked back to clutch his hips, to draw him closer.

‘Seriously.’ He lifted his head to stare into my eyes and I almost climaxed at the expression on his face. Nate wanted me. Like, seriously, seriously wanted me. ‘It was the excuse I’d been waiting for, for nine months.’

Our heavy breathing mingled for a highly charged moment, and then I reached up and kissed him. I kissed him with every ounce of love I had in me. Pulling back, we both panted a little as I cupped his face with my hands and let down every single defense I had. My soul was in my eyes, and I knew the moment Nate felt it because his grip on my waist tightened. ‘No one,’ I whispered, my lips trembling with the emotion, ‘has ever made me feel like the person I’ve always wanted to be until you. You make me feel beautiful, Nate. All the way through. No one else has ever given me that. No one.’

‘I’m glad,’ he murmured against my mouth. ‘Not just because you deserve to feel that way … but because it makes you mine.’

‘Nate …’ I shivered at the possessive purr in his voice.

‘You’re going to scream that for me tonight.’ He brushed his lips gently over my mouth as his fingers worked the zipper on my pants. ‘You’re going to scream that you’re mine.’ His hand slipped inside, his fingers pressing beneath my panties and pushing gently in.

I arched into his touch, sighing. ‘Come inside me,’ I begged. ‘I’ve missed you inside me.’

‘I am inside you,’ he answered, teasing me as he added another finger.

I groaned at the fullness but despite the pleasure, it wasn’t enough. ‘Not … I want your cock. I want your cock inside me. And I want it deep. So deep, Nate.’

He crushed my mouth beneath his, his kiss as uncontrolled as his movements as he pushed my pants down until they fell to the floor. We broke apart just long enough for me to toe off my shoes, divest myself of the pants and my panties. I felt an indecent ripple of arousal wash over me at Nate’s reaction to the sight of me naked and trembling with anticipation against his wall.

‘Fuck.’ He stopped, his hands on the zipper of his jeans as his eyes washed over me. ‘Do you know how insanely sexy you look right now?’

His expression was hot, and it turned me on to the point of combustion, so suffice it to say I was done being stared at. I wanted to be taken. ‘Nate, hurry.’

Burning eyes drinking me in, Nate slowly unbuttoned his jeans as his chest rose and fell rapidly. ‘Say it again. Say it standing there with your legs spread, waiting for me.’

The flush of self-consciousness I felt under his perusal was more than eaten up by how excited I was. I was soaked. ‘Say what?’

His lip curled at the corner. ‘You know what, babe.’

Dirty. Nate liked it dirty.

Who was I kidding? We both loved it dirty.

Shoulder blades pressed against the wall, my breasts heaving with breathlessness, I widened my stance, causing Nate’s nostrils to flare. ‘I want your thick, hard cock inside of me now and I want you to fuck me against this wall until we can’t breathe.’

I barely got a chance to see the way his lower abs jerked at my words before he was on me. His kisses were bruising as he slammed into me, pushing his jeans down to free his dick, seconds before he wrapped his hands around my legs, sliding me up the wall, angling my body just right.