HOLY SHIT. HOLY SHIT. Holy shit.

Gideon barely dared breathe, much less move.

Piper blew out a breath and lay back on the bed, eyes closed as though she were asleep. He could still feel her muscles quivering around him. Standing here knuckles deep inside of her wasn’t an option, no matter how much he enjoyed the view. Her skin flushed pink, the teeth marks on her lip, and hell—there were boobs.

The longer he stood here the weirder it was going to get when she caught her breath.

He eased his fingers out of her and reached for the comforter, pulling it down to keep her warm. There was no set time for returning to the marina, which meant no rush. They could stay out here all night for all he cared until she was ready to return to the real world where they didn’t do stuff like this.

“What are you doing?” Piper cracked one eye and peered up at him.

“Uh...” He didn’t actually know.

“Come here.” She patted the bed.

She’d said she wanted sex that she’d tell him when to stop, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that this might be too much, too soon.

Piper sat up and grabbed his hand. She pulled him forward, onto the bed. He rolled onto his back and no sooner were his shoulders horizontal and Piper straddled his thighs. He grasped the back of her thighs, assuring himself that she really was there.

God, he’d missed her, but he’d never dared to think this could be a reality.

She pulled his boxers down and wrapped her hands around his cock all while he was daydreaming about her eyes. She pumped him, hand over hand, still watching him. He groaned and bucked into her tight, hot hold.

So damn good.

This was his every fantasy come to live, and a few ones he hadn’t thought about.

“Slow down.” He covered her hands with his. It’d been months since he’d had sex and these were moments he’d dreamt about for a decade. It was a miracle he hadn’t come already. He still might if he didn’t take some control of the moment. “Actually...”

Gideon grabbed her wrists and pulled. She pitched forward with a yelp and he caught her against his chest. Her laugh encouraged him; let him know she was still tuned in to this moment between them. He rolled until she was under him and they were diagonal across the bed.

For a moment he just stared at her flushed face and dilated eyes. She was so damn beautiful. If he did nothing else during his time on earth, he wanted to make her happy. Whatever it took, he would do it.

“Stay right there.” He buzzed her lips with a kiss.

He couldn’t think too much about what they were doing. If he did that, and began focusing on the fact that Piper was almost naked in a bed he was sharing with her, he’d freeze up. He’d over think the situation, and that would lead to long, awkward pauses. She was comfortable, free, nothing here bothered her. He wanted to make this special. Memorable.

Landing in bed hadn’t been on his plan for the evening, so Gideon was less than prepared. If he’d known, he’d have organized the evening with a different order. Something more sensual and personal. Not to mention it hadn’t occurred to him that he’d need protection. Thankfully, his buddy believed in stocking the main cabins with some essentials, including condoms. Gideon rolled out of bed and opened the nightstand. He breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of a neat stack of condoms sitting there, ready for use. He grabbed one and pushed his underwear off the rest of the way with his other hand.

He didn’t have much hope for lasting long or blowing Piper’s mind, but he wasn’t going to pass the opportunity up either. If this went well, maybe they’d have more opportunities to do better next time. He ripped the condom open and rolled it on, all under her watchful gaze.

Piper lay on her side, head on the pillows, biting her thumb and staring at him with this adorable smile. She seemed happy. Excited. Aroused. He couldn’t ask for much more than that. Tonight had surpassed all he’d hoped for, and they weren’t done yet.

She uncurled the arm across her chest and patted the bed next to her. He swallowed, catching sight of her breasts. There was five feet and eight inches of very naked woman in that bed, and there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt in her eye. She was completely confident in this moment.

It was the hottest thing he’d ever seen in his life.

Gideon crawled across the bed toward her.

She reached for him first, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him on top of her. Her legs wrapped around his hips, holding him prisoner. They kissed, and his last, remaining doubts went away. No woman kissed like that who didn’t mean it.

He reached between them and guided his cock to her entrance. Another time he’d draw this out, make her moan and want this more, but not now. They’d waited far too long for this to let another minute go by. He thrust and held on tight, her body yielding to him. She whimpered into the kiss, the sound sending a chill down his back. Was something wrong? Had he misunderstood?

Her nails dug into his back and she squeezed her legs around him, driving her heels into his ass. He rocked forward, burying his face against her shoulder and squeezing his eyes shut.

