“I love pleasing you,” she murmured as she continued to touch him. He kept his face averted for a bit longer, not wanting her to see how deeply her words affected him. He had employees all over the world that he paid to do his bidding. But, other than maybe Denny, when had anyone ever wanted to do something for him out of the goodness of their heart? Sure, he knew she was talking about something sexual at this moment, but in the short time that they had been together, she was constantly doing thoughtful things. When she found out in an earlier conversation that he loved Mallo Cups, from that point forward, she always stopped on her way to his house and bought him a pack. And even though he had a housekeeper and used a dry cleaner for his suits, she still insisted on washing his other clothing and putting it away when she stayed over. Angel, he’d learned, was the nurturing type, and he’d been surprised to find that he liked it.

She gripped his head, tugging back until she was looking at him in question. “Yeah, baby,” he agreed. “I’m all yours.” She gave him a grin before motioning him backward against the headboard. When he settled there, she climbed on the bed and encircled his cock with one hand. She positioned him at her entrance and lowered herself onto him inch by inch. “Fuck,” he hissed, feeling his eyes roll back in his head. He fought the urge to thrust upward, not wanting to give her too much, too soon. Instead, he let her set the pace, gritting his teeth until she was finally snug against his root. “I need you to move, Angel,” he grunted, digging her fingers into her hips to help her upward movement.

She let him guide her hips, while she gripped the headboard to propel herself up and down. “So good . . .” she cried out as he bumped against her cervix on each thrust.

“Not gonna last for long, baby,” he warned as he tried to hold off long enough for her to come first. He moved one hand from her hip and circled his thumb around her clit. That was all it took. Within seconds, spasms shook her body as she came. He was unable to stop himself from following closely behind as she milked his cock of everything he had. Then it hit him like a bolt of lightning. He stiffened as she slumped against him. “Angel,” he said urgently. “Shit, baby, I didn’t wear a condom.” He couldn’t believe it. He’d never had intercourse in his life without protection. He’d never been in a committed relationship, so the issue hadn’t come up. A few women had assured him that they were clean and on the pill, but he wasn’t ever tempted to risk it.

“I’m on the pill,” she mumbled from her position on his shoulder. Then, with him still inside her, she curled even closer, and he could have sworn he heard a light snore beside him.

Shaking her slumbering body lightly, he asked, “Since when?” He knew when they first started dating that she wasn’t on anything, or at least that was what she’d said.

“A couple of weeks ago. I was going to surprise you,” she whispered before adding, “Oh—surprise.”

He relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. It rattled him that he’d forgotten something that he’d always considered so vitally important. But luckily, Angel at least had been thinking ahead. And God had it felt amazing being inside of her bare. He’d known while he was sliding in and out of her that it was somehow impossibly better than ever, and now he knew why. Skin on skin. Unbelievable.

Mark enjoyed their closeness for another few moments before he lifted her from his body so that he could go to the bathroom. He washed up and then brought a cloth to take care of her. She didn’t even stir while he cleaned between her legs. When he got back in the bed and wrapped his arms around her, she snuggled into his hold with a murmur of approval before going still once again.

He wanted to go over what had happened tonight in his mind but found that he didn’t have the energy. Tomorrow would be soon enough to figure out the next step. Tonight he just wanted to hold his Angel and believe that he was the type of man who ended up with a woman like her.

Chapter Twenty

As Crystal flitted around his kitchen making pancakes, Mark relaxed at the bar reading the paper and sipping his coffee. Finally, he gave up on trying to focus on the news and simply watched her. She was wearing one of his T-shirts and had her hair up in a ponytail. Her face was freshly scrubbed, and she could have passed for years younger. When she flipped a pancake in the air and managed to catch it neatly in the pan, she turned to him with glee as if wanting to share her accomplishment with him. “Good job, Angel,” he praised, bringing a soft flush to her cheeks.

After another ten minutes, she was finished and settling in beside him on a barstool. He put his arm around her shoulders and they ate their breakfast nestled against each other. Again, he had the feeling that he would be content to do this for the rest of his life. He was firmly in that fantasyland when his doorbell rang. The garage door was already open since he’d walked down the driveway to retrieve the paper earlier, and the knock that followed the bell came from that direction. “Are you expecting anyone?” Crystal asked, still looking relaxed. “I’ll just go to the bedroom and change before you open the door.”

“Baby, you’re fine,” Mark assured her. His shirt practically reached her knees, which was about the length of the dresses that she normally wore. “It’s probably either Denny or, God forbid, someone selling something. Although that doesn’t usually happen on Sundays.”

“Maybe you’re being recruited for the church.” She giggled.

Mark gave her a mock scowl as he walked toward the door. “We’re going to talk later about why you think that idea is so funny, Angel,” he warned as he slung open the door without bothering to check the peephole first.