For the first time in years, Jared slept deeply and without dreams. He was warm and comfortable and happy. Work stress didn’t intrude on the sweet nothingness. He simply rested. The world could have ended in fiery sonic boom explosions and he wouldn’t have stirred. That was what it was like to share a bed with Felicity after making love to her. He was content. Truly, blissfully content.

When he came out of his sleep at last, it was to see the late-morning sun filtering through the blinds on the small window in the bedroom. Everything he’d said the night before, everything he felt came flooding back, and he closed his eyes again. Part of him, a deep part that responded with anxiety to any signs of change, wanted him to bolt from the room and pretend he’d never revealed his weakness, his feelings for the girl in bed next to him. He hadn’t held back from her, not a damn thing. It scared him shitless, like he was freefalling without a parachute. But the rush, the adrenaline-spiking, blood-pounding thrill of letting go of his barriers, was an untouchable high.

She was curled in his arms, her hair flowing about her neck and shoulders in a waterfall of color. He propped his head in his hand and watched her sleep. Her dark gold lashes were thick and curled at the ends where they rested on her cheeks. The urge to reach out and touch them was almost irresistible. The moment he gave in to temptation, her eyes opened, and she focused on him. A blush and a shy smile made his heart feel encased in a fuzzy warmth.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning,” she whispered.

“How are you feeling?” He curled his hand around her shoulder and rubbed his thumb on her silky skin near her collarbone.

Felicity shifted her legs, and her knees bumped into his thighs.

“I’m fine.” She started to sit up, but when the covers dropped, it exposed her perfect, tantalizing breasts. Jared cupped one breast before she could retrieve her shield. The little moan she made and the way her lashes fluttered shot his body straight to full arousal.

“You don’t have to hide from me.” He meant it. Jared wanted to explore her the way a painter learned the surface of his canvas. An intimate acquaintance. A knowledge of secret places. He wanted it all with her.

She bit her lip, indecisive for a long second before she spoke. “I’m so used to hiding. I don’t like being the center of attention. I like blending into the background, you know?” Her gray eyes were ancient, the way they spoke silently of her pain and burdens.

Jared sat up and faced her fully. “I get that. I don’t like the spotlight myself, but I don’t want you to hide from me, just be yourself. I like you, Felicity. Every part of you.” When she still hesitated, her gaze darting away before returning to him, she reminded him of a skittish animal.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. Her bare bottom settled over his cock, and he had to ignore the flare of need as his body responded. She settled in his arms and tucked her head beneath his chin.

“Talk to me, sweetheart.” He nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent like it was his own personal drug.

“I’ve had to work for everything in my life. It hasn’t been easy. I used to work double shifts on the weekends, drink tons of caffeine to get through my schoolwork late at night. Nothing’s really changed. I’m burning the candle at both ends most days.” Her body shuddered, and Jared tightened his grip.

“Your parents can’t help out?” he asked.

“No, my mom’s a nurse at the local hospital, and my dad is a mechanic. They barely get by as it is. I can’t ask them to spare anything for me. They weren’t even sure I could survive college—financially, I mean. They tried to talk me out of it.”

“Seriously?” The lawyer in him had a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but he knew he had to take it slow. They were building a precarious bridge of trust, and he didn’t want to destroy it before he had a chance to cross over. But the thought of her having to go against her parents, who told her not to go to college, made him see red. Sure, not everyone needed a college degree, and certainly not a master’s, but if someone wanted it, they should have the right to fight for it. And Felicity had, by working harder than anyone he’d ever known and by earning her scholarship. She was fucking amazing.

Jared rubbed her arms and held her, wishing she’d ask him to help. He didn’t know what he could do, but if she asked for anything he’d try his best.

“I’m sorry, Felicity,” he murmured and kissed the crown of her hair.

She laughed, but it sounded hollow. “It’s not your fault.”

“No one should have to work that hard just to get by.” He kissed her neck behind her ear and shivered.

“Are you distracting me?” she asked, a breathless giggle escaping her.

With a wicked grin, he nibbled her ear, his own body keying up, his shaft swelling and hardening. God, he needed to be back inside her.

“Is it working?”

“Mmm…yes.” She tilted her head back, resting it on his shoulders as she leaned back against his chest. Her breasts thrust out, and he cupped them eagerly. When he tweaked her nipples, she hissed and clawed his thighs as she reacted to the little zings of pleasure/pain he knew he was giving her.