It felt too good. Too right.

“Gideon.” Piper panted his name.

“Give me a second?”

Piper didn’t listen. She undulated, rolling her hips and stroking him with her body. He gathered her to his chest, holding her tight, and thrust. She whimpered and once more her nails scraped over his skin. The hair on the back of his neck rose and his toes curled.

“I can’t...”

“Keep going,” she begged.

He grabbed a handful of the sheets and used that for leverage, rocking into her, while trying his best to think about cleaning his kitchen or whatever might stave off orgasm for another precious moment or two. Each time he shifted, the lace wrapped around her torso scraped his skin, her grip tightened when he thrust. Everything grounded him in this moment with her.

Piper turned her face, nuzzling his cheek. He kissed her mouth and groaned, her hips cradling him, their bodies joined. She whimpered, nails digging in, lips going lax. Her limbs tensed in orgasm, her body rippling around him.

Gideon let his mind focus on her body, the feel of her breasts against his chest, the way she squeezed him, how damn right it all was. He didn’t last five seconds before his vision faded and the intense sensation of pleasure rolled up within him. He groaned her name and held on, finding release in her arms.

He couldn’t believe this was real.

Gideon buried his face in the crook of Piper’s shoulder and breathed deep, committing this moment to memory, from the smell of sex and sweat to the way she stroked his side, how they fit together. He’d never felt anything so intense and right. He’d always thought it could be good between them, now he had proof.

“I don’t want to move,” he said against her shoulder.

“Me, too, but I need to use the bathroom. That was a lot of champagne.”

“Sorry, my bad.” Gideon eased their bodies apart and rolled to his side.

Piper got up and shambled into the bathroom. She seemed at ease. There was no strain in her voice or the sound of tears. This was going okay, wasn’t it?

Gideon stepped into his underwear and shuffled down the hall to the other bathroom for a quick clean up. He had no idea what to say or do next. His fantasies didn’t often go beyond snippets of pleasure. There was no roadmap to a relationship with Piper, or whatever was happening between them.

He braced his hands on the vanity in the bathroom and stared at the stainless steel bowl. When she’d kissed him, he’d stop thinking and just went with it. He’d always wanted Piper.

Whatever happened next, he needed to tread lightly. This was merely the tip of the iceberg for him. That didn’t mean they wanted the same thing.

He returned to the bedroom and found Piper curled up in bed, the comforter pulled up almost over her head. If that wasn’t a clear signal she didn’t want to talk, he didn’t know what else it could be. He turned the lights off and got in next to her, fitting his body around hers, back to chest. She’d shed the lacey body suit and was now blissfully naked under the sheets. She leaned toward him, covering his hand with hers, completely at ease.

Was he dreaming? Had he hit his head? Passed out somewhere and dreamt all this into being?

Piper pulled his arm further around her until he was almost cupping her breast. Her sigh of contentment was sweet.

“How long do we have out here?” Her voice was barely above a mumble.

“We can spend the night out here if you want.”

“I’d like to, but I probably should go home before it gets too early.”

Early, not late. So not soon.

“Got plans tomorrow?” And could he talk her into another date? He was getting into this homework idea.

“Sort of. Rashae has us penciled in for fittings and stuff most of the day. We’ve got like, six cons worth of outfits to go through. I also have to fix things with them.”

“Sounds super exciting. I couldn’t compete at all, could I?” He flexed his fingers against her breast.

“You think I want to be grilled, poked and prodded all day?” She chuckled.

“It could be fun, with the right kind of poking.” He kissed her shoulder.

“It’s not the fun kind, I promise.” She turned her head and looked up at him, her lips curled into a smile.

“Then why go? Stay out here with me. We could swing by, pick up a bathing suit or two...” He kissed across her collar bone. What would it take to convince her?

“I would so rather do that, but I can’t.”

“It’ll be all day?”

“Yeah, but day afterward might be free. You busy?”

She wanted to see him again.

“I’m for sure interested. Want to pencil me in? We can knock out more date homework, just you and I.” He leaned in and kissed her mouth.

She turned toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him closer.

He wasn’t the only one holding on tight. They could figure out what was happening later, for now, he wanted to enjoy holding her.