“Yes,” she whispers. “I want you to make love to me, Luc.” With the insecurity she’s feeling over her body, I know how hard this must be and how much courage it’s taking for her to risk rejection. As if that was ever a possibility. I want to erase those bastard’s hands from her body just as much as she does. After not being inside her for two weeks, I’m desperate to feel her again. No matter how hard it will be for me, though, I’ll take it slow and look for any sign that she’s in distress. Tonight is all about cherishing every inch of her body and alleviating any doubts she might have that I feel differently about her.

“You have no idea how much I want that, baby,” I reply as my hands drop to her waist before releasing her. I turn the bedside lamp on, needing to see all of her but also knowing she would prefer the room to be dark. I leave the light on the lowest setting, giving us both some of what we need. I also don’t want her to think for a moment that I need the darkness now to make love to her.

I stay fully dressed as I return to her, easing the sweater she is wearing from her shoulders and letting it fall to the floor. This isn’t the time to worry about neatness; my only focus is her. Next, the scarf she has wound around her neck follows the path of the sweater and I pause to make sure she’s still in the moment with me. She gives me a slight nod, letting me know she wants to continue, and I almost sag in relief.

Her dress is a little trickier and I find myself studying it as if trying to solve a puzzle. It’s so long that I hate to pull it over her head, but at the same time, I’m afraid it will ruin the mood somewhat if I try to push it downwards and she gets stuck in it. When she lifts her arms, I give her a quick smile, thanking her silently for answering my question. Having a wrestling contest with her clothing right now isn’t something I want to do. I ease the dress as gently as possible up her body and over her head before tossing it behind her. Then I step back and swallow as I take in her beautiful body in nothing but a pale blue bra and matching tiny lace panties. Most of her bruises have now faded to a purplish color, and her cuts, scratches, and bites are almost healed. The bandages I applied earlier look stark white against her creamy skin but do nothing to distract from her appeal. She looks achingly fragile but so damned gorgeous it’s almost painful to look at her. “Baby, you are beautiful,” I say and mean every word. In my eyes, there is no equal to her.

Next, she does something that takes me by surprise and shows me again how very strong she is regardless of how many blows life has landed upon her. She takes a couple of steps back, putting space between us. My heart plummets, thinking she is pulling away; instead, she raises her hands to unclip her bra, before dropping it on the pile of clothing already on the floor. The bruises and marks on her breasts have faded as well to just faint outlines. Her dusky nipples are erect and tipped to perfection, as if begging for my mouth. Instead of stepping forward as my body is urging me to do, I wait as her hands drop to the waistband of her panties, slipping inside the material and lowering it over her slim hips and down her long, slender legs before letting the slip of blue material pool around her feet.

I stand before her with all of the composure of a schoolboy as my erection strains at the fabric of my jeans. I am painfully hard, and the urge to pick her up and bury myself in her silken depths is almost unbearable. Again, I’m taken aback as she comes back to stand just inches from me and asks, “Can I undress you, Luc?”

“Fuck yes, baby,” I rasp, dangerously close to losing what little control I have left. Feeling her hands begin working the buttons of my shirt has me gritting my teeth in a mix of pleasure and pain. After she has released the first few buttons, she starts dropping kisses on each inch of skin she exposes. Having her take control tonight was not what I was expecting at all, and I’m both taken aback and tremendously excited. Maybe her need to take charge isn’t completely unexpected. Her choices have been taken from her far too often in her life, and if I can give just a piece of that back to her, then I’ll gladly defer to whatever she needs tonight. I shrug my shirt from my shoulders as she trails her fingernails lightly over my chest. A hiss escapes my lips as I lower my arms to cup her ass. Kneading the firm flesh, I attempt to bring her against me, but she isn’t done yet. She seems intent on finishing the job of undressing me, and I drop my hands once again to let her.

Her hands drop to the top of my jeans and her fingertips dip inside the waistband, teasing me for a moment before she grasps my belt and unbuckles it. She leaves it hanging open and moves to unbutton and then slowly lower the zipper of my jeans. With the confining material gone, my cock springs forward as far as possible against the silk of my boxers. I help her finish pushing my jeans and boxers to the floor before kicking my feet free of them. She moans low in her throat when my cock juts forward against her belly as if looking for a way inside her. “I want you, Luc,” she says as she wraps her hand around my length, causing my body to shudder. I’m dangerously close to blowing my load in her hand when I pull back and swing her up into my arms. I need to cool down for a moment and put the focus back on her.

I lay her back on the bed, spreading her legs as I settle between them on my knees. I take one of her legs in my hand and slowly kiss up the length of it. When I reach the apex of her thighs, I pay special attention to the injuries still visible there, licking and stroking over every inch before moving to her other leg and repeating the same process.

When I again reach her center, I feel her stiffen slightly as I raise her hips and drape her legs over my shoulders. She is completely open to me and I’m drowning in the sight and smell of her. As I lick along the line of her slit, she digs her hands into my hair, seeming to both push me away and pull me closer at once. I raise my head, forcing her to open her eyes when I stop. “Okay?” I ask, needing confirmation before I continue.

She gives me a jerky nod, adding, “Don’t stop,” which is all I need to hear.

My tongue devours her sweet, spicy taste like a starving man. I suck her throbbing nub into my mouth, and she screams incoherently. I barely release it before I’m darting my tongue inside her wet heat, fucking her slick folds with everything I have. She is thrashing around on the bed, and I can vaguely make out my name among the garbled words she is moaning. When I replace my tongue with two fingers, I feel her body spasm. I nip her clit with my teeth and her legs lock around my head as she comes all over my tongue. Her juices seep down the crevice of her ass as they flow from her pussy faster than I can lick them up. When her legs loosen, I rise up over her. My cock is rigid and painfully hard as I lubricate it in her wet heat. With super-human strength, I start to push into her slowly, ignoring the urge to bury myself to the hilt in one thrust and fuck her hard. Since we haven’t had sex in a few weeks, she is even tighter than usual, and I don’t want to hurt her. I know I have a big cock, but she always manages to take everything I give her.