It felt like the most natural thing in the world, kissing her. Shane kicked the door closed behind him and pulled Charlie further into the apartment, never letting go of her lips. Hell, he felt like he never wanted to let her go again after wanting her for such a long time. He pulled back for a second to look at her, using his thumbs to wipe away her tears. To him, she was the most beautiful woman in the world, even when she was crying and broken.

Charlie ran her hands up his waist, exploring his body. She’d spent so long avoiding this—any connection with him. Anyone that she worked with. Today had been the first time she’d even just gone out to drinks. But after everything that had happened, he could tell she needed something more. She’d come out with him even though she had always said no, and she hadn’t pulled away when he’d kissed her. She still wasn’t, her hands exploring his body even as he stared at her. Her eyes met his, and he felt the little hitch in her breath. And then he saw something change in her eyes, like a decision was made.

She kissed him again. Shane loved the way her lips molded to his. And when he kissed her back, a deep groan in the back of his throat, she kissed him harder.

“Shane,” she said as she pulled back to look him in the eyes. “Stay with me.”

He looked down at her, searching her face for any sign of hesitation. “Are you sure?”

Her kiss was the only answer. Something unlocked inside Shane, a raging hunger that he had kept locked up for as long as he could remember. It burned in him, and his cock—which had been at half-mast all night—was now fully erect and begging to be released. He pulled her against him, allowing his hands to skim down her body and take in the feel of her waist and hips, to finally touch. He was a little worried that he was going too fast, too far, but Charlie didn’t stop him. She pulled him closer and put her hands on his body, too. He felt her fingers find the hem of his shirt and slip beneath it, and he caught himself holding his breath. That was it. The contact between his skin and hers would be the thing that made her realize she didn’t want this.

Instead, she smiled at him.

Charlie pulled Shane’s shirt over his head and tossed it aside. She’d seen him without a shirt before. She had seen almost everyone at Engine 81 without a shirt, maybe even without pants. It was a shared locker room and they weren’t exactly shy around her. But Shane noticed that she always tried to keep her eyes to herself, never letting herself look too closely or admire. This was . . . different. She ran her hands down the planes of his chest, and the look on her face was the most perfect thing he’d ever seen. It made him hungry for her.

Her face crumpled and tears filled her eyes, and Shane slowed down, pulling her against him. He had no idea what was going through her head, but he was going to be there for it. He was going to keep her safe.

“It’s going to be all right,” he said.

She was cradled against his chest like she was meant to be there, and Shane hoped that she actually believed what he said. He saw the way she closed herself off, never letting anyone in. But she had let him come inside, let him kiss her. Maybe this was the start of something new. Something real and open.

Charlie reached down and pulled her shirt over her head. Shane’s eyes went wide, and his impossibly hard cock hardened even further. She was always so careful never to give them any reason to think of her as anything other than a colleague. This was different. The air between them felt charged. Electric. He hoped that she could feel it, too. And then she took his hand, pulling him toward the back of the apartment.

Shane didn’t take his eyes off her. He couldn’t. He was still in shock that they were there. Together.

As soon as Charlie pulled him into the bedroom, she dropped his hand, pushing off her pants. Then her underwear. Shane’s jaw dropped open as she unhooked her bra and tossed it to the floor. There was a smile on her face as she looked at him. “Looks like you have some catching up to do.”

He had never taken his clothes off so quickly. He only stopped for a second to make sure he had a condom from his wallet before joining her on the bed. And then they were kissing again, and he couldn’t remember the last time that he had felt something this good. He propped himself up over her, gaze flowing down her body. He took in her small, perfect breasts and tiny waist flaring to her hips.

Charlie reached up and grabbed his shoulders. “I don’t want slow tonight,” she said. “I need this. I need to feel something other than—” She didn’t have to finish her sentence for him to understand. She wanted to feel, and so he would make her feel. He leaned down and placed a kiss just below her ear, enjoying the way she shivered. He kept his lips moving, down the skin of her chest and across her collar bone, down to her breasts. When he took one of her nipples between his lips, she gasped. God, it had been so long since he’d been with anyone, but the fact that the simple touch of his mouth made her squirm did unspeakable things to his body.

Shane moved his mouth to her other breast, and she moaned, unable to keep quiet. He laughed softly. “I’m glad you like that,” he said. “There’s a lot more where that came from.”

The look in her eyes was so damn sexy. “Show me.”

He dragged his hands down the sides of her body, mouth following. Shane felt her breath go short as he kissed his way down her skin, felt her tense with anticipation when his mouth was right there, so close to her pussy. He pushed her legs open and gave her a long, slow lick. “Oh, God,” she moaned, like she was in heaven. She arched her back, trying to get closer to his mouth, trying to get him to give her more. And, smiling, Shane obliged.

