“No, I want to. I’m just…a little out of practice.” I feel stupid saying it, but I want Nate to know what he’s getting.

“We’re here…together. You say stop if we need to stop. And I will be fine with that. Okay?”

“Okay,” I say, nodding quickly and closing my eyes. I take a deep breath and lose myself in the feeling of Nate’s kiss on my head. When I open my lids again, my view is of his lower body. He’s wearing a pair of black boxer shorts, and nothing else, and all I want to do is run my hands over every inch, every muscle along his back, stomach, sides, and...

Nate pulls on the front snap of my bra, pulling my chin up with his fingers to look me in the eyes, making sure I am okay with his every move. “Yes,” I whisper, my eyes falling hooded as my body tingles under his touch. He pulls the straps from my shoulders slowly, letting his fingers trail down the length of my arm. I’ve been this way in front of Nate before, when I showed him my scars. But this time is different. He doesn’t see my scars at all, he only sees me. And he wants me.

I crawl onto my back, lying on his bed while he hovers above me, brushing my hair from my face and splaying it out on his pillow. “Can I just kiss you…for a while?” he asks, pressing his lips once to my forehead, and then my lips, and then my chin. I nod yes slowly and feel his breath against my neck, each tantalizing pause before he kisses me somewhere new. His tongue finds my jaw next, and when he runs it down the length of my neck to my collarbone, I can’t help but squirm. He looks at me again to make sure I’m okay, but I’m squirming because I want him to go farther, to touch me more.

“I’m okay. I promise,” I say, and he smiles softly, looking down the length of my body to my br**sts.

I can’t help but watch in anticipation as he kisses each one slowly, circling around the peaks, but never fully taking them in. The want and need overwhelms me, and I let out a moan, arching my back, urging him to be more forceful.

“What do you want, Rowe?” he teases, his lips blowing cold air across my ni**les, bringing them to a painful point.

“I want you to kiss me…there,” I say, barely able to get the words out through my panting.

“Where?” he teases again, making my entire body blush. I pull his pillow from under my head and put it over my face; I’m so embarrassed. “Here?” he asks, grazing the tip of his tongue lightly over one nipple.

“Oh god! Yes, there,” I say, biting down on his pillowcase to keep myself from saying more.

Nate continues to circle and tease each peak for minutes, until my back is actually sore from arching into him and begging him to take them completely. When he finally pulls my nipple into his mouth, biting lightly at first with his teeth and then sucking it painfully hard, I groan.

“You cannot make that noise if you want this to go on any longer,” he says, pulling the pillow from my face and smoothing my hair out once again.

“Sorry,” I whisper, wishing I could hide the redness creeping up on my face.

“Never be sorry. That sound, your sound, is so goddamned hot. It’s just going to take me some time before I can handle it without…” he pauses and smirks, and I smile, bashfully.

Nate kisses me again, this time his lips rough against mine, and he works his body so he’s lying next to me. His hand grazes down my neck and shoulders, and his thumb circles each breast, pinching and pulling just long enough that I can feel the pressure building between my legs. He moves his hand lower, running the tips of his fingers under my waistband a few times, and I can tell he’s testing me, making sure I’m okay with him touching me…there.

After his hand pauses flat, resting over my bellybutton, I lift my hips and reach down to unbutton the top of my pants, pulling them down with my thumbs until my legs can kick them free completely, and Nate just watches, his eyes moving from mine to my newly exposed hips and skin.

“Are you sure?” he asks, swallowing loudly.

“I’m so incredibly sure,” I say, looking him right in the eyes and holding his gaze until I know he believes me. Without pause, Nate moves his body so it’s resting totally on mine. His weight is immense, but the warmth of his skin against mine is the most amazing feeling I have ever had. Something as simple as his shoulder against mine sends shivers throughout my body.

Cupping my face in his hands, Nate kisses me tenderly now, his elbows holding his chest up above mine. But all I can focus on is the hardness that’s digging into my center below, and the only barrier between us—two small layers of cotton. I wonder if I would look like a slut if I simply ripped them away.