I tilted my head to the side so I could trace the outside shell of his ear with the tip of my tongue. It made his big body shiver below me and I felt the press of his blunt fingers into the soft curve of my hips. I let the end of my nose brush across the intricate cluster of flowers he had tattooed behind his ear and followed the design down the side of his neck until I reached the curve where his shoulder was solid and strong. He was slick with sweat and every muscle that moved and flexed against me was straining and taut with exertion. I sighed into his skin as his hand trailed from my hip to the sensitive spot between my legs. I was already liquid and pliable from his very skilled mouth, so I thought I was going to have plenty of time to ramp him up and push him over the edge before my body was ready to go again, but all it took was the touch of those rough fingers, the knowing touch from someone that seemed to know my body better than I did, and my blood was on fire and my nerves were electrified. I felt my thighs quiver and the swollen, tender flesh surrounding his plunging and thrusting cock flutter in response. He didn’t play fair but I was determined. I used to want my partner to find pleasure out of fear and self-preservation. I wanted Wheeler to feel it because I didn’t know how else to show him how good he made me feel. I wanted him to feel what he made me feel.

I sank my teeth into that straining flesh where his neck and shoulder met, the bite a little bit more vicious than I intended and far more aggressive than I ever was with anyone else. I heard a growl rumble out of his chest and the soft circles he was drawing on my clit faltered as he urged me to move faster, press harder into him as I lifted up and lowered myself back down. I licked the tiny little wound and pushed off the headboard so I could run my hand over the thick muscles of his chest, petting that snarling wolf, like I could tame the lonely, wild parts of Wheeler that sometimes peeked out from behind his inherent calm and reserve. I brushed the side of my thumb over one of his flat nipples and watched wide-eyed as it puckered and lifted to my touch.

“Jesus, Poppy.” His voice was jagged and just as rough as the fingers that were crawling all over my skin. His head tossed back so that it was resting against the headboard and his eyes locked on mine as a muscle in his cheek flexed. It was by far the sexiest thing I had ever seen and I was a little in awe of the fact that I was the reason for his reaction. I moved my hand to the opposite nipple and repeated the motion, which made him swear and had his reddish eyebrows lifting upward. “Can you feel what that does to me?”

I could. His abs had tightened and the thighs I was straddling were rock hard. I could feel his cock twitch inside of me and I saw the way it made his chest rise and fall with ragged breaths as he tried to keep it together. His eyes were anything but cold and there was a glint of desperation in them as I picked up my pace and repeated my soft caress. I leaned forward so that I could touch my mouth to his and wasn’t at all surprised when he slipped his tongue past lips and teeth to steal a taste. Wheeler liked to kiss. He was good at it, so it was easy to get distracted by the way his tongue swirled against mine, but I was a woman on a mission and I was determined not to fail.

Breathless, I replied against his now wet mouth, “I can feel it.” I wanted to feel more of it, in fact.

His eyes flared and I could tell it was taking all of his self-control not to roll me over so that he could take over and drive us both to the sweet release that was hovering just out of reach because of my steady rise and fall over him. It was torture, but not the kind that would haunt my dreams and make me wake up screaming. It was the kind that made everything inside of me feel warm and fuzzy because no matter how badly he wanted to force me to move, no matter how strong the temptation was to overpower me and take control, he held it back, kept his baser instinct in check and let me set the pace.

I lifted up higher on my knees and trailed my hand across his ribs and down those carved lines of his stomach. His eyes narrowed at me as I gently touched the back of his wrist where his fingers were still toying with my aching clit and slick folds. I brushed my fingers over his knuckles and then reached behind my rocking hips so I could scrape my fingers over the hair-roughed skin of his thighs. My destination was clear and his breath exhaled in a long sigh as he continued to watch me closely. It was bolder than I had been but I wanted him to break so I could let go and allow my body to float away on the river of pleasure that I could feel building and threatening to overflow against his touch.

“Honey.” There was warning in his gruff word but I ignored it and leaned back until I could get my fingers on those tight, sensitive, and delicate globes that rested between his spread legs. His entire body jolted at the first touch of my fingers to the soft skin. His freckles stood out starkly on his cheeks and across his nose as his features pulled taut in concentration. It was obvious he was having to make a real effort to keep his impending orgasm at bay and that knowledge made me feel more feminine and desirable than anything ever had. I’d been told I was beautiful since I was a little girl but watching Wheeler fight to keep control was the first time I really felt beautiful and wanted. I was driving him crazy and I loved it because I knew there would be no punishment, no blame or judgment, when I forced him to break before I did. It was give-and-take and I loved that it was my turn to give because as wonderful as he made taking feel, I wouldn’t be okay until I knew I could give just as good as I was getting.

I fondled the paper-thin skin, used my nails carefully, and tossed my head back so that the ends of my long hair pooled like silk across his lap and my stroking hand. I closed my eyes and let him lift me up and drop me back down at a rate that was far faster than I had been moving on him before. The longer my hand stayed between his legs, the harder he thrust up into me, his narrow hips lifting clear off the mattress as he barked my name and growled dirty words of warning. I was a little dizzy and entirely lost in sensation as his hand left my hip and settled on my breast. The double stimulation of his fingers on my clit and my nipple had me gasping and moaning his name. There was no longer a rhythm either of us was following, we were simply grinding, rocking, bouncing into one another, desperate to fulfill the lingering promise of pleasure.

He pressed down hard on my clit and pinched my nipple between his fingers, giving the stiff peak a tug that I felt all the way between my legs. I grasped his sac in my palm and gave the hot, tight skin a squeeze that made his eyes slam closed and that had his teeth sinking into the flesh of his bottom lip. It was an image that would stay with me forever. A second later, his head fell back and he let out a groan as his whole body shuddered and quaked below me. I felt his cock jerk inside of me hard and hot. His hands drifted lightly across my skin, trailing wetness and marking his place like he might need a reminder where he left off when he came back to his senses. He didn’t need to worry about it because as soon as he found his finish, mine chased right after it. It hit me in a rush that had my body bowing and then collapsing on top of his like every single thing holding me together had unraveled.