She pushed her hands into his hair as he devoured her, only able to hold on. Tasting Charlie was like being given a map to her body. When his tongue was buried deep inside her pussy, she moaned in short, staccato breaths. When he moved his mouth and sucked on her clit, her thighs shook and her eyes rolled back. Every response he found was new and delightful, and he didn’t want to stop until he found them all. His wanted to make her forget everything but the pull of his lips, the way his mouth felt on her skin.

Shane licked down and into her again. He loved the taste of her on his tongue. This had been a fantasy for him—one of many he had had over the years. He loved the way she tasted, that thick sweetness that told him she was just as turned on as he was. Charlie was moaning, saying his name, and her nails were digging into his scalp, urging him on. He reached up and grabbed her wrists, pulling them from his hair and pinning them down to the bed. He could hear her breath coming in tiny gasps, and the sound was fuel, sending any remaining blood straight to his cock.

“Please,” Charlie gasped. “Please.”

She wiggled against his hold, trying to get away from his mouth and at the same time pushing deeper into him. He lost himself in her pussy. There was only the next lick, the next flick of his tongue. Shane sealed his mouth over her clit, stroking her over and over. He didn’t stop, setting up a relentless rhythm that made her pleasure build until she was bursting with it. And then he didn’t stop until she exploded.

Charlie cried out, her voice rising with every suck. She tried to move, but Shane held her in place, giving her no choice but to let the pleasure take her. He licked her through her orgasm; drank in every drop she spilled into his mouth. There were tiny spasms and shudders in her pussy and every one was a victory, telling him how much pleasure he gave her.

Shane didn’t stop until she slumped down, a limp mess on the bed.

“Shit,” she said, making Shane laugh.

He licked her again, and it made her jump. “Do you want more?”

“Yes.” The word was out of her mouth almost before he had finished speaking. She pulled him up her body and kissed him. He knew the taste of her sex was on his lips, and he felt her shiver with the visceral memory of pleasure. “More,” she said.

Shane grabbed the condom from where he’d tossed it onto the bed and rolled it onto his cock. There wasn’t a time in his life that he remembered being this hard. Charlie said that she didn’t want slow, and that was good. He didn’t think tonight could be a slow night for him—he had wanted this for so long, it was overwhelming, and controlling himself was the furthest thought from him.

It was Charlie who grabbed his cock, reaching in between them and fitting him against her entrance. Charlie who grabbed his ass and pulled him closer, rolling her hips to take him in. That was all the invitation that he needed. Shane pushed into her with a groan, easing in until he was fully inside. Her pussy was hot and tight around his cock, and now it was he who was in heaven. Charlie was looking up at him, eyes half closed, lips parted. She grabbed his arms and shifted her legs around his waist, taking him deeper. “Shane. Fuck me.”

Shane’s lips crashed onto hers, taking her mouth in a deep kiss as he thrust into her. Damn, she was tight. He took his time, thrusting in slowly and steadily so she could get used to him. He loved the feeling of filling her up, the way her pussy stretched and took him, the way it held on like it didn’t want him to pull back. She was squirming underneath him like every move he made was driving her crazy, and God, he loved it. If that were the only thing he ever saw for the rest of his life, he would be a happy man.

He reached underneath her, tilting her hips up, and Charlie spasmed around him again. Just that tiny fraction of an inch let him hit her inside where she needed it most. Suddenly every thrust had her digging her nails into his skin, had her spine arching off the bed and pressing those perfect breasts into his chest.

“It’s too much,” she said, almost panting. “I can’t.”

“You can.” She was so close, and he wasn’t stopping until she came again, impaled on his cock. He’d been waiting for years to see this look on her face—in total ecstasy and blind because of the pleasure he was giving her. He thrust faster, grinding his pelvis down against her clit, and grinned when Charlie cried out at the new sensation. He was close, too. The way she was squeezing down on his cock had him ready to burst.

“Shane,” she said his name, voice breathy. “Please.” He fucked her faster, grunting with the effort, and she couldn’t keep quiet, one long moan coming from her as she raced toward another orgasm. “Please, please, please.” It sounded like a chant or a prayer. It didn’t matter. He was more than eager to give her what she wanted. “Please.”

He reached down, stroking her clit. It was the fuse to the explosion. Charlie screamed as she came, her body shaking as he continued to pound into her. Her pussy clamped down onto him, and he let go, falling into his own pleasure. His balls tightened, cock jerking as white-hot fire seared down his spine and he came, thrusting deep inside her until they both were still and breathless.

“Wow,” she said. Charlie watched Shane slip into the bathroom so he could dispose of the condom, and she watched him even more closely as he came back to the bed. He climbed next to her, pulling her against his chest. He liked the way she felt pressed against him, her curves fitting into his body—just liked the way she felt. Like comfort. Like home.

Charlie’s mouth opened like she was going to say something, but then her eyes fluttered closed. She’d been through a lot today, and her body was shutting down. She was fading. There would be plenty of time for whatever she wanted to say in the daylight.

“Yeah. Wow,” he whispered, mostly to himself. He pressed a kiss to her temple as she faded into sleep.