“I was about to ask if you’ve ever had shower sex, but I know the answer. Want to try it out, or are you too sore from earlier?” He drew a lazy circle on her sensitive clit, and she wriggled.

“What do you think?” she demanded.

“Bossy little thing, aren’t you? I’ll take that as a yes.” He helped her from the bed, and they went into her bathroom. She had a small tub/shower. He cranked the nozzle over to hot, and while they waited for the water to heat up, he pulled Felicity back into his arms to kiss her.

She was his drug. He had an insatiable need to touch her, kiss her, hold her close, and claim her over and over. Part of him knew he was rushing this, but he couldn’t stop, couldn’t turn back. His desire for her was a raging avalanche of power, an unstoppable force. He embraced it, knowing if he fought it, it would only kill him.

He was so lost in kissing her that he didn’t immediately notice the thick steam filling the bathroom.

“Should we get in? My building doesn’t get much hot water—we don’t want to waste it.”

“You don’t get enough hot water?” The thought that she had to take cold showers, especially in winter…his fists clenched. That could give her a cold or pneumonia.

“Uh-huh.” She blushed, but he knew it didn’t have to do with her nakedness.

Jared lunged for her, and she dodged back, laughing. “I’ll make sure that your water issue gets fixed.”

She studied him solemnly. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.” He picked her up and set her in the shower. “But first I want to get you wet.” He shot her his best wolfish grin. “In more ways than one.” He climbed into the shower with her.

For a moment, he just stared at her, the way the water hit her creamy skin and beaded in lickable drops. Her arms were wrapped around her stomach as though to protect herself, from what he didn’t know. She was so young, so vulnerable and afraid. A newly-made woman, and she was probably scared of him. He barely remembered what it had been like to be twenty-four.

Lucidity crashed in on him and made him feel like a barbarian at the way his cock twitched in anticipation of claiming her in the shower. With her full curves and natural shyness, the way she angled her body slightly away from his sight, it was like looking at a 1940s pinup photo of Rita Hayworth. Most guys didn’t know who Rita Hayworth was, but Jared did. He’d found a stack of old magazine photos in his father’s closet when he was fourteen. Rita had made him want to grow up real fast. Looking at Felicity now, with her hair in a wild tumble of auburn waves, beads of water dewing on the strands, she was gorgeous. Half-aroused, half-shy, she was a man’s perfect fantasy. He was about to fucking lose his mind.

“What?” Felicity asked, and he could see the blush tinge her cheeks.

“You’re amazing.” He stepped into the shower with her and pulled the curtain closed.

Everything in that moment was perfect. The water rushing over them, the hungry look in her eyes, and the knowledge that she was his right now. He wouldn’t think about tomorrow or the future. He reached for the bar of soap and started lathering it over his body before he turned to her. Her eyes widened as he smoothed the soap over her skin and then set it down so he could focus on washing her with his hands. She was still a little reluctant, but she couldn’t retreat from him in the small confines of the shower. After a few minutes, the sexual energy between them was too much, and he was lifting her up to pin her against the shower wall. He was ready to thrust into her and relieve them both of the wild wanting when her breathless words broke through his desire.

“What about protection?” Her nails dug into his shoulders, clinging to him, making him half-crazed with need.

“Shit.” He dropped her back down onto her feet and scrambled from the shower.

He had just one more condom in his pants pocket. Just one. He’d have to restock ASAP. Soap bubbles billowed off him in small puffs, floating away as they popped out of existence, as he left a trail of large wet footprints on the bedroom carpet. After he found his last condom, he skidded back into the bathroom. Felicity was peeping around the edge of the curtain, an impish grin animating her face. He knew he had to look ridiculous, stark naked, bubbles drifting off, him, but she’d soon stop laughing once he got inside her. He’d remind her just how serious he was about her and how much he wanted her.

“Find one?” she asked.

He held up the condom package and tore it open. “Oh yeah, you still ready for me?” Her eyes drifted down from his face to his groin. Yeah, he was still hard, and by the way she reddened and glanced away, he could tell that she noticed. She held the curtain open for him, and he nearly shouted in victory.

Jared stepped back in with her, sheathed himself in the condom, and then focused on Felicity.

“You still all right with this?” He smoothed his hand down over her back and her ass, trying to touch her gently, but his entire body hummed with desire. He’d die if she said no, but he’d find a way to hold back. This was only her second time, and she didn’t deserve to be rushed into this. Exploring one’s sexuality was a journey to be done safely and with someone you trusted. Felicity needed to trust him, and he needed her to trust him.

