“What are you talking about? I need you to start making sense. This has nothing to do with my parents or Tony.” I resist the urge to roll my eyes. He must think I’m insane.

“Pancake, I’m sorry to tell you this, but it has everything to do with that.” He laces his fingers with mine and gazes into my eyes. “It’s okay to be scared. This is a big step for us. It’s something we’ve both wanted for years, and now that it’s about to happen, it’s okay to feel apprehensive.”

“It is?” I tilt my head, my eyes narrowing on his.

“Absolutely.”

“Gosh, I feel like an idiot. Here we are about to have sex, and I completely ruin the mood by acting like a girl. You must hate me.”

“I could never hate you. Quite the opposite, actually.” He leans in close and presses a tender kiss to my lips.

“I don’t deserve this.” His kindness and understanding when I’ve basically just cut and run is sweet.

“Of course you do. Don’t say that.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, and I almost melt at how sweet he’s being. “This is a big step for us, and I’ve told you there will be no going back to being friends once we cross this line. So you have a big decision to make. You know what I want. If you decide to let me in, unconsciously you know that losing me would hurt you all over again.”

I take a minute to process everything he’s said. I don’t know when he got so wise, but I know in my heart he’s completely right. My mini meltdown in the bathroom? It’s because I’m terrified of losing him again.

Staring at our joined hands, I give his a squeeze. “After sex, are you going to leave?”

“No. Fuck no. That just about killed me last time leaving you alone in my playroom.”

Sweet relief floods through me. That almost killed me too.

“We’ll take this at whatever pace you need to. I want you, badly.” His gaze dips down to the front of his pants, where geez, that looks painful. His dick is trying to burst through the zipper. “But I want you to be ready and feel comfortable. I’ll wait however long I need to. I’m not going anywhere.”

Realizing he’s just said the exact words I needed to hear to feel comfortable, my libido returns, reminding me that I’ve wanted every inch of him for years. I lean into his touch, longing to experience the physical feel of his love.

“I can’t wait one more minute to have those sweet lips on mine again, though,” he whispers, bringing his mouth to mine. “Is this okay?” He strokes my hair, gazing at me with such love in his eyes, it’s impossible not to feel wanted.

“Yes,” I breathe, waiting for him to kiss me.

And he does. Just a light press of his lips to mine at first, then his teeth graze my lower lip and his tongue sweeps against mine. Then he’s kissing me the way I remember from my best memories. His tongue coaxes mine; his mouth hot and needy, moves over mine. I grow warm all over and my panties get damp. It’s never been this good with anyone else.

Growing bold and unable to resist, I slide my hand upward from where it’s been resting on his firm thigh. My fingers brush the straining erection that I’m dying to touch. When Reece doesn’t react, other than to continue to kiss me with deep stokes of his tongue, I give his cock a squeeze. A grunt escapes him, and my panties flood with moisture.

“Careful, Pancake,” he says, breaking his lips from mine. “I’m trying to be good here, and it’s taking all the restraint I have not to strip you naked and fuck you raw.”

“Do you remember what I said to you that first night I showed up here?” I ask, feeling daring.

“Of course I do.”

“I wanted hot, sweaty sex.”

“And now?” he asks.

“I just want you.”

The look of wonder reflected in his eyes almost undoes me. “Then come here.” He rises from the bed. “Stand up for me.”

I do as I’m told, sensing I’ve somehow just flipped his Dom switch.

“I want to see all of you, and worship this sexy-as-fuck body the way it deserves.”

At his words, my heart rate kicks up speed. I’ll be exposed in more way than one tonight. This man will own me after this, quite literally.

He tugs my shirt up and I lift my arms, allowing him to pull it off. Reece leans down and kisses the tops of each breast that are lifted high in my lacy push-up bra. When he reaches behind me and flicks the clasp, I’m already anticipating all the amazing things he’s going to show my body tonight.

“Let me see you, beautiful,” he whispers.

He kisses my neck as he slides the bra from my body. It drops to the floor between us, and Reece’s loving gaze caresses me. He brings his hands to my breasts, and my nipples harden as he strokes me. I can’t help but think of our first playroom encounter when he invited Oliver in.

“Did that bother you . . . that first night when Oliver joined us?” Reece asks, as if he’s just read my mind.

“No, it didn’t bother me, because I knew you wouldn’t let things go too far.”

“You trusted me,” he says with wonder.

I nod. This makes him happy, because he kisses my lips softly and then drops his head to suck on my breast, circling his tongue around my nipple before sucking it into the warmth of his mouth.

I push my hands into his hair, and my eyes slip closed. I can honestly say I’ve never been with a man who devotes such thorough attention to my body without expecting anything in return. When his fingers tug at the button of my jeans, I help him by wiggling my hips while he tugs down my pants. Soon they’re in a heap on the floor with my shirt and bra. I stand before him in just my panties, as flashbacks to our younger years and our early experimentation flash through my brain.

“I love these, for the record,” he says, cupping my breasts again and lightly caressing them.

Smiling at him, I run my fingers down the length of his muscled arm. “And I love your tattoos.”

There’s a lot of the L-word being thrown around, and while neither of us has actually said those three little words yet, that’s exactly what this feels like. It doesn’t feel like sex; it feels like love. In the best possible way.

He kisses me once more, and this time his hands go to work on his own pants, unbuttoning them and shoving them to the floor. When I look down, I see the broad head of this cock peeking from the waistband of his black boxer briefs. Those really do a poor job of containing him.

“I think you need bigger underwear,” I tease, touching the tip of him.

He smirks. “Or a smaller cock.”

I shake my head at him, smirking right back. “I’ve been dying to get my hands on this. You’re not going to restrain me this time, are you?”

“Not a chance in hell. I can’t wait to feel your hands on me.”

I love his honesty.

Sinking to my knees, I slowly peel his boxers down and his cock springs free. Blinking up at him, I lean forward and drag my tongue up his steely shaft, loving the masculine taste of him and the way he draws in a sharp inhale.

“What are you doing?” His voice is strained.

“Making you feel good. How do you like it?”

The vein at the base of his neck throbs. “Grip me with your hand.”

I curl my fist around him and note how my fingers don’t meet.

“And now stroke me.”

My hand moves up and down.

“Suck me deep.”

Opening my mouth as wide as I can, I lean forward and take him. As soon as my lips close around him, he shudders and his muscular thighs tremble.

“Hell yeah,” he groans. “Just like that.”

I continue my work on him and feel myself getting wet. It’s such a turn-on knowing that I’m bringing this big, beautiful man to his knees.

“Pancake . . .” He groans like he’s in pain, and I almost chuckle.

Opening my eyes, I glance up at him with my mouth full. He’s thrusting his hips forward in time with my strokes, and the expression on his face is pure bliss.

“That feels fucking incredible.”

Pride surges inside me, but before I can continue, his hands are under my arms, lifting me to my feet and tossing me on the bed.