“You have beautiful breasts.”

Never one to be satisfied with compliments, I argued, “They’re not very big.”

“Look,” he commanded. When I opened my eyes, he gestured to his hands holding my breasts. In a lust-filled growl, he replied, “They’re a perfect fit for my hands.”

“Yes. They are,” I replied breathlessly.

“Maybe I should see how well they fit my mouth.”

My heartbeat skipped at his suggestion. “You probably should.”

Dipping his head, he closed his mouth over my right breast. As he sucked, his tongue twirled and flicked over the nipple, causing me to moan. My arms slid from his shoulders into his hair, my fingers tangling through the wet strands. When his teeth grazed my tight nipple, I gripped his hair even tighter, which caused him to groan. “Did I hurt you?” I panted.

He released my nipple with a pop. A sly grin appeared on his face. “No. It’s more like I get hard as fuck when you tug my hair.” To prove his point, he rolled his hips against me, letting me feel his erection.

I smiled at him. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Rev shifted to my other breast, teasing and tasting me until I had to squeeze my legs together because of the growing ache. As if he sensed the tension in me, Rev snaked a hand between us and dipped it between my thighs. I gasped at the wonderful feeling. His forehead wrinkled with concern. “Is this okay?”

“It’s more than okay. It’s amazing.” I then opened my legs wider to give him more room.

Over and over his calloused fingers teased my clit. When he plunged two fingers inside me, I cried out and gripped him tighter. As I worked my hips in rhythm with his fingers, I wanted more than anything to come. I wanted to come for Rev and his ability to turn me on, but more than anything, I wanted to come for myself, so that in a small way I could reclaim my sexuality.

I grew closer and closer to the edge, but I couldn’t go over. And then Rev sank to his knees. Pushing my back against the tile, he spread my legs even farther apart. It took only the flick of his tongue against my clit to send me over into orgasm. As tears stung my eyes, I came, crying out his name over and over.

But he didn’t stop. Instead, he waited for me to come down. Then his tongue and fingers went to work again. My legs began to shake, and they felt like they wouldn’t hold me up, so I gripped Rev’s shoulders to steady myself. It didn’t take long this time before I was throwing my head back and experiencing sheer mind-blowing pleasure once again. “So fucking sexy,” Rev muttered against my sex.

He rose from his knees. When his mouth met mine, I could taste myself on his lips and tongue. I don’t know how long we stayed lip-locked, our hands running over each other’s body. With my fingertips, I traced the bulging muscles of his biceps, his hard pecs, and his washboard abs. Although the large contours of his body could be frightening, I found myself feeling more and more protected. I was safe with Rev. He would never expect me to do something I wasn’t comfortable with or that made me uneasy.

When the water turned cold, Rev tore his lips from mine. As he stared into my eyes, I knew we were once again teetering on the edge of a line—a line that would inevitably have to be crossed. “Make love to me,” I whispered.

Conflict raged in Rev’s eyes. I knew that in his mind he thought we had gone far enough with what we had already done. We didn’t need to rush things—we had all the time in the world.

“Please,” I murmured.

With a slight jerk of his head, Rev reached forward to turn off the shower. After he got out, he turned back to grip me by the waist. He hoisted me into his arms and carried me out of the bathroom, then eased me gently down on the bed.

When he turned and started back toward the bathroom, I propped myself on my elbows and gazed at his retreating form. “What are you doing?” I called. I hoped he hadn’t changed his mind about giving in to me.

He returned with two large towels. Kneeling over me, he brought the soft cloth to my arm. After he dried me, he placed warming kisses on my skin. He repeated the process along my chest, taking extra time with my breasts, and then my other arm. By the time he finished with my lower body, I was drenched between my legs and aching for him. I’d barely given him time to dry himself off before I was grabbing his arm and dragging him closer to me. “What about a condom?”

I thought about all the testing I’d had in the hospital. Remarkably, my rapists and Mendoza hadn’t given me any STDs. “I’m clean,” I replied softly.

“So am I . . . as long as you trust me.”

I smiled up at him. “Of course I trust you.”

But when his body loomed over mine, a prickly panic crawled its way over my skin. Although I had managed to push my rapists out of my head, it seemed now that they had found a way to claw their way back in with the intent of ruining what I had with Rev. I am safe. I have a choice, and I choose this.

As if he sensed my growing panic, Rev rolled off me. When I started to protest that I wanted to continue, he gripped me by the hips and pulled me up to straddle him. “Take me, Annabel. You’re the one in control.”

Moisture tinged my eyes at his words and his offering. He wanted to do everything within his power to enable me to conquer this first time. I rose up to grip his erection in my trembling hand. When I brought it to my center, I momentarily faltered when I began to take him inside me.

Rev’s hands sought mine. After intertwining our fingers, he said, “Look at me, babe. It’s only me and you here. Only love.”