“Jared.” Her palms flattened on his chest, and she stroked his pecs, lightly raking her nails over his skin. “If we do this…”She held her breath a second before finishing. “I’m terrified. Not of this.” She gestured between their bodies before finishing. “I’m scared of relationships. You know I might get a job in LA and have to leave…” She shook her head and then came into his arms willingly. That small gesture lit his entire world like fireworks in the night sky.

“It’s because of that you’re afraid to get serious.” The realization was cold enough that he half expected the hot water hitting his back to turn to ice. A job in Los Angeles? The thought of her leaving turned him ice-cold inside with fear. He could still lose her. She could walk away from him at the end of the year if she got a job on the West Coast.

“Yes. I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s just focus on us right now.” Her whispered words were a plea he couldn’t ignore. They could talk about her going to California later.

She lifted her head and kissed his chin, then his mouth, and so on. They were both lost in passion and heat.

This time when he lifted her up and pinned her to the wall, he had no reason to stop. He thrust into her and she cried out, clinging to him. She was heaven. Hot, wet, tight. The sensation of her taking him inside her body obliterated what rational thoughts he had left. The way she gripped his shaft, her inner muscles clamping down around him as he withdrew, made him groan. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he was able to piston his hips, ramming deeper and deeper into her.

“That’s it, right there,” she suddenly cried out in a strangled voice.

He slammed into her at the same angle, hitting that sweet spot over and over again.

“Oh God!” his quiet little artist screamed.

He fucking loved it. He pumped into her a few more times, his control slipping before he shouted and followed her into an explosion of pleasure.

When they both came down from the high, he realized she was shivering. He disposed of the condom, then urged her to stand beneath the hot water. Neither of them spoke for several minutes as they washed each other. Felicity was smiling almost sleepily, and every now and then he noticed her legs quivering unsteadily. His own legs shook each time she smiled at him.

“I missed the vanilla scent after you left,” he suddenly confessed, then bit down on his tongue before any more stupid romantic thoughts could escape his mouth.

“What?” Her brows arched a little in confusion.

“The vanilla scent. Your shampoo.” He picked up the bottle they’d both used. “I missed it in my shower when you left.”

“I like vanilla.” She leaned into him, almost conspiratorially. “There was a weekend when I was five. My mom made cookies, and I thought the vanilla would taste good. So she let me try it.” Her eyes lit up, and Jared’s body burned with warmth and hunger.

“And?” he asked, breathless, holding her waist, feeling her tremble slightly.

“You can imagine what happened. One teaspoon of vanilla extract and I figured out quick it only smelled good. It’s stupid, but even now, vanilla reminds me of that weekend, the two of us, having fun.” She ran her fingertips along his forearms. The touch was so innocent, but he swore he could feel it through every single cell on his arms.

He wanted to share something of himself, to show her that she could trust him. “I did something like that too. I drank a carton of buttermilk when I was six. I thought it would be awesome. Butter and milk, two of my favorite things. It wasn’t.” He laughed at the memory and how he’d avoided normal milk for a month.

“Oh, that must have tasted terrible!” Her giggling had him wanting to tickle her and then punish her for laughing at him. Damn it. Now was not the time to be thinking of things like that. Not when he was out of condoms.

“It was bad,” he agreed, then gave up resisting and kissed her. She laughed against his mouth until he deepened the kiss, teasing her tongue with his with slow small thrusts between her lips, reminding her of what they’d just done. Only when she was good and limp with desire in his arms did he try conversation again.

“Do you have classes today?” he asked as he shut the water off and reached for two towels. After he helped her get out, he took his time drying her.

“Yeah, what time is it?” A panic-stricken gaze replaced her playfulness.

“Around eight thirty,” he guessed. It had been around eight when they’d gotten in the shower.

“I’ve got classes in half an hour!” She was suddenly scrambling around him, her towel barely covering her as she bent to retrieve her hairdryer from a bottom drawer. Jared sensed that now was not the time to tease her. He backed out of her way and searched for his clothes. They were mostly in one pile, and after a few minutes he was dressed. It was going to be obvious he was wearing yesterday’s clothes to work, but at this point he was too happy to care. Hell, he didn’t even care that he was an hour late already. He worked long, hard hours as it was. Being a little late today shouldn’t matter. He whistled softly, replaying last night and this morning, a silly grin slapped on his face as he waited for Felicity to get